A new bill in Florida, SB 1134, could spell the end of Puerto Rican pride and cultural events. This is a law “prohibiting counties and municipalities, respectively, from providing or authorizing funds to be used to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.” It also forbids towns or counties to “Promote or adopt training, programming, or activities designed or implemented with reference to race, color, sex, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation.” The law specifically allows recognition and observance of holidays and actions by volunteers.
Does this bill threaten Orlando’s Puerto Rican Parade?
The organizers think it might. They are already declaring the parade “in peril” because licensing fees and other municipal costs have risen significantly. Now they’re also worrying that SB1134 could make the parade illegal.
Since 2016, the annual parade has been a joyful celebration of unity, highlighting the local Puerto Rican community as well as the Island. There is a parade, a festival, and celebrations showcasing Puerto Rican culture and enterprise. 2026 is the tenth anniversary of the parade, and it is dedicated to the Municipality of Yabucoa. Thousands of visitors from across the nation attend this very special celebration each year.
Like St. Patrick’s Day parades and Chinese New Year festivals, this event could be considered “activities designed or implemented with reference to…ethnicity.” That is one of the things forbidden by SB1134.
Volunteer organizations are not affected by the law, but streets are closed during the parade. This presumably does come with some costs for the local government and could count as “providing funds” and “promoting…activities designed or implemented with reference to…ethnicity.”
The bill has passed both houses of Florida’s state legislature and has gone to the governor’s desk for signature as of this writing. If it is signed, it would go into effect on January 1, 2027. There are penalties for local government officials who continue to allow or support cultural celebrations, and individual citizens are allowed to sue, for example, the city of Ft. Lauderdale for holding a Puerto Rican Parade.
What about other states?
States are sovereign and can make their own laws. Under the 10th Amendment, anything not covered by the Constitution (which cultural celebrations obviously are not) is up to each individual state. At this time, some other states have interfered with cultural events on college campuses but none have passed laws like Florida’s SB1134.
Other states might do so, although it’s hard to see the benefit of shutting down highly successful public events that bring visitors and promote local spending. However, the fact that individuals can sue cities in Florida for such celebrations could make local governments in other states nervous and lead to preemptive actions backing away from heritage celebrations.
States have sovereignty and can make their own decisions about local laws. Florida, for example, has laws against singing in public while wearing a bathing suit, riding a skateboard without a license, and falling asleep under a hairdryer in a hair salon. In other words, states have full control over their own laws as long as those laws are not unconstitutional. This makes the common questions about what languages could be spoken in a state of Puerto Rico silly — those decisions are up to the states.
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