DeSantis disputes Delray Beach's reading of Florida anti-DEI law

Delray Beach, Florida, said Tuesday it will not host its 2027 St. Patrick's Day parade or Pride event because a new state anti-DEI law prohibits city involvement.

The city, near Fort Lauderdale in southeast Florida, said its review found it was "legally prohibited from organizing, funding, or promoting these events in 2027" once the law takes effect Jan. 1. It will also end its sponsorship of LGBTQ Pride celebrations in June.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis disputed the city's interpretation Friday. Delray Beach was engaged in "malicious compliance," he wrote on X, adding that its decision was "not mandated by Florida law."

Mayor Tom Carney, a Republican of Irish descent, told NPR the city would turn either event over to a willing private sponsor and support it. "These types of events we should be celebrating because in this country, people can have these events. In other countries, you can't do this. We have great freedoms here," he said.

Carney's family helped sustain the parade during the 1980s and 1990s, he said. "The St. Patrick's Day Parade isn't just another parade. It's engrained in the DNA of the Delray Beach community," he wrote on Facebook.

In that post, Carney said "the city is working feverishly with multiple entities to ensure the 2027 St. Patrick's Day parade goes on as scheduled." His post did not say whether he or other city officials were trying to save the Pride celebration, NBC News reported.

The parade dates back to 1970 as an annual event. It regularly attracts tens of thousands of visitors, and business owners faced losing one of their traditionally most lucrative weekends, The Guardian reported.

Governor disputes city's reading

DeSantis called the city's decision "just an attempt to make a political point" in his post.

Delray Beach is engaging in “malicious compliance.”

What they are doing is not mandated by Florida law. It’s just an attempt to make a political point — a point that legacy media will no doubt try to amplify.

We’ve seen these stunts throughout the years. Rinse and repeat.

— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) November 13, 2026

"We've seen these stunts throughout the years. Rinse and repeat," DeSantis wrote. A spokesperson for DeSantis forwarded the post when NBC News asked whether the city might have misunderstood the law.

The city's lawyer advised Carney that a government-sponsored celebration of culture, ethnicity or heritage could violate the law if it is not a national holiday. "The legislation has unintended consequences. The governor may genuinely believe what he believes and I take him at his word; our city attorney came up with a different conclusion," Carney said.

What the law requires

DeSantis signed Senate Bill 1134 in April. It prohibits counties and municipalities from directly or indirectly financing or promoting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Cities also face limits on paying for, hosting or officially promoting heritage or ethnicity celebrations.

Federal holidays are exempt, including Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, Juneteenth, Independence Day and Thanksgiving. The law treats violations by local officials as misfeasance or malfeasance in office.

The city said the restrictions "include certain programming and activities designed or implemented with reference to ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender identity."

City seeks private sponsors

City officials said angry constituents had inundated them with messages about the cancellation.

"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 said on its Facebook page. The parade had private operators until about eight years ago, Carney said.

"The community really wants to have it, so we should go ahead and have it, we just need to get it privately funded," Carney said.

Other Florida cities are evaluating their positions on the law, though no other event cancellations are known so far, The Guardian reported, citing the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Carney said he could not yet share details about efforts to keep the parade going, but he would provide regular updates.