TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed Senate Bill 266, which defunds campus diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the state's universities and colleges.

The Florida Legislature approved the legislation early this month.

DeSantis said the measure will “reorient our universities back to their traditional mission. And part of that traditional mission is to treat people as individuals and not try to divvy them up based upon any type of superficial characteristics. We’re going to elevate merit and achievement above identification with certain groups. And in order to do that, we had to look at this relatively new concept called diversity, equity and inclusion."

He said the way DEI is implemented took off after the summer of Black Lives Matter and George Floyd’s death at the hands of police in 2020.

“On its face, when I see diversity, I think of different viewpoints," DeSantis said. "Have a robust academic discussion in a university. Isn’t that what they’re for? In reality, what this concept of DEI has been is an attempt to impose orthodoxy on the university. And not even necessarily in the classroom but through the administrative apparatus of the university itself. And that manifests itself in a number of different ways, but this has basically been used as a veneer to impose an ideological agenda.”

He said the state is ending DEI because the way it has been implemented has turned into is a program of “discrimination, exclusion and indoctrination.”

DeSantis' office previously had called DEI programs “a scam in higher education.”

DeSantis has been a vocal opponent of DEI programs — most recently, he hosted a roundtable discussion with students and education officials about the proposal to defund them.

“In Florida, we are not going to back down to the woke mob, and we will expose the scams they are trying to push onto students across the country,” said DeSantis in a release. “Florida students will receive an education, not a political indoctrination.”

A report requested by the Governor’s Office shows that DEI programs account for millions of dollars in the education system. The University of South Florida alone reported spending $1.1 million for their Diversity and Inclusion Office, most of which was state funded.

At the University of Central Florida, the school spent $445,557 of state funds for the Office of the Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Proponents of DEI programs say they promote diversity within universities and can result in a more equitable outlook for minorities.

“We offer education, training and support services, facilitation of cross-campus collaboration, and enterprise-wide leadership to the campus and our community to build an inclusive culture for all students, faculty and staff,” the school wrote on the UCF office website.

Senate Bill 266 also bars general core classes based on “theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States and were created to maintain social, political, and economic inequities.” These theories are commonly referred to as critical theory, or more specifically, critical race theory.

The bill also states that general core classes may not "distort" significant historical events or teach identity politics.

"At the end of the day, you can’t be all things to all people. You’ve got to make discussions about what you want to do," DeSantis said. "Do you want a medical school somewhere, or what do you want to do? So some of the niche subjects like critical race theory and other types of DEI-infused courses and majors, Florida is getting out of that game.”

He said students who want to study subjects like gender ideology should "go to someplace like Berkeley."

Instead, the bill “doubles down on our commitment to civics education, particularly in higher education,” DeSantis said.

The measure provides $100 million for faculty recruitment, DeSantis said. It also commits $30 million to the Hamilton Center for Classical Civics Education at Florida, invests $8 million to reinvigorate the Florida Institute of Politics at FSU and rename it the Florida Institute of Governance and Civics and provides $5 million to expand the Adams Center for Economic Freedom at Florida International University. The state also has funded changes at New College in the St. Petersburg/Sarasota area. 

The companion bill in the House, HB 999, proposed banning majors and minors utilizing critical theory, though this language was later amended to reflect the language in the Senate's bill.

The Senate bill also requires that the Board of Governors review tenured professors every five years and says they can be dismissed for poor performance. The board consists of 17 members, 14 of whom are appointed by the governor.

It also increased the ability to transition from a state college to a state university, DeSantis said.

Senate Bill 266 will go into effect on July 1.

Florida Rep. Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando) issued a statement indicating that she will continue to fight the changes.

“This is a destructive law that targets diverse students like me and our ability to thrive in higher education institutions. It also suppresses academic freedom and inserts conservative political orthodoxy into the classroom," Eskamani said. "It further politicizes higher education and reduces free speech by dictating specific content that can and cannot be discussed. This bill’s vague definitions and sweeping changes opens up the door for abuse and suppression by political bodies like the Board of Governors and pushes the “Anti-Woke” Act back on universities despite the fact that a federal judge has stopped that policy from being implemented in higher education.   

"I would not be who I am today or where I am today if it was not for Florida’s State University System. We must continue to fight back, and defend our students and faculty in the face of this politically motivated laws."

DeSantis also signed House Bill 931 and Senate Bill 240. 

HB 931 prevents higher educational institutions from requiring students, faculty and staff to commit to loyalty oaths for some views like DEI before they can be hired. It also establishes an office of Public Policy events at each university to organize events on a wide range of topics.

SB 240 expands access to workforce education programs and career and technical education programs in middle schools and high schools. DeSantis said the measure recognizes that not everyone wants to go to a brick-and-mortar university and that people can make a good career through another path.

Celeste Springer is the education beat reporter for Spectrum News 13. If you have a story idea or concern, you can email her at celeste.springer@charter.com.