04/24/2026
Sigh. Florida
🏛️ Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed two sweeping new laws in Jacksonville targeting diversity programs and climate policy, pushing the state further into culture war territory on two of the most contested political battlegrounds in the country. The first law, SB 1134, bans counties and municipalities from funding, promoting, or implementing any DEI initiatives, prohibits local governments from maintaining DEI offices or programs, bars taxpayer money from going to any third-party contractors promoting such efforts, and includes enforcement penalties for officials who violate the law. The second law, HB 1217, blocks state and local governments from adopting net-zero greenhouse gas emissions policies, bans carbon taxes and cap-and-trade participation, and prevents public funds from supporting organizations that promote net-zero goals. DeSantis framed both signings as a stand against what he called "radical climate agendas" and "identity politics" being funded by taxpayers without their consent.
Supporters argued the laws protect fiscal responsibility and promote merit-based decision-making, with one lawmaker invoking Martin Luther King Jr.'s language about the "content of your character" to defend the DEI ban. Critics, however, are likely to push back on both fronts: DEI advocates argue such programs exist to address systemic inequities, not create them, while climate scientists and environmental groups warn that blocking net-zero policies at the local level undermines Florida's ability to respond to the very real threats of rising seas, extreme heat, and increasingly destructive hurricanes that disproportionately impact the state. With both laws now signed and on the books, legal challenges from advocacy groups on both issues are widely expected to follow.