TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – A program administered by a joint city-county office may close after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis officially signed legislation to prevent local governments from enacting DEI practices.<\/p>\n
Leon County Commissioner Bill Proctor, one of the leading voices on the commission for civil rights issues, floated a lawsuit on Monday, potentially even one filed by Leon County itself.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re (Blacks) 200 years old, too much free cotton been picked, too much free tobacco been picked. We done put in too damn much to be turned around,\u201d Proctor said.<\/p>\n
The Minority, Women & Small Business Enterprise (MWSBE) program is administered by the Tallahassee-Leon County Office of Economic Vitality. Amongst other help, they offer a certification<\/a> which allows businesses to be featured in a database owned by the local governments.<\/p>\n \u201cNobody\u2019s going to allow the march of history to be reversed. Florida, since 1985, has had in place the MBE office (in the state government),\u201d Proctor said, adding that he was the third ever employee hired to that office that year.<\/p>\n More Tallahassee News<\/p>\n K. Lennoris Barber, the Executive Director of Mount Olive Affordable Housing & Community Development Corporation, said the program is meant to give minority and women owned businesses a chance to compete for local government contracts through the request for proposals (RFP) process.<\/p>\n \u201cGoing through the RFP process takes a great deal of supportive type services. And a lot of small businesses does not have the administrative or support services to be able to put together the packages,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n However, Barber said he doesn\u2019t believe the current programs are monitored well enough. He said a reset, even a forced one, might make OEV recalibrate and reallocate the MWSBE money on a geographic, rather than a racial, basis.<\/p>\n \u201cI really, truly don\u2019t see that it may impact Black businesses a great deal because the current programs, while I appreciate the concept of the programs, the programs don\u2019t have a great deal of teeth. It\u2019s more like a barking dog without teeth,\u201d Barber said.<\/p>\n Instead, Barber added that money could be redirected to the Community Redevelopment Agency, which is geographically constrained and provides money to neighborhoods like Frenchtown, Bond and College Town.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, honestly, I think white women have benefited more than any other group from these programs,\u201d Barber said.<\/p>\n Senator Clay Yarborough, the bill sponsor, previously affirmed Gov. DeSantis\u2019s concern and added that these programs are fiscally irresponsible.<\/p>\n \u201cDEI is undermining merit – based decisions, it\u2019s pitting groups against each other, and it provides a lucrative opportunity for those pushing the narrative while growing the financial burden on taxpayers,\u201d Yarbough previously said<\/a>.<\/p>\n Proctor said both the city and county governments need to be compliant by January 1, 2027, when the ban kicks in. However, he hopes a judge will rule the new law \u201cunconstitutionally vague\u201d before then. Previously, Leon County staff said they were undergoing a comprehensive review of the county\u2019s ordinances to identify any other programs that might violate the law. An update is expected this summer.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a great opportunity to just rewrite the narrative, recalibrate, and let\u2019s come up with some programs that absolutely work,\u201d Barber said.<\/p>\n Proctor said the new law may also impact mid-term elections, scheduled for primaries this summer and general elections in November. He said \u201cno party affiliation\u201d voters, better known as independent voters, might take the loss of these programs into account.<\/p>\n To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, Nextdoor<\/a> <\/a>and X<\/a> (Twitter<\/a>).<\/p>\n Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here<\/a>. Please include the article\u2019s headline in your message.<\/p>\n Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here<\/a> to get started.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 WCTV. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n