The Miami City Commission is expected to vote next week on an ordinance bringing city rules in line with state law SB 1134, which restricts diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in local governments. The proposal affects, among other things, the LGBTQ Advisory Board and the city’s affirmative action policy.
SB 1134 prohibits local governments from funding and promoting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and from taking official action on them. According to reports by WLRN and The Florida Trib, the law is set to take effect Jan. 1, and Miami is preparing for that deadline.
The draft ordinance covers the LGBTQ Advisory Board, the Equal Opportunity Advisory Board, the Equal Opportunity Diversity Programs office, which handles internal complaints of employment discrimination, and the city’s affirmative action policy. The LGBTQ Advisory Board would formally continue to exist, but its role would be limited. The Equal Opportunity Advisory Board and the program would be eliminated.
Commissioner Damian Pardo, the city’s first openly gay commissioner, founder of the organization SAVE and a former member of the city’s LGBTQ Advisory Board, said he will vote against the measure. In a statement, he called SB 1134 an example of the state interfering in local affairs. He added that the law should be repealed immediately. He also pointed to the results of the recent midterm elections, which he said show that voters are tired of “culture wars.”
If the commission approves the proposal on first reading next week, the ordinance will return for a second and final vote. Only then will the changes be formally adopted. The sources do not give the exact date of the meeting.
Source: WLRN
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Source: Słoneczne Radio
