Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Florida SB 1134 barring local governments from DEI and Pride-related activity

On April 22, 2026, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed CS/CS/SB 1134, "Official Actions of Local Governments," which bars counties and municipalities from funding, promoting, or taking official action related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The law reaches race- and sex-based DEI programs and women- and minority-owned-business initiatives, and it expressly covers activity "with reference to" sexual orientation and gender identity — including co-sponsoring or funding Pride events, displaying Pride flags on government property, issuing Pride Month proclamations, or providing municipal resources to such events. Existing local ordinances, resolutions, rules, and policies that conflict with the law are voided.

The statute provides that a local official who violates it "commits misfeasance or malfeasance in office" — the same constitutional standard (Fla. Const. Art. IV, Sec. 7) under which the governor may suspend an elected official without a court hearing. A suspended official's only recourse is an appeal to the state Senate, which holds a Republican supermajority. Advocates note that DeSantis has previously invoked this suspension power against elected officials over policy disagreements, removing State Attorneys Andrew Warren in 2022 and Monique Worrell in 2023.

The bill passed the Florida Senate 25-11 on March 4, 2026, and the House 77-37 on March 10, 2026, before DeSantis signed it. The law takes effect January 1, 2027. Equality Florida and other advocates identified cities including Wilton Manors, Key West, Fort Lauderdale, and Delray Beach as potentially exposed under the law over existing Pride-related spending, proclamations, or rainbow crosswalks. As of recording, no local ordinance had yet been voided and no official suspended under the law; any such enforcement action would be a separately recordable development.