With nearly $1 billion in state and federal funding at stake, the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners and the Palm Beach County School Board recently bowed to pressure from the Trump Administration and agreed to remove diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) language from their policies.
A supermajority of six county commissioners was required for passage of the “emergency ordinance.”
District 7 Commissioner Bobby Powell Jr., who represents communities such as Riviera Beach and Mangonia Park, was the only “no” vote at the Tuesday, June 3 meeting.
“I do know right from wrong… and this does not sit well with me morally or ethically,” Powell told his fellow commissioners.
Most of the commissioners agreed, but they were swayed by the possible loss of $300 to $600 million in state and federal funds if the county were to be found not in compliance with a federal executive order demanding the elimination of such language and policies.
Most impacted by the change will be the county’s Equal Business Opportunity Ordinance, which has focused on expanding small business opportunities for minorities and women, officials said.
Masimba Maxwell Mutamba of the county attorney’s office also told the board that the U.S. Department of Justice could push for civil or even criminal penalties against commissioners who allow violations of the Trump Administration mandate while accepting federal grant money.
“This is one of the hardest votes I’ve had to take,” District 2 Commissioner Gregg Weiss said. “I don’t support this… [but] the alternative is pulling the rug out from under people who need it the most.”
The grant money in question funds an array of programs for those in need.
“Losing this money would hit our most vulnerable residents the hardest — seniors, families, kids who depend on county services,” Weiss said. “It threatens the fairness we’ve all been working so hard to build into the system.”
Palm Beach County Vice Mayor Sara Baxter, who represents District 6, took the opposite tack. Rather than quietly voting “yes” to the change, she said, “I don’t agree that this is a terrible thing to happen. Getting rid of programs based on race, I think that’s a good thing. I believe our taxpayers deserve the best job for the best price. I think it’s a benefit to taxpayers and everyone.”
Baxter said her Christian faith led her to believe that race should not be a factor in policymaking or any other aspect of life. She cited the central theme of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech, saying she believes all people should be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin.
“That’s exactly where I want to be,” Baxter said. “I stand firmly against discrimination… because I believe in equality, and equality comes from a merit-based system… We should learn to love everyone, and having racial preference programs doesn’t do that.”
District 4 Commissioner Marci Woodard said she “very much agrees” with Baxter’s position.
Palm Beach County Mayor Maria Marino called the change “a temporary insurance policy” against the loss of the state-federal contribution to the county’s $9 billion budget.
Weiss suggested that the county may DEI have an opportunity to revisit the issue once the federal courts have ruled on the legality of the executive order, which is being challenged by several states.
Baxter’s district encompasses most of the county west of State Road 7, including the predominately Black cities of Belle Glade, Pahokee and South Bay. She said this week she understands that some constituents there may be unhappy with her comments.
“Even if they disagree with me, I think they want me to be honest about where I stand,” she said.
In April, the Palm Beach County School Board also voted 6-1 to suspend its DEI rules. The “emergency” rule changes went into effect immediately but a second vote in July will be needed to make them permanent.
District 7 School Board Member Edwin Ferguson supplied the only “no” vote, though a supermajority was not required.
Ferguson delivered an impassioned statement opposing removal of the language. He said the board should refuse to make the change. Doing so could have put some $300 million in federal funding in jeopardy for the nation’s 10th largest school district with an annual budget of some $6 billion.
“I’m certainly not going to put at risk losing [money for] programs for our most vulnerable students,” Vice Chair Marcia Andrews, who represents District 6, said this week. “We need to go through the process. We need to follow the rules.”
She noted, however, that the language is merely suspended, pending a second vote.
Andrews, who also represents the western communities and the Glades, said the district will continue to provide training to minorities “who want to be competitive… [and] do business with us.”
The school district, which is the county’s largest employer, will continue to hire “an array of people from all walks of life… [including] the best teachers for our schools,” she said.
