FL City Fights to Save Its St. Patrick’s Day Parade From Being Swept Up in State’s New DEI Ban

The GOP’s attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion is now affecting even the most unlikely of festivals, as folks in Delray Beach, Florida, are fighting to hold on to their annual St. Patrick’s Day parade, which celebrates the Irish patron saint, before a new law prohibiting the promotion of DEI-related activities takes effect.

The law comes from Senate Bill 1134, which was signed into law by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this year, stating that “funding or promotion” for activities relating to DEI is banned and that any “member of the governing body of a municipality, or any other county or municipal official acting in an official capacity who violates certain provisions commits misfeasance or malfeasance in office,” the Florida Senate noted.

While the law is not in place yet, it takes effect on Jan. 1, 2027, and will impact not only St. Patrick’s Day but also the summer Pride parade, The Independent reported. As residents of Delray Beach voice their disapproval over the cancellation of their annual parade, Mayor Tom Carney has gone out of his way to reassure folks that he is working behind the scenes to make sure the event will go as planned.

On his Facebook page, Carney began: “To all of you who live, work & play in Delray, I’d like to give a positive update along with an important clarification regarding the status of the 2027 St. Patrick’s Day Parade. First, the clarification: The causation of the cancellation has nothing to do with Amendment 3, but rather Senate Bill 1134. SB 1134 was passed by both chambers and signed into law by Governor DeSantis. This bill puts severe restrictions on how cities can pay for community events such as the St. Patrick’s Day Parade along with potentially other city sponsored events.”

Related: The DEI Watchlist Is the Latest Weapon in America’s War on Black Progress

Continuing, Carney added he had received all the concerns about the festival sent to him via social media and email and would make sure the parade gets back on track: “I’d like to announce that the city is working feverishly with multiple entities to ensure the 2027 St. Patrick’s Day parade goes on as scheduled! I cannot go into details now, but I will bring you the updates as things progress with our negotiations.”

Unfortunately, for now, the same cannot be said for the Pride parade, which remains canceled following the passage of the Senate bill. However, Carney’s positive updates have been met with celebration from folks online, with some residents calling for more to be done, like adding a Black History parade to their festival lineups.

“What about a ‘Black history parade’? There are a lot of African Americans/Blacks who live in Delray Beach and they are ingrained in the DNA of Delray. Delray also needs a Hispanic heritage parade,” commented one user under Carney’s Facebook post.

“Thank you, Mayor Tom Carney – I had a feeling you’d step up and make sure things got fixed. Be sure to let us know who is not in support of this on the bench so we can bring that to the ballot box in the upcoming election,” added another.