These 70 Florida bills now need Gov. Ron DeSantis\u2019 signature to become law<\/a>]<\/p>\nJoining Democrats in opposing the measure were five Republicans: Reps. Hillary Cassel of Dania Beach, Chip LaMarca of Lighthouse Point, Jim Mooney of Islamorada, Will Robinson of Bradenton and Paula Stark of St. Cloud.<\/p>\n
Jacksonville Republican Rep. Dean Black, the sponsor of the House version of the bill, said the proposal builds on prior efforts to dismantle DEI, a \u201cphilosophy\u201d he claimed has wasted \u201cmillions of taxpayer dollars\u201d and \u201cfostered resentment instead of goodwill, mediocrity instead of merit.\u201d<\/p>\n
[WATCH: After News 6 report, FAMU acknowledges \u2018staff-level error\u2019 in Black History Month flyer dispute]<\/p>\n
As examples, he claimed Pinellas County staff trained on the importance of pronouns, while Alachua County trained senior staff \u201cto reject white culture.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBroward County spent $900,000 on DEI training, and that included pushing gender fluidity and transgender ideology,\u201d Black said.<\/p>\n
In addition to banning counties and municipalities from funding or even passing a resolution in support of programs deemed diverse or inclusive, local governments would be prohibited from having a DEI office or inclusion officer.<\/p>\n
Also, the measure allows individuals to bring legal action against a local government that violates the bill\u2019s provisions. Elected officials found in violation could face removal from office by the governor.<\/p>\n
House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell, D-Tampa, said the bill creates an unlevel playing field for communities of color, LGBTQ individuals, women, veterans and people with disabilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cDEI programs are simply the corrective lens that helps ensure everyone starts from the same line,\u201d Driskell said.<\/p>\n
Fort Lauderdale Democratic Rep. Daryl Campbell said the bill\u2019s ambiguous language \u201cmeans something as simple as mentioning an event at a county meeting or putting a flyer on a bulletin board could expose a local government to lawsuits.\u201d<\/p>\n
Democrats unsuccessfully tried to amend language into the bill to make it tougher for the governor to remove local officials and to allow local governments to permit or recognize local observances without fear of violating the statute.<\/p>\n
[WATCH: DEI funding eliminated at Florida universities]<\/p>\n
Calling language in the bill \u201cvague,\u201d Rep. Ashley Gantt, D-Miami, said the changes will result in lawsuits, while officials will become overly cautious in backing locally supported programs to avoid the appearance of violating the proposal.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile we do have like 10- to 12-carve outs, that doesn\u2019t mean that local governments will still have the ability to understand and interpret and implement the law,\u201d Gantt said. \u201cThat will inevitably cause locals elected to just not act. And that will have a detrimental impact on the constituents that elected them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Parkland Democratic Rep. Christine Hunschofsky warned the bill \u201ccould mean that you can\u2019t celebrate Women\u2019s History Month or Women\u2019s Equality Day or Diwali or Chinese New Year or Easter.\u201d<\/p>\n
The bill doesn\u2019t prohibit a local government from recognizing state and federal holidays, such as Juneteenth or Martin Luther King Jr. Day.<\/p>\n
Black said language in the bill is directed at African-American history so it wouldn\u2019t impact the state-backed Florida Museum of Black History in St. Johns County or Tallahassee\u2019s May 20 celebration of Emancipation Day, when Florida first learned of President Abraham Lincoln\u2019s 1863 Emancipation Proclamation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe bill is not vague,\u201d Black said. \u201cSome people\u2019s understanding of the bill might be.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Senate approved the proposal in a 25-11 vote on March 4.<\/p>\n
A staff analysis of the measure notes that by prohibiting staffing, a DEI office or funding involving inclusive programs \u201cthe bill is likely to result in an indeterminate cost savings to the local government.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Republican-controlled Legislature has for years worked to eliminate various programs involving DEI. In 2023, state colleges and universities were prohibited from spending money on diversity, equity and inclusion programs.<\/p>\n
Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, said such past actions have already affected college support groups intended to address mental health.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you legislate culture wars, you end up getting a lot of consequences that are damaging to people\u2019s health and well-being,\u201d Eskamani said.<\/p>\n
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