DeSantis Signs Bill Banning Funding for Diversity Programs at Florida Colleges and Universities

Monday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation banning state funding for diversity, equity and inclusion programs at Florida’s public colleges and universities.

While advocates of these programs argue that they play a vital role in addressing the needs of our nation’s ever-growing diverse student populations, DeSantis and other conservatives say they reinforce racial divisions.

“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,” DeSantis said at a news conference at New College of Florida in Sarasota. “And that has no place in our public institutions. This bill says the whole experiment with DEI is coming to an end in the state of Florida.”

“We don’t see the data that DEI is ruining our schools. We actually see the opposite of it,” Rep. Ashley Gantt, D-Miami, said. “It’s actually encouraging robust conversations and viewpoints, and that’s what college is all about.”

The Bill, SB 266, also modifies the way in which faculty members are hired and it also grants increased authority to university presidents. The State Board of Education and state university system’s Board of Governors will be required to appoint faculty committees that will be tasked with evaluating general-education core courses. These evaluations may result in the modification, restructuring, or inclusion of courses, guided by the criteria specified in the bill.