DeSantis and Moody announce state investigation of Starbucks’ DEI practices

Starbucks store in Tallahassee, Florida on May 22, 2024. (Photo by Jackie Llanos/Florida Phoenix)

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Florida Republican Attorney General Ashley Moody wants the state agency in charge of investigating violations of the Florida Civil Rights Act to inspect Starbucks’ diversity, equity, and inclusion practices.

Gov. Ron DeSantis and Moody announced the complaint against Starbucks on Wednesday during the governor’s guest host stint on “The Sean Hannity Show.”

“We’re going to make sure that in Florida this quota or hiring and programs that cause every employee to determine whether they are the problem based on the color of their skin, whether that violates Florida’s anti-discrimination laws, and so the matter will be investigated,” Moody said on the radio show.

“I’m proud to report that we are referring the matter officially to the Florida Commission on Human Relations for full investigation of Starbucks and these practices,” she added.

Moody’s complaint to the commission comes after a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed in March that the 2023 Stop Woke Act was unconstitutional when applied to businesses. That law aimed to prevent companies from requiring employees to attend DEI training.

“One of the things that bill said was, ‘Look, this is actionable. If they’re doing this in a corporation, you don’t have to sit there and self-flagellate yourself because of your skin color. You have a right to opt out,'” DeSantis said.

“For some reason, the court said that that was a violation of the company’s First Amendment right, even though they can say whatever they want. We’re just saying you had the right to opt out. But we didn’t even think that that was necessary. We believe that’s what the law is, anyways.”

Bonuses

In the four-page complaint, Moody argues that the company’s goal of inclusivity for people of color in 30% of corporate roles and 40% of retail and manufacturing roles by 2025 violates federal and Florida civil rights acts. More than 48% of employees at Starbucks are white, 31.7% are Hispanic, 8.1% are Black, and 5.9% are Asian, according to the company’s most recently released data.

Additionally, Moody pointed to ties between the diversity goals and executives’ bonuses to claim the company has racial quotas. According to the Nation’s Restaurant News, 7.5% of Starbucks executive bonus consideration was tied to diversity in 2023.

But the state commission, which the Legislature established in 1969, doesn’t represent whoever filed the complaint or the employer. Instead, the agency describes itself as an “impartial fact-finder” that offers mediation opportunities.

Starbucks did not respond to request for comment at the time of publication.

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