St. Patrick’s Day parade canceled in Florida thanks to state’s anti-DEI law

A new anti-DEI law championed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that goes into effect next year has resulted in the cancellation of a St. Patrick’s Day parade.The city of Delray Beach announced that it was pulling the plug on the popular 60-year-old spectacle — as well as the city’s annual Pride celebration — after it did a review of Florida Senate Bill 1134, which DeSantis signed into law and goes into effect on Jan. 1.This new law, the city posted on an official website, “establishes restrictions on municipal funding, promotion, and official actions involving activities defined under the legislation as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).”“Following a review of the legislation and its requirements, the City has determined that it is legally prohibited from organizing, funding, or promoting these events in 2027,” it said. “Although the city is no longer able to fund these events, it does not prevent private entities from sponsoring these or similar events,” the city of Delray Beach posted on its official Facebook page.Feeling the heat from his angry constituents, Del Ray Mayor Tom Carney posted on Facebook that “the city is working feverishly with multiple entities to ensure the 2027 St. Patrick’s Day parade goes on as scheduled!”“The St. Patrick’s Day Parade isn’t just another parade,” Carney, a Republican of Irish descent, wrote. “It’s engrained in the DNA of the Delray Beach community... I’ve read your social media posts, received your emails and it is clear that the parade means as much to you in the community as it does to me.”Notably, in his post, Carney did not mention whether he or any other city officials were working to salvage the Pride celebration. Carney did not immediately respond to an NBC News request for comment.There was also no immediate answer from DeSantis’ office on if Delray Beach officials might have misinterpreted the new directive when they cancelled the St. Patrick’s Day parade. But the bill specifically bars counties, municipalities, public contractors, and grantees from using taxpayer money to fund events that celebrate “ethnicity.”DeSantis, a Republican and likely GOP presidential candidate, has been leading the charge against DEI for a number of years.Back in 2023, he signed a bill that defunded diversity programs at Florida colleges. “If you look at the way this has actually been implemented across the country, DEI is better viewed as standing for ‘discrimination, exclusion and indoctrination,’ and that has no place in our public institutions,” DeSantis said at the time. “This bill says the whole experiment with DEI is coming to an end in the state of Florida.”