Seven Gainesville organizations were denied funding after a Florida statute banned local governments from funding programs or adopting rules related to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Each year, the Alachua County Commission allocates a portion of tourist development tax revenue to support the Nature & Culture Destination Enhancement Grant. The grant intends to support and enhance the county as a culturally vibrant destination by promoting artistic and cultural events to attract tourists.
Two organizations— the Cultural Arts Coalition’s Fifth Avenue Arts Festival and the UF Center for Arts, Migration and Entrepreneurship’s Afrofuturism Week — applied for funding for events restricted by the Florida statute and were denied, said Tommy Crosby, Alachua County’s assistant manager. The other five applicants may still receive grant funding, but they can’t use it for specific programs that don’t meet the requirements, like the Gainesville Circus Center’s Brazil Fest.
The statute was introduced by state Sen. Clay Yarborough (R-4) and signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis in April.
"The bill is necessary because cities and counties have been funding and promoting divisive activities under the guise of DEI,” Yarborough said in a press release. “At a time when many Floridians are struggling to afford groceries and gas, millions of taxpayer dollars should not continue to be wasted by local governments on DEI initiatives, even more so because they are failing to do what they claim."
The total estimated funding available through the fiscal year 2026-27 grant is $1.5 million.
Corey Cheval, the founder and executive director of the Gainesville Circus Center, said her personal connection to Brazilian culture encouraged her to create the organization. She spent her 20s in Brazil, where she learned circus acrobatics.
The Circus Center has held Brazil Fest for the past six years, and she’s received funding from the county’s grant for the last three.
But an Oct. 5 email from Precious Merriweather, the county’s procurement agent, told her Brazil Fest didn’t meet one of the application requirements this time, she said.
The email said the grant application must prove to the county “it does not and will not use County funds in requiring its employees, contractors, volunteers, vendors or agents to ascribed to, study, or be instructed using materials relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion as defined in Florida Statute 125.595 (1).”
The notice left her with two options: Continue to pursue grant funding for the organization as a whole by removing Brazil Fest or withdraw the entire application. The organization chose the former.
The grant application asked applicants to explain how their projects would contribute to Alachua County’s cultural development and why they were culturally significant. To Cheval, that presented an interesting dichotomy.
“How can we justify that we are enhancing culture in our community without talking about it?” she said.
Cheval said her application included the buzzword “diverse,” which she thinks may have prompted county reviewers’ rejection.
While the statute is designed to restrict DEI efforts in hiring, she said, her organization’s criteria for hiring is based on artists’ skills, not race or ethnicity.
For the past six years, Gainesville Circus Center has been a guest at the Cultural Arts Coalition’s Fifth Avenue Festival, which celebrates Black culture and also had its grant application rejected this year. The event has been held outdoors in downtown Gainesville for nearly 50 years.
Cheval addressed the issue during public comment at Tuesday’s commission meeting. Bob Swain, the county’s deputy attorney, told her the county can’t go against state law.
“The problem is that we can get sued at the drop of a hat for funding something that we're not allowed to fund under the statute,” Swain said.
Swain added that he and other county commissioners are concerned the statute is vague and “poorly written.” The commission is looking to other counties to see how they interpret the statute, he said.
Commissioners unanimously referred the item to a December policy meeting, where county attorneys will explain how they interpret the state’s DEI restrictions and how those interpretations affect local grant programs, Chair Ken Cornell said.
“We are all struggling with the interpretation of this new state law,” Cornell said. “We have to follow the law, unfortunately.”
Commissioner Anna Prizzia said organizations may still receive full funding, but they would have to reallocate funds if certain activities are deemed incompatible with state law.
Alachua County spokesperson Mark Sexton declined to comment on the funding of specific organizations but noted the new law requires counties throughout Florida to reassess existing policies and review which programs and initiatives receive county funding or support.
“What I will say is, with the passage of that bill and the accompanying statutory language, the counties all across the state are required to look carefully at their policies and what they fund or promote,” Sexton said.
Kathy McGlone, Gainesville Community Playhouse’s grant writer, said hosting different plays like “Heathers,” “Kinky Boots” or “Ragtime” attracts theatergoers different from its traditional audience.
She said she noticed the application process had changed and the playhouse could no longer put on shows related to DEI.
Going forward, she tries to be careful in the wording of her grant applications, she said, and avoids saying the organization is trying to appeal to a diverse clientele. As of right now, she hasn’t had any of her funding cut.
The theater receives the county’s grant every year, she said, which helps pay for the rights to perform shows or pay salaries for part-time employees.
If the playhouse doesn’t get the grant again this year, she said it would have to put on smaller shows with more minimal sets and fewer costumes.
Because the playhouse and similar organizations won’t receive state funding this year, she applied for more county grants and is counting on their funding. It’s part of the DeSantis administration’s fight against DEI initiatives.
“I do not understand certain politicians in this day and age — they are afraid of change,” she said. “Art is not important to these people.”
The Alachua County Procurement will discuss Nature & Culture Destination Enhancement Grant applications Monday at 1 p.m in the Alachua County Administration building.
Contact Sara Dhorasoo at sdhorasoo@alligator.org. Follow her on X @saradhrs.
Sara is a journalism senior at UF. She is currently serving as The Alligator's race and equity reporter, and previously served as the first amendment reporter, in Spring 2026. Before transferring to UF, Sara earned her Associate of Arts in Mass Communications/Journalism from Miami Dade College, where she served as staff writer for The Reporter. She grew up in France and aspires to return there and work as a journalist after graduating.
