Gov. Ron DeSantis tosses a pen to a member of the audience after signing a bill that will outlaw diversity, equity and inclusion in local governments on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. DeSantis is joined by members of the Florida Legislature who supported the bill (from left) Rep. Kiyan Michael, R-Jacksonville; Rep. Dean Black, R-Jacksonville, Sen. Clay Yarborough R-Jacksonville, and Rep. Berny Jacques, R-Seminole. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
Published on April 22, 2026 at 9:27 pm
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Local governments in the Sunshine State will be forbidden from devoting dollars to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 1134 Wednesday in Jacksonville. The bill, which prohibits DEI spending by local governments, will go into effect in January 2027.
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The law defines diversity, equity and inclusion as any “effort to manipulate or influence the composition of employees with reference to race, color, sex, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation,” other than to comply with state and federal anti-discrimination laws.
The law also prohibits cities from employing diversity, equity and inclusion officers.
Discarding diversity from public policy
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Clay Yarborough, R-Jacksonville, argues the law will reduce division in local government.
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“Decisions should be based on merit,” Yarborough said at Wednesday’s bill signing at Florida State College at Jacksonville. “And if they are not, those making the decisions should be replaced. And further, many DEI promoters are financially incentivized through government contracts to continue peddling the notion that the effort will make people more tolerant of differences. …It’s pitting groups against each other, and it provides a lucrative opportunity for those pushing the narrative while growing the financial burden on taxpayers.”
Proponents of DEI policies, however, argue they lead to healthier workplace culture and ultimately, more customer satisfaction.
That was the finding of a 2024 analysis of diversity, equity and inclusion policies in the public sector, conducted by Los Angeles County Public Works Department procurement specialist Elizabeth Yetaryan as part of her graduate studies at California State University, Northridge.
Yetaryan concluded, “diversity, equity and inclusion are essential for public organizations to meet the needs of a diverse society and enhance organizational performance.”
Achieving that required creating inclusive environments that accommodate various backgrounds and perspectives, she argued.
Rep. Dean Black, R-Jacksonville, the DEI ban’s House sponsor, believes finding the best fiscal deal for taxpayers will inherently produce a diverse group of contractors.
“We are going to focus on getting the very best value for taxpayer dollars when we have contracts,” Black told Jacksonville Today earlier this month. “We are not going to concern ourselves any longer with trying to effect social change and DEI.”
The bill does allow for the recognition of public holidays, observances and memorials, including the birth of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 15; Martin Luther King Day; Juneteenth; Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day each March; Pascua Florida Day in April; and more.
On Wednesday, DeSantis repeated his refrain that Florida is “where woke goes to die” during his prepared remarks. He said the phrase often in early 2023.
Later that year, a white supremacist from Clay County traveled to Jacksonville to hunt Black people. He killed three inside a Dollar General in Grand Park. Before and after that massacre, equity advocates and social activists expressed concern the rhetoric around the phrase “woke” in Florida’s public discourse could lead to violence.
Jacksonville Today asked DeSantis to define diversity, equity and inclusion following the bill signing. He says it’s an ideological construct designed to promote a political agenda at the expense of other groups.
“I would think, with DEI, the disfavored groups, No. 1, obviously, would be white males,” DeSantis said. “And I think they have been discriminated against. A lot of people say, ‘Oh, it’s fine. That’s fine.’ No, it’s not fine. It’s wrong.”
The bill passed the Florida Senate on a 25-11 vote. Sens. Clay Yarborough, Jennifer Bradley, R-Fleming Island, and Tom Leek, R- Ormond Beach voted in support. Sen. Tracie Davis, D-Jacksonville, missed the vote.
The bill passed the Florida House 77-37. Only two people from Northeast Florida’s legislative delegation voted against the bill: Rep. Kimberley Daniels, D-Jacksonville, and Rep. Angie Nixon, D-Jacksonville.
During discussion on the floor in March, Nixon said the bill was an example of intentional cruelty.
“We know this bill is designed to have a chilling effect, particularly as it relates to leveling the playing field,” Nixon said on the floor of the Florida House of Representatives on March 10.
“Black infants are twice as likely to die as white infants. The life expectancy for Black people is 74 years of age. For Native Americans its 70. For White folks it is 78. Black and Hispanic adults are less likely to receive mental health services. In many cases (they are) less likely to receive specific treatments. I think we need to really call these bills out for what they are. They are attempts to return us to the worst chapters of our history. The fact that we are here, and my colleague is standing up as though this won’t harm our communities is a slap in the face for my grandmother, who drank out of Black water fountains, who faced lower life expectancy rates.”
“And, then we sit and act as though that stuff has changed and it has not. I am tired,” Nixon said.
Elected Democrats in all corners of the state had rallied against the bill.
“Censorship, retaliation, intolerance, hate. This bill is a message about who belongs in a community and who belongs in the state of Florida and who doesn’t,” Miami Beach City Commissioner Alex J. Fernandez, a Democrat, told WLRN this month.
Democrats are not the only ones irked at the legislation. The Jacksonville NAACP condemned the law.
“This legislation represents a blatant violation of constitutional rights for marginalized communities and signifies a dangerous regression to a time fraught with division and discrimination,” the Jacksonville NAACP wrote in a statement to Jacksonville Today. “Rather than fostering collaboration with local governments to address pressing real-world issues, this governor seems intent on sowing discord among us, undermining our collective efforts for justice and equality. We stand united against this unjust endeavor and will continue to advocate for a more inclusive and equitable Florida.”
Bill’s effect on Duval
Jacksonville City Council Vice President Nick Howland says it’s too early to tell the ramifications SB 1134 will have on the city’s finances for the 2026-27 fiscal year that begins on October 1.
The council will have more clarity once Mayor Donna Deegan proposes her budget in the summer. Howland is expected to be elevated from vice president to president this summer.
Howland applauded Yarborough, Black and DeSantis for championing merit in local government.
“There’s more to go,” Howland told Jacksonville Today after the bill signing. “There are hefty penalties for violating this new law. So, we have to look through the budget with a fine-toothed comb this summer to eliminate anything that’s discriminatory by age, race, sex or otherwise. The law gives us to January 1. But we will make sure anything remaining is carved out of the budget by Oct. 1.”
DeSantis also signed Senate Bill 1217 on Wednesday. That bill restricts local governments from enforcing resolutions or ordinances that support net-zero carbon emissions. It will become law on July 1.
