Fort Myers Beach is taking a hard look at its own books. Town leaders have moved an item onto the Town Council's agenda for review, part of a broader effort to make sure employee training, budgets and town procedures line up with a new Florida law that restricts local governments from funding, promoting or taking official action related to diversity, equity and inclusion.
The review was first reported by Gulf Coast News and Weather, which detailed how the town's Local Planning Agency has already taken steps to help ensure Fort Myers Beach programs and policies comply with the incoming rules. According to that reporting, the town manager is responsible for reviewing employee training, budgets and procedures to confirm they meet the new standard before it takes hold.
The stakes are real. Per the same report, the new law requires the town to examine its existing policies, programs and spending for conflicts with the rules, and it carries serious consequences for noncompliance — with any violating town policies or programs set to become void by Dec. 31.
What the State Law Actually Says
The underlying statute, Florida Statutes §125.595, states plainly that a county may not fund or promote, directly or indirectly, or take any official action tied to DEI, according to the Florida Legislature. The statute defines DEI broadly to include certain efforts tied to employee composition, preferential treatment, or training and activities connected to specified protected characteristics, the legislature's text shows. Notably, the specific statutory language provided addresses counties, and it does not by itself spell out how the law's municipal provisions apply to a town like Fort Myers Beach.
The law is broadly understood to take effect Jan. 1, 2027, a timeline also reported by the Tallahassee Democrat in its coverage of SB 1134. That outlet reported that Tallahassee and Leon County officials were preemptively reviewing their own ordinances and programs ahead of the deadline, with city staff there asking commissioners to authorize a comprehensive review of ordinances, resolutions, policies, programs, events, sponsorships, grants and contracts for potential conflicts with the new law.
How Other Florida Communities Are Responding
Fort Myers Beach is far from alone in scrambling to get ahead of the deadline. The Miami Herald reported that as of late September, the state still hadn't released rules for how local governments should adhere to the new anti-DEI requirements, leaving local leaders and administrators to speculate about what compliance would actually look like.
That uncertainty has already pushed some Florida cities and counties toward concrete changes. Miami-Dade began winding down volunteer advisory boards representing Black, Hispanic and LGBTQ residents, along with the county's Commission for Women, and North Miami does not plan to fund its annual celebration of Haitian Heritage Month, according to the Miami Herald's reporting. The outlet separately reported that Miami-Dade plans to dissolve its Hispanic Affairs board along with Asian American, Black Affairs, LGBTQIA+ and Commission on Women boards, though the county's mayor said the 19 employees who staff those volunteer boards would be shifted to a different department — with the commission chair saying those employees would not lose their jobs once the law takes effect.
Miami Beach has said the law will force it to cut off funding for its Pride event starting Jan. 1, 2027, per the Miami Herald. Delray Beach has gone further, announcing it will not host its annual St. Patrick's Day Parade or its Pride event in 2027 at all, citing the new state law, according to the Boca Post.
What Residents Could Do If Rules Aren't Followed
The statute also opens a door for enforcement beyond state oversight. Under §125.595, a county resident may bring an action in circuit court, with the law providing for possible declaratory or injunctive relief, damages and costs, according to the Florida Legislature's published statutory text.
For now, Fort Myers Beach's review remains a work in progress, with the exact policies under scrutiny and the town's eventual findings still unclear. What is established is the timeline: the law is set to take effect Jan. 1, and any town policies or programs found out of compliance would become void by the end of this year.
