Mayor seeks private funding to restore 2027 parade after resident outcry
Delray Beach, Florida, has canceled its 2027 St. Patrick’s Day parade and its Pride event, citing a new state law that bans municipalities from hosting events deemed to promote diversity, equity and inclusion. The city, located near Fort Lauderdale, announced the decision after Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, signed the measure in April. The law takes effect Jan. 1.
In a statement, the city said the law’s restrictions “include certain programming and activities designed or implemented with reference to ethnicity, sexual orientation, or gender identity.” Delray Beach officials determined they were “legally prohibited from organizing, funding, or promoting these events in 2027.”
The law, formally known as Florida Senate Bill 1134, was among the measures passed by Florida’s Republican supermajority in the final full year of DeSantis’s tenure as governor.
Other measures enacted during DeSantis’s eight years in office include efforts to ban drag shows, restrictions on LGBTQ+ rights, and the elimination of DEI programs at state colleges and universities.
The St. Patrick’s Day parade regularly attracts tens of thousands of visitors to the city. The decision to cancel the parade and the Pride event angered residents and local business owners, who faced missing out on what are traditionally among their most lucrative weekends of the year.
Mayor Tom Carney said in a Facebook post that he received numerous messages from people outraged by the cancellations. He said he was working “feverishly” with city officials to find a way to restore the March celebration with private funding.
“The St Patrick’s Day Parade isn’t just another parade. It’s engrained in the DNA of the Delray Beach community,” Carney said.
Carney said he had read residents’ social media posts and received their emails about the parade. “I’d like to announce that the city is working feverishly with multiple entities to ensure the 2027 St Patrick’s Day parade goes on as scheduled!” he wrote.
The mayor said he could not yet give details about the plan but pledged to provide regular updates. “For those who live, work and play in Delray, we want the Delray Beach St Patrick’s Day parade to stay,” he wrote.
Other Florida cities are assessing their positions under the new law, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported, but so far no other events are known to have been canceled.
The law does not apply to events staged on federal holidays celebrating or promoting ethnic diversity, including Martin Luther King Day in January, Juneteenth, and Indigenous Peoples’ Day in October.