Florida just defunded every Pride parade in the state.
But Democrats want Floridians to forget what the law actually does.
And now Democrats are using a St Patrick’s Day Parade to make Floridians feel bad about Ron DeSantis killing DEI.
What SB 1134 Actually Does
Florida Senate Bill 1134 is the most aggressive anti-DEI law in America.
DeSantis signed it in April.
It bans every county and city in Florida from funding, promoting, or taking any official action related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Local officials who violate it face charges of misfeasance or malfeasance.
The governor can remove them from office.
Citizens can sue.
https://twitter.com/SunSentinel/status/2120196098862018812?a=GxwEBQadGt-sR7B4WPo&s=20
It took effect January 1, 2027.
Miami Beach had committed $250,000 to its annual Pride festival. Gone.
Key West Pride was pulling state tourism dollars every year. Gone.
St. Petersburg was providing $138,000 in city services annually to its Pride parade. Gone.
That is what this law was built to do, and it is doing it.
Enter the Shamrock
Delray Beach announced this week it cannot host its 2027 St. Patrick's Day Parade because of SB 1134.
The law bars local governments from funding events "designed or implemented with reference to ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity."
Delray Beach's lawyers concluded an Irish heritage parade qualifies.
They are probably right – St. Patrick's Day is ethnic by definition, and the law carves out exceptions only for federal holidays, which St. Patrick's Day is not.
The city also had to cancel its Pride event.
Democrats immediately grabbed the shamrock and started waving it everywhere.
Every left-wing outlet in Florida ran the same story: DeSantis canceled St. Patrick's Day.
They are not mentioning the Pride funding.
They are not mentioning the DEI offices being shuttered.
The shamrock is a shield, and the media is holding it up for them.
Mayor Carney Already Has the Solution
Delray Beach Mayor Tom Carney went on Facebook and promised the parade is not dead.
He is right. Under SB 1134, the city can still issue permits and provide public safety services for private events.
If a private organization steps up and funds the parade, it goes on.
Carney said his team is "working feverishly with multiple entities" to make exactly that happen.
https://twitter.com/WPTV/status/2120209080052519322?a=LSoSdjsgeihGOilfLwE&s=20
This is how it should work.
Ethnic heritage celebrations should not need government grants to survive.
They survived for generations on private community support.
The Irish community in Delray Beach does not need a city bureaucrat writing them a check to throw a parade.
They need a permit and some willing sponsors – and both are still legal under SB 1134.
The parade is not canceled.
The government subsidy for the parade is canceled.
Those are different things.
Do Not Let Them Change the Subject
Florida's Democrats have a problem.
The anti-DEI law is working exactly as designed – hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars that were flowing to Pride events and DEI offices across Florida are now off the table, and Democrats cannot defend that spending to Florida voters.
So they found a parade in Delray Beach and they are hoping you spend the next three months talking about shamrocks instead of DEI bureaucrats.
https://twitter.com/Independent/status/2120849775125811367?a=avOfK4Xq6a61–1C6PY&s=20
Do not take the bait.
A law that defunds Pride festivals and kills DEI offices across an entire state is a win.
A city that now has to find a private sponsor for its Irish parade instead of writing itself a check is a minor implementation issue with an obvious fix.
Republican legislators can tighten the heritage event language before January 1 if they want to – and they should, because there is no reason to hand the left this talking point for free.
But the story here is not that DeSantis canceled St. Patrick's Day.
The story is that Democrats are so desperate to protect DEI funding that they are hiding behind a shamrock to do it.
Sources:
- Landon Mion, "Florida City Says New GOP-Backed DEI Law Blocks St Patrick's Parade, Pride Event," Fox News, November 12, 2026.
- "South Florida City Cancels St. Patrick's Day Parade Citing New Anti-DEI Law," NewsRadio WIOD, November 10, 2026.
- "Florida Outlaws Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Public Policy," Jacksonville Today, April 22, 2026.
- "Florida Anti-DEI Law Will Cut Funding for Key West Pride Events," Metro Weekly, May 2026.
- "Anti-DEI Law Requires Florida Contractors and Grant Recipients to Certify Compliance," National Law Review, May 11, 2026.
