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PBCHRC requests Gov. Scott to issue LGBTQ-inclusive executive order

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Following President Trump’s announcement that he will enforce President Obama’s executive order protecting the rights of LGBTQ community in the workplace,  the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council (“PBCHRC”) sent a letter to Florida Governor Rick Scott requesting him to update his Executive Order on “Reaffirming Commitment to Diversity in Government” to specifically include “sexual orientation” and “gender identity or expression” as protected classes.
“PBCHRC is hoping that you are inspired by President Trump’s leadership and that, in that light, you will update Executive Order 11-04 to specifically include  “sexual orientation” and “gender identity or expression” as protected classes,” wrote retired judge Rand Hoch, PBCHRC’s President and Founder. “By doing this, you will be making a clear statement that LGBTQ Floridians are entitled to equal rights with regard to state employment and contracting in your administration.”
The Palm Beach County Human Rights Council is Florida’s most far-reaching LGBTQ rights organization. Since 1988, the organization has succeeded in having public officials throughout Florida enact more than 117 laws and policies providing equal rights and benefits for LGBTQ people.

Shortly after Rick Scott was initially elected to serve as Florida’s 45th Governor, PBCHRC wrote to his transition team, requesting that Scott issue an executive order requiring all state agencies to “recruit, appoint, train, evaluate and promote state personnel on the basis of merit and fitness, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, pregnancy or marital status or other non-job-related factors.”

At the time, similar executive orders had been issued by the governors of 30 states, including Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
On numerous occasions between 2006 and 2010, PBCHRC had written to then-Florida Governor Charlie Crist, Scott’s predecessor, seeking a similar executive order. However, Crist failed to do so.
On his first day as governor, Scott issued  Executive Order 11-04 “Reaffirming Commitment to Diversity in Government”.  However, the executive order did not include sexual orientation, gender identity or expression as protected classes.
After Scott was re-elected in 2014, PBCHRC renewed its request, asking Scott to update Executive Order 11-14 by making it LGBT-inclusive. PBCHRC’s request was renewed following last summer’s massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. However, the original executive order has yet to be updated.

While Florida has 67 counties, only 11 -Alachua, Broward, Hillsborough, Leon, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pinellas and Volusia Counties -prohibit discrimination against LGBT people in employment, housing and public accommodations.

“Florida is one of 32 states that have no statewide laws to prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ people in employment, housing and public accommodations,” said Hoch. “Perhaps President Trump”s leadership — and hopefully Governor Scott’s — will encourage the Florida Legislature to finally to enact comprehensive LGBTQ-inclusive civil rights legislation in the upcoming session.”
To view copies of PBCHRC’s February 2, 2107 to Governor Scott, President Trump’s January 31, 2017 media release, click here.