4 days ago
Palm Beach County suspends DEI policies to save nearly $330 million in federal funds
The Palm Beach County Commission has taken emergency action to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion efforts from its policies to reduce the risk of losing millions in federal funding.
This action on Tuesday was spurred in response to President Donald Trump's executive order that prohibits the use of federal funds for the promotion of gender ideology and diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility programs. For Palm Beach County, this action will mean several changes to county policies, including:
— Suspending portions of the county's Equal Business Opportunity Ordinances, removing the enforcement and utilization of preferences or distinctions based on sex or race.
— Eliminating the county's Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, though this office never was staffed.
Masimba Maxwell Mutamba, who is with the county attorney's office, told county commissioners during a public meeting on Tuesday that the goal of the emergency ordinance is to 'minimize the potential that a federal agency will independently decide that Palm Beach County is not fulfilling the terms of the grant conditions that incorporate these executive orders.'
'Basically, what we are recommending is that this board pass an emergency ordinance that suspends certain provisions of programs we currently have in place that may subsequently be found or determined by a federal agency to be violative of certain grant conditions,' Mutamba said.
For the 2025 fiscal year, the county received nearly $330 million in federal grant funds, according to county documents.
'Although staff believes all county policies, programs and ordinances are consistent with the current interpretation of federal law by the courts with jurisdiction, the new interpretation of federal law by federal regulatory agencies raise concerns and could subject the county, the county commissioners and staff to potential legal liability,' county staff wrote.
In need of a four-fifths vote by the County Commission to go through, the county commissioners voted 6-1 to put the emergency ordinance into effect but not without much turmoil expressed by some of the commissioners about the decision.
'I am committed to fairness, opportunity and inclusion for everyone in Palm Beach County because when we invest in every part of our community, we all rise. With that being said, I don't want to risk $329 million that come into our neighborhoods to provide essential services that we all rely on,' Commissioner Joel Flores said during Tuesday's meeting. 'There's no bone in my body that wants to approve this suspension. But I will do it only because I don't want jeopardize the livelihood of some.'
Commissioner Gregg Weiss called the decision one of the hardest votes he has had to cast in public office.
'It's attack on local control, and it threatens the fairness that we all have been working on so hard to build into our system,' he said. 'For years, we've made sure that small businesses, especially those owned by women, minorities and historically excluded groups have a fair shot at doing business with the county. This new policy puts that progress at risk.'
Not every commissioner shared these sentiments.
'I don't agree that this is a terrible thing to happen. I don't agree that having the best person for the best job at the best price for our taxpayers is a bad thing,' Vice Mayor Sara Baxter said. 'I can't be any more in support of something that gets rid of things based on race, whether it's one way or the other. That's a terrible way for society to thrive, and we got rid of it, and to go back to it is awful.'
Mayor Maria Marino said she viewed the decision to go forward with the emergency ordinance as a 'temporary insurance policy for our taxpayers and our grant programs.'
The Palm Beach County School Board set out to take similar emergency action in April, removing references to affirmative action in hiring, minority preference in vendor selection, racial balance in student assignments and racial diversity on some district committees, among other changes.
