Ron DeSantis' Florida pulls funding for Key West Pride events because of new anti-diversity lawhttps://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/05/ron-desantis-florida-pulls-funding-for-key-west-pride-events-because-of-new-anti-diversity-law/ 🔗John Russell (6 May 2026)
LGBTQ+ destination Key West will no longer receive state funding for its Pride events beginning next year.
In a letter to the Key West Business Guild, a senior assistant county attorney for Monroe County specifically cited the state's S.B. 1134, an anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) law signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis last month, the Washington Blade reports.
The law, which does not take effect until 2027, bans local governments in Florida from "funding or promoting or taking official action as it relates to diversity, equity, and inclusion" using taxpayer dollars.
Critics of S.B. 1134 say its intention is to defund events like local Pride celebrations, dealing a major blow to LGBTQ+ visibility and inclusion in many communities across the state. But as Gay Key West Visitor Center Executive Director Rob Dougherty explained to the Blade, one of the law's unintended consequences will be its economic impact on places like Key West.
According to Dougherty, the funding cut will affect next year's Key West Pride, Tropical Heat, and Womenfest events. Dougherty suggested that the latter two events were targeted because they are perceived as exclusionary, according to the Blade.
"Womenfest lost [funding] because it's a women's-only event. Tropical Heat lost it because it's a men's-only event," he said. "That's how this [law] is being applied."
