TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — In January, Gov. Ron DeSantis called on Florida lawmakers to overhaul the state’s higher education system with a clear target in mind: diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Shortly after, Republican lawmakers in the House and Senate introduced bills that would have barred state universities and colleges from spending any money on programs that promote “diversity, equity and inclusion or critical race theory.”
But on Wednesday, a key Senate panel approved a complete rewrite of one of those bills — SB 266, the companion to HB 999 — and scrubbed any references to “diversity, equity and inclusion.” One of the concerns was that the restrictions on those initiatives could potentially endanger accreditation of certain higher-education courses and programs.
