National Organization for Women

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Florida NOW Denounces Governor’s Signing of Anti DEI and Anti Climate Bills as an Attack on Local Democracy and Civil Rights

For Immediate Release: May 1, 2026 President Julie Kent, Florida NOW

 ORLANDO, FL — Florida NOW strongly condemns Governor Ron DeSantis’s signing of SB 1134 and HB 1217 on April 22, 2026, banning Florida cities and counties from funding diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and from adopting net-zero carbon emissions policies.

“These laws represent a dangerous escalation of state overreach into local governance — stripping communities of the power to address discrimination and climate resilience on their own terms,” said Julie Kent, President of FL National Organization for Women.

SB 1134 prohibits local governments from establishing or maintaining DEI offices, officers, or programs. It bars taxpayer funding for DEI-related initiatives, requires grant recipients to certify no funds will advance DEI, and — most alarmingly — gives the governor the power to remove elected local officials who violate the law. The bill takes effect January 1, 2027. WPEC

HB 1217 prohibits state and local governments from implementing net-zero emissions mandates, carbon taxes, or participation in carbon trading programs — and blocks taxpayer funds from supporting any organization that promotes net-zero policies.

“These bills don’t protect Floridians — they silence them and bar them from taking action for their communities,” said Debbie Deland, Vice President of FL NOW. “When the governor can remove a locally elected official for funding a workplace inclusion program, that’s not limited government. That’s authoritarian control.”

DEI Is Not Discrimination — It Is the Remedy

Governor DeSantis justified SB 1134 by claiming that “the disfavored groups, number one obviously, would be white males, and I think they’ve been discriminated against.”

Florida NOW strongly rejects this distortion. DEI programs exist to ensure compliance with civil rights law and to dismantle barriers that continue to disadvantage women, people of color, and LGBTQ+ individuals in hiring, contracting, and public services. Banning these programs doesn’t create a merit-based system — it protects an unequal one. White males are the most privileged in the United States. They work to maintain the patriarchy.

As NAACP Gainesville President Evelyn Foxx stated: “The governor is out of touch with people, and that is the bottom line.”

Climate Denial as Policy — in the State Most Vulnerable to Climate Change

HB 1217 was signed on Earth Day — a deliberate provocation. Florida faces rising seas, intensifying hurricanes, a property insurance crisis, and some of the nation’s highest climate vulnerability. South Florida communities that have already adopted net-zero plans to protect residents and infrastructure will now be forced to abandon them.

Bill sponsor Rep. Berny Jacques called climate policy “the green new scam.” Florida NOW calls it survival.

A Pattern of Preemption

These bills are part of a systematic campaign by Tallahassee to override local decision-making:

  • 2023: Banned DEI in higher education
  • 2023: Limited how race can be taught in K-12 schools (Stop WOKE Act)
  • 2025: Blocked local governments from managing growth and housing policy
  • 2026: Banned local DEI programs and climate action

“Florida’s cities and counties are being stripped of the ability to govern on behalf of their own residents,” said Kent.

Florida NOW Calls For:

  • Legal challenges to SB 1134’s removal power, which raises serious First Amendment and home rule concerns.
  • Coalition action with NAACP, Equality Florida, ACLU-FL, League of Women Voters, and climate organizations to resist implementation.
  • Public accountability for every legislator who voted to ban inclusion and block climate action.
  • Voter mobilization to elect leaders who will restore local democracy in 2026 and beyond.

“Governor DeSantis signed these bills in Jacksonville — a city that has invested in DEI and climate planning because its residents demanded it,” said Deland. “This isn’t about saving taxpayer money. It is about punishing communities for caring about equity and the planet. It is about politicians doing the bidding of corporations to get money. The majority of our legislators are bought and paid for.”

Florida NOW is a state affiliate of the National Organization for Women, advocating for women’s rights, racial justice, LGBTQ+ equality, reproductive freedom, and constitutional equality across Florida.

### Media Contact: Debbie Deland, 407 234-6408, vp@flnow.org