Press Statement:
Defying DeSantis: Communities Show Their Rainbows as State Threatens Cities

St. Petersburg, FL — Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department of Transportation have issued a new letter to cities threatening to withhold millions in critical emergency relief funding unless they remove street art, including rainbow crosswalks.

Equality Florida Executive Director Nadine Smith released the following statement in response:

Equality Florida Condemns DeSantis for Defacing Pulse Memorial; Calls on Floridians to #ShowYourRainbow in Response

Orlando, FL — In the dead of night, Ron DeSantis ordered part of the Pulse memorial painted over — defacing a sacred space in the heart of Orlando that honors the 49 lives stolen in one of the deadliest massacres in U.S. history.

As the new school year kicks off, families have received a not-so-welcome “Back to School” letter from Governor DeSantis and the Florida Department of Education urging parents to monitor and report teachers.

Equality Florida Awarded $22,000 Grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County to Expand LGBTQ Youth Mental Health Services

Sarasota, FL – Equality Florida was awarded a $22,000 grant from the McCauley-Brown Fund at the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, which paved the way for a critical initiative aimed at increasing the competencies of mental health service providers for LGBTQ+ youth in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte, and DeSoto counties.

Civil Rights and Parents Groups Denounce Effort to Erode Local Protections in Sarasota Public Schools

Proposed changes dangerously obscure discrimination and bullying protections for all students