Delray Beach announced it will cancel its upcoming St. Patrick’s Day parade and Pride festival to comply with a new state law restricting diversity initiatives.
The coastal Florida city’s decision responds to Senate Bill 1134, a Republican-backed measure signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in April that prohibits local governments from funding, promoting, or organizing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. The restrictions explicitly encompass programming tied to ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender identity, taking effect statewide on January 1, 2027.
City officials revealed the cancellation on November 10, stating that a legal review of the legislation determined municipal sponsorship of the cultural events would violate the law. The St. Patrick’s Day parade has run annually since 1968, drawing tens of thousands of spectators to Atlantic Avenue.
Delray Beach is engaging in “malicious compliance.” What they are doing is not mandated by Florida law. It’s just an attempt to make a political point — a point that legacy media will no doubt try to amplify. We’ve seen these stunts throughout the years. Rinse and repeat. https://t.co/vZY2oL6SXF
Commissioner Judy Mollica said the city acted out of concern over the statute’s enforcement mechanism, which exposes municipalities and officials to lawsuits and removal from office. “The frightening thing about SB 1134 is that it gives any citizen the right to sue its municipality,” Mollica said.
State leaders disputed the city’s legal interpretation. Following the announcement, DeSantis posted to social media to characterize the move as a political maneuver.
The city of Delray Beach in Florida announced it was scrapping next year's popular St. Patrick's Day parade, which regularly attracts tens of thousands of visitors, as well as its Pride event. @ABC News' @DannyNewTV has the details. https://t.co/u49WmCzk2L pic.twitter.com/Ogz56fPLHV
Mayor Tom Carney expressed frustration with the situation while announcing that local leaders are attempting to salvage the parade through alternate financing.
“I’ve said it’s engrained in the DNA of Delray and I do mean that. It’s one of our signature events,” Carney said. “The community really wants to have it, so we should go ahead and have it, we just need to get it privately funded.”
The Governor is right. When the bill was on the Senate floor, the specific question was asked related to whether St. Patricks Day observances would be prohibited. The answer was and still is no. https://t.co/IJ3AaKvHkP
Carney added that city officials are collaborating with outside entities to secure underwriting and keep the 2027 parade on schedule. Vice Mayor Rob Long said that the community reaction reflects local support for the tradition.
“Compliance to make a political point with an event that’s been going on for decades and brings millions of dollars into our city? Of course not,” Long said. “No one wanted to cancel this.”
The legislation explicitly exempts several federally recognized holidays from the ban, including Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Columbus Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
Community gatherings recognizing ethnic groups or cultural heritages outside those designated federal days lack protection under the measure. City officials explained that the statutory definition of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives covers municipal endorsement or financial backing of ethnicity and cultural background.
Local leadership pointed out that the St. Patrick’s Day parade historically operated as a privately organized event before the city assumed its sponsorship role roughly eight years prior.
City Manager Terrence Moore said that the municipality remains open to issuing required event permits through a content-neutral process and supplying necessary public safety services if an outside group steps forward. Commissioner Steve Glassman said that municipal evaluation of events moving forward will occur on a case-by-case basis to ensure full adherence to the statutory framework.
State Senator Clay Yarborough defended the measure online, asserting that legislative intent was clear during committee discussions regarding cultural observances. The senator said that lawmakers specifically addressed inquiries concerning Irish heritage celebrations during the legislative session and concluded that the text did not prohibit them.