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Monroe County pulled tourism funding from Key West Pride events, citing Florida's DEI law before its effective date

On May 6, 2026, Monroe County, Florida withdrew roughly $200,000 in annual tourism funding, including about $75,000 in marketing support for Key West Pride, from LGBTQ events organized through the Key West Business Guild. A senior assistant county attorney's letter to the Guild cited Senate Bill 1134, the state law barring local governments from funding or promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion activity, as the basis, even though that law does not take effect until January 1, 2027.

Jurisdiction
Florida
Location
Key West, Florida

Abuses documented

Actors

  • Monroe County, Florida (County government)

On May 6, 2026, Monroe County, Florida withdrew roughly $200,000 in annual tourism funding, including about $75,000 in marketing and promotional support tied to Key West Pride, from LGBTQ events organized through the Key West Business Guild. In a letter to the Guild, a senior assistant county attorney for Monroe County cited Florida Senate Bill 1134, the state law barring local governments from funding or promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion activity, as the basis for the cuts. The affected events included Key West Pride, Tropical Heat, and Womenfest.

SB 1134, which Gov. Ron DeSantis signed on April 22, 2026, does not take effect until January 1, 2027, yet the county applied it nearly eight months early. A county statement emphasized that the changes were "not discretionary" and were "required to comply with state law." Guild leaders said their mission is to promote travel and tourism rather than to advance DEI initiatives, and expressed disappointment at the county's interpretation.

Why we recorded this

In a democracy, government does not withhold public benefits from residents because of who they are, and officials act only on laws that are actually in force. Monroe County withdrew tourism funding from Key West's LGBTQ Pride events, singling out activity tied to sexual orientation and gender identity for denial, and did so citing a state DEI law nearly eight months before that law's January 1, 2027 effective date. Recording the withdrawal documents a local government both discriminating against a protected group and enforcing a discriminatory framework before it legally applied.

Sources

  1. Ron DeSantis' Florida pulls funding for Key West Pride events because of new anti-diversity law — LGBTQ Nation investigative accessed July 11, 2026
  2. Key West Pride's state funding pulled — Washington Blade investigative accessed July 11, 2026
  3. Tourism funding cut for LGBTQ+ events in Key West — Keys News investigative accessed July 11, 2026
  4. Tourism funding cut for Key West Pride event as county cites state DEI law — Tampa Bay Times investigative accessed July 11, 2026

See also