Delray Beach, Florida, has canceled its St. Patrick’s Day parade and plans to end city sponsorship of June Pride events after its lawyer warned the state’s new law could expose officials to legal consequences, NPR reported.
NPR described SB1134 as barring taxpayer funds for diversity initiatives. The outlet reported that the city attorney advised Mayor Tom Carney that government-backed celebrations tied to culture, ethnicity or heritage could violate the measure, while national holidays such as Independence Day were outside that concern. NPR said the law takes effect Jan. 1 and that officials who violate it could face civil or legal consequences.
The cancellations have drawn calls, emails and social media messages from residents angry about the decision, NPR reported. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in an X post that state law did not require the city to cancel the events and accused it of using the measure to make a political point.
Carney said the city was following its attorney’s advice to avoid legal trouble. He said Delray Beach would hand over control and support the continuation of either celebration if a private sponsor volunteered to take it on.
Carney said private organizers ran the parade before the city took control roughly eight years ago. Past parades have featured floats and giveaways sponsored by local businesses and organizations, as well as marching school bands, NPR reported.
