The city of Jacksonville will end the position of Hispanic outreach coordinator on Mayor Donna Deegan’s staff after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation that bars local governments from using taxpayer dollars for diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Deegan created the city’s first-ever Hispanic outreach coordinator in 2024 and hired Yanira “Yaya” Cardona for the position. After Cardona submitted her resignation on April 2, state Rep. Dean Black said in an X post that the anti-DEI legislation would make the position illegal.
“They got rid of her & this discriminatory DEI ‘outreach’ role before our law banning these positions in government takes effect,” Black wrote. “They knew what was coming. Too little, too late!”
Deegan said when Cardona resigned from the mayor’s staff to become general manager of the Phoenix Arts and Innovation District that the city created the Hispanic outreach position to “bring Jacksonville’s vibrant and fast-growing Hispanic population into the civic process and raise awareness of services, resources and events.”
“Today, the community is more connected to the city than ever before because of Yaya’s dedication to the work of making every voice heard,” Deegan said at the time.
City spokesman Philip Perry said April 23 that based on an ongoing review of the state law’s impact, it appears any position created for outreach to a specific group of people would not be permissible. As a result, he said the city would not be refilling the Hispanic outreach position.
He said the mayor’s office and the city’s Office of General Counsel are doing a “top-to-bottom review of city policies, procedures and job descriptions” to comply with the new law by the time it takes effect on Jan. 1, 2027.
“The administration is also implementing budget processes that ensure full legal compliance in the 2026-27 budget and beyond,” he said. “We will consult with City Council throughout this review process.”
Sen. Yarborough cites post held by Parvez Ahmed on Deegan’s staff
Black, R-Jacksonville, and state Sen. Clay Yarborough, R-Jacksonville, sponsored the legislation as it won approval in the state Legislature.
When Yarborough joined Gov. Ron DeSantis at an April 22 bill-signing ceremony in Jacksonville, he reeled off a list of programs and job positions in Florida cities that Yarborough said made it necessary for the state to enact the law.
He cited a position on Deegan’s staff that originally had the title of “chief of diversity and inclusion” when Deegan hired Parvez Ahmed at the start of her administration in July 2023. Deegan later changed the title to “chief of analytics” in 2024. Her office said Ahmed would be in charge of crunching data measuring the progress of Jacksonville and its neighborhoods.
Yarborough said the position of chief of analytics has “no known job description.”
“So as an important note, the way the bill is written, even if the job title is changed, local officials can still be held accountable for activities taking place,” he said.
Black, who also joined DeSantis for the bill signing at Florida State College at Jacksonville, said the law embodies a return to the “everyman principles that make America great.”
“No matter where you come from, no matter what you look like, the message should be clear — Florida recognizes your work ethic and the content of your character, and that’s what matters,” he said.
Yarborough said promoters of diversity, equity and inclusion programs say they will make people more tolerant about differences, but they do the opposite.
“The reality is DEI is undermining merit-based decisions, it’s pitting groups against each other, and it provides a lucrative opportunity for those pushing the narrative while growing the financial burden on taxpayers,” he said.
City’s review finds mayor advisory boards appear permissible
The city’s preliminary legal analysis has determined it appears permissible for Jacksonville to continue having mayor’s advisory boards for groups such as African-Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans, LGBTQ+ residents, women and girls, and human trafficking survivors.
The analysis found the city could continue to celebrate official federal and state holidays and awareness days and months. Jacksonville also would comply with federal policies and court orders that trump state and local laws.
The city would not be able to provide funding for programs or engage in hiring practices that give preferential treatment based on race, color, sex, ethnicity, gender identity or sexual orientation.
City Council member Rory Diamond plans to file a bill that would codify the state law in the city’s ordinance code.
He is among the council members who have tried in the past to eliminate the position held by Ahmed.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Anti-DEI law knocks out Hispanic outreach position on Deegan’s staff
Reporting by David Bauerlein, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
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