Orange County is following suit and discontinuing its own program, claiming fear of prosecution and the loss of federal funding as reasons, weeks after the City of Orlando discontinued a program benefiting women- and minority-owned businesses.
The Trump Administration’s executive orders in January demanding the total elimination of all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs were denounced by county commissioners, notwithstanding the unanimous vote to suspend Orange County’s Minority Business Enterprise program.
The program was deemed DEI-related since it benefited the county’s minority population, which included women and members of specific ethnic groups.
During the hearing, county assistant attorney Heather Wallace stated that continuing the program would jeopardize federal grants totaling $100 million for Orange County. This includes the county’s Head Start Grant, which provides low-income families’ children with child development services.
Mayor Jerry Demings stated that suspending the program was in the best interests of the city, even if he personally disagreed with the law that called for its termination. He mentioned how federally supported initiatives like Head Start would be negatively impacted if the grants were discontinued.
“Well, what if we don’t do this?” some people question. What happens if we reject the federal funding? Demings stated. To spite our face, we would be chopping off our nose. We would have a detrimental effect on actual people and their lives in our community.
In order to obtain federal financing, the City of Orlando discontinued its own Minority Women Business Enterprise program a month ago for similar reasons. The city would have lost $37 million in federal subsidies for upgrades at Orlando International Airport if it had refused to end the program.
Assistant attorney Wallace warned that if the county didn’t comply, the commissioners might also be prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice in the PowerPoint that was shown to the board of commissioners on Tuesday morning.
Demings said that he, his attorney, and the board of commissioners decided they had no other option because, in addition to losing federal funds, any prosecution would probably result in his removal as mayor of the county.
“It’s imposed on us,” Demings stated. The legislation incorporates a direct intimidation factor.
However, he stated that the county is determined to continue helping its small businesses, even if it means simply eliminating all text pertaining to DEI and developing a new workaround scheme.
At its meeting on July 15, the board will present their proposal for a Small Business Program. According to Demings, the new initiative will be available to all small businesses, not only those owned by women or members of underrepresented groups. However, the county must still decide what qualifies as a small business before proceeding.
He told the Orlando Sentinel that it will be more inclusive rather than exclusive.
According to him, the new initiative might work with one of Orange County’s numerous community initiatives or the National Entrepreneur Center, which offers small business assistance.
According to District 5 Commissioner Kelly Semrad, the initiative will be a means of repackaging the greatest aspects of the prior program while keeping adhering to the repulsive Trump directives.
We’re ending one program due to federal requirements, but when common sense returns to the government, we’re repurchasing all of the best aspects of this program, she added.
