Miami-Dade County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday, July 21, to have their lawyers explore a legal challenge to a new state law that could force the county to cut funding for nonprofits serving Palmetto Bay residents.

Senate Bill 1134, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on April 22, 2026, bars counties from funding or promoting programs tied to diversity, equity and inclusion. Commissioners said at the July 21 meeting that the law is broad enough to force Miami-Dade to rethink spending on everything from the Hispanic Affairs Advisory Board to tourism grants for cultural festivals to events celebrating Haitian Americans.

The law takes effect Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2027.

One local organization that could face scrutiny is ArtSouth, the nonprofit at 900 East Perrine Ave. in Palmetto Bay that hosts monthly gallery exhibitions at the Historic Perrine Community House and seasonal workshops at the Thalatta Estate. ArtSouth's stated mission includes serving "historically underrepresented communities," and it receives funding from both Miami-Dade County's Department of Cultural Affairs and the Village of Palmetto Bay. The organization serves about 2,500 adults and children each year through after-school programs, summer camps, and exhibitions at venues including Coral Reef Park. Neither ArtSouth nor the county has confirmed the law would affect the organization's funding.

Miami-Dade's Department of Cultural Affairs administers several grant programs that fund nonprofits countywide, including the Developing Arts in Neighborhoods program (up to $20,000 per award), the Cultural Advancement program (up to $160,000), and the Summer Arts and Science Camps for Kids program (up to $40,000). How many of those grants fall within SB 1134's scope remains unclear.

Under the law, grant recipients must certify that public funds will not advance DEI. Any county official who violates the statute faces removal from office for misfeasance or malfeasance. Any county resident can bring a court action against a county that violates the law.

Commissioner Vicki Lopez, a former Republican state House member, sponsored the resolution directing county lawyers to research a potential lawsuit or seek a court ruling clarifying what spending is still allowed.

"I think it's important to get some clarification," Lopez said at the meeting. "Oftentimes, the only way to do that is to go to the courts."

The resolution does not file a lawsuit. It authorizes attorneys to study the county's legal options before the Jan. 1 deadline.

Not every commissioner agreed on strategy. Commissioner Oliver Gilbert, a lawyer, proposed that Miami-Dade cite the new law to cancel funding for community groups, then invite those groups to sue the county and force the state to defend its own statute. Commission Chair Anthony Rodriguez called that approach "entirely negligent."

Commissioner Kionne McGhee said he would refuse to defund charities serving minority populations even after the law takes effect, and would accept removal from office rather than comply.

The county has not announced a timeline for its lawyers to report back on legal options. Miami-Dade has roughly five months to decide its course before the Jan. 1, 2027, deadline.