JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — After banning DEI at the state level, in Florida colleges and universities, and K-12 public schools, the Florida Legislature passed a bill Tuesday that would extend the prohibitions to local governments as well.
Bill sponsor State Rep Dean Black (R-Yulee) argued his bill aims to put merit above all else in local government hiring, training, contracting, and spending.
“Our work to eradicate this poisonous ideology from our society isn’t done until we eradicate it from our counties and municipalities,” said Black.
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During his debate Tuesday, Black specifically highlighted funding for the LGBTQ organization JASMYN in Duval County as an example of the type of funding the bill would prohibit.
The bill does specify carveouts for state-recognized holidays and observances, including Black History Month.
But Democratic lawmakers raised concerns that vague language in the bill could prohibit much more than intended.
“It could mean you can’t celebrate Women’s History Month, or Women’s Equality Day, or Diwali, or Chinese New Year, or Easter. This is insane,” said State Representative Christine Hunschofsky (D-Coconut Creek).
Local officials in Jacksonville are taking note, as the bill comes with high stakes.
Intentional violations on the part of government officials would constitute misfeasance or malfeasance, which could result in removal from office.
Councilmember Ron Salem (R-Group 2 At-Large), who chairs the Duval DOGE Committee, noted the DOGE committee has already begun examining some local grant funding for potential ties to DEI programs, projects, and initiatives.
He argued that moving forward, the council will have to be very careful about its funding decisions.
“I know it was a big topic of discussion in last year’s budget. So, if the bill passes and the Governor sign it, I’m sure we’ll be scrutinizing the budget for anything that’s related to this,” said Salem.
Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan’s office told Action News Jax its monitoring the legislation and the city’s legal staff will conduct a full review of its language and implications now that it has been passed in its final form.
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