The University of Florida is firing all employees in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion positions and administrative appointments, according to a memo sent on Friday. 'To comply with the Florida Board of Governors' regulation 9.016 on prohibited expenditures, the University of Florida has closed the Office of the Chief Diversity Officer, eliminated DEI positions and administrative appointments, and halted DEI-focused contracts with outside vendors,' the memo states.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has made halting DEI a cornerstone of his efforts to overhaul education in the state, wrote on X, 'Florida is where DEI goes to die.' 'DEI is toxic and has no place in our public universities. I’m glad that Florida was the first state to eliminate DEI and I hope more states follow suit,' DeSantis added.
Fox News' Jeffrey Clark and the Associated Press contributed to this report.