Tampa Mayor Jane Castor wearing a rainbow "mayor" sash at Tampa Pride 2024 — Tampa Mayor Jane Castor at Tampa Pride 2024 Credit: Dave Decker / Creative Loafing Tampa Bay

Last fall, when Gov. Ron DeSantis’ transportation department erased all street murals—specifically targeting rainbow crosswalks and political pieces— local government officials like St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch vowed to fight back.

DeSantis is about to stop that fight too, with a bill on his desk that will silence local government on virtually all matters related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

Under SB 1134, the governor can remove public officials who fund, promote, or take official action related to DEI—and private citizens can sue local governments for damages.

“It essentially activates every Moms for Liberty and Proud Boys member in the state to go after local government,” Joe Saunders, Senior Political Director at Equality Florida told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.

DeSantis has already expressed support for the law that, if signed, would take effect Jan. 1.

That makes this the last LGBTQ+ Pride season where public officials can freely participate in celebrations, issue proclamations and empower soon-to-be-gone LGBTQ+ liaisons.

“…if someone calls me mayor, I have to duck and hide.”
Anna Eskamani on WMNF’s The Skinny

Pride of Tampa starts the celebrations in Ybor City this weekend, with a festival in and around the Cuban Club replacing the yearly parade previously run by Tampa Pride. St. Pete Pride, one of the biggest parades in the southeast, caps off the official LGBTQ+ Pride month in June.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor will issue a proclamation this Saturday for “Pride of Tampa Day.” City spokesperson Adam Smith said Castor plans to attend the festival—there are no other plans for her to publicly announce the proclamation. He declined to comment on the bill on her behalf “until we have a better handle on the legislation.”

Castor, the city’s first out gay mayor, has long been a fixture at past Tampa Pride parades, along with local and state elected officials. One of those, Rep. Kathy Castor (no relation to the mayor) has confirmed she’ll be at Pride of Tampa this weekend, per event organizers.

Sheriff Chad Chronister and Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw joined uniformed officers and deputies in past parades.

Under the new law, it’s unclear if elected officials and anyone representing a local government could still quietly attend DEI-designated events like Pride.

State representative and Orlando mayoral candidate Anna Eskamani said last week on WMNF’s The Skinny that in her interpretation of the “absurd and obscene” legislation, elected officials can attend events deemed DEI, like Pride, but cannot identify themselves as elected officials.

“I mean, it’s just so silly and impossible, right?” she said in a conversation with The Skinny co-host and CL Editor-in-Chief Ray Roa.

“It’s as if, you know, I walk into Pride, and if someone calls me mayor, I have to duck and hide.”

While the stakes for government officials are clearly high, the law’s vague terms are intentional, Saunders told CL.

“Where we’re moving into is an era where local governments will feel bullied and intimidated while they have to navigate in the courts what this predatory bumper sticker of a law is trying to achieve,” Saunders said.

Equality Florida led LGBTQ and minority advocates in fighting the bill, resulting in more than a dozen exceptions. The organization also helped defeat four other anti-LGBTQ bills this session.

“You can make as many carve-outs as you want, but you can’t carve yourself into good legislation. This was just bad policy from the jump.”
Abdelilah Skhir, ACLU Florida senior campaign strategist

Local governments will still be able to grant event permits and provide public safety services for parades, like Pride. And they can still celebrate federal and state holidays, including Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Juneteenth.

The bill eliminates programs that incentivize the development of local minority-owned businesses, including those owned by women and veterans. But governments are allowed to support gender-based nonprofits for helping homeless people and at-risk youth, as well as domestic violence shelters and public health services.

While DEI-deemed liaison positions will cease to exist, city and county advisory boards and their staff are protected.

And federal protections for employment and sports discrimination based on sex are still in effect.

Local governments can still maintain and recognize state or federal monuments, memorials, and museums, as well as the events and individuals forming their basis. Examples include African American and Holocaust museums.

The bill’s sponsor, Republican Sen. Clay Yarborough, specifically exempted sponsorship of a Hispanic chamber of commerce or a Jewish community center. Equality Florida and others opposed to the bill fought for—and won—the specific exemption of the City of Orlando’s upcoming Pulse Nightclub memorial.

But other holidays and events outside those specifically listed in the bill are seemingly up for interpretation by local officials, who could risk losing their jobs or preemptively take action in court.

Abdelilah Skhir, ACLU Florida senior campaign strategist, told CL that even with so many exemptions, the legislation is still deeply flawed.

“Essentially, any time the sponsors were confronted with a hypothetical or an example of how something could be considered DEI, they realized it would be a really bad look to have that banned and it was carved out of that legislation,” Skhir told CL.

“You can make as many carve-outs as you want, but you can’t carve yourself into good legislation. This was just bad policy from the jump.”

He warned that Republican lawmakers are likely not done trying to restrict DEI, but advocates like the ACLU and Equality Florida aren’t giving up either.

“You can never simply assume that attacks on free expression will end. It’s an ongoing fight,” Skhir said. “Throughout history, we have seen ordinary people get together and work with one another to create a society that better reflects everyone. I still believe that’s possible in Florida.”

Saunders told CL that Equality Florida is in talks with “community partners” who could attempt to take the legislation down in court in the same fashion as the so-called “Don’t Say Gay”, Stop Woke and laws limiting drag performances.

Skhir did not comment on future legal action, but said he believes “there are plenty of organizations, whether in Florida or otherwise, that can make the necessary arguments to overturn blatantly unconstitutional pieces of legislation.”

Saunders hasn’t lost hope either.

“Pride is resilient, LGBTQ people are resilient, and we will be here long after Ron DeSantis to make sure our communities can have joyous celebrations,” Saunders said.

“They can’t take that away from us. We will navigate this together.”

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