Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed SB 1134 into law on April 22, 2026, in Jacksonville, prohibiting local governments across the state from funding, promoting, or implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. The legislation was part of a broader package that also banned local governments from pursuing net-zero climate policies. DeSantis framed both measures as a response to what he described as years of ideologically driven government overreach, saying Florida had fought that trend more successfully than anyone else.
The law is among the most far-reaching of its kind in the country. It requires grant recipients to certify that public funds will not be used to advance DEI and includes enforcement mechanisms with penalties for officials who violate it. Local officials who run afoul of the law face potential removal from office, a provision that has drawn particular concern from city and county leaders who say the legislation’s language is broad enough to create confusion about what activities are now prohibited.
What SB 1134 actually does to Florida’s local governments
The law prohibits local governments from establishing or maintaining DEI offices, officers, or programs, bars taxpayer funding for DEI-related initiatives or third-party contractors promoting such efforts, and requires grant recipients to certify that public funds will not be used to advance DEI. State Senator Clay Yarborough, one of the bill’s supporters, argued that decisions about individuals should be based on merit, and that local governments had been directing resources toward what he characterized as divisive programming rather than core community services.
The Florida House passed the bill by a vote of 77 to 37, with five Republicans joining House Democrats in opposition. The bipartisan resistance was notable, with several Republican lawmakers publicly criticizing the bill’s scope. State Representative Michelle Salzman, a Republican from Escambia County, described the legislation as all over the place and incredibly vague during its final House committee stop.
DEI advocates say Florida’s law targets more than programs
Civil rights organizations and advocacy groups have pushed back hard. Evelyn Foxx, president of the Gainesville NAACP branch, argued that DeSantis was disconnected from the experiences of people who have relied on DEI programs to access opportunities that were otherwise closed to them. Genesis Robinson, executive director of the nonprofit Equal Ground, made a sharper point: that invoking merit as a justification for dismantling these programs ignores the fact that many of the systems in which merit is measured were not designed with equity in mind. Robinson pointed specifically to redlining, underfunded schools, and discriminatory lending practices as examples of structural disadvantages that DEI programs were created to address.
Equality Florida, which has been among the most vocal opponents, described the legislation as designed to intimidate cities and counties that celebrate and support the diverse communities they serve, and vowed to challenge the law in courts.
Where this fits in the broader national picture
Republican state leaders and the Trump administration have rallied against DEI practices at both the state and federal levels. Trump has signed executive orders directing the dismantling of DEI policies at federal agencies and in the private sector, including for government contractors and subcontractors, and has attempted to freeze federal funding for universities over DEI.
Florida has been one of the most aggressive states in advancing this agenda, but it is not alone. The signing of SB 1134 places Florida alongside a growing number of states that have moved to restrict or eliminate diversity programs at the institutional level. What distinguishes this particular law is the enforcement mechanism. Removing elected officials from office for funding inclusion programs is a step that no other state has taken at this scale, and legal challenges are expected.
No court dates have been set, but advocacy organizations have made clear they intend to test the law’s limits. The fight over what Florida’s cities and counties are permitted to do for their residents is just getting started.
