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Florida attorney general says state will investigate Starbucks for DEI practices

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Florida attorney general says state will investigate Starbucks for DEI practices


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Florida’s top legal officer on Wednesday said the state will investigate Starbucks, the multinational chain of coffeehouses, for its diversity, equity and inclusion practices.

“So many of these DEI policies that have been pushed in corporate America that were meant to address and prevent discrimination are now pushing policies and programs and initiatives that may in fact be unlawful employment practices, in fact becoming discriminatory themselves,” Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said, while appearing on Sean Hannity’s radio show, which Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis guest hosted.

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Moody filed a complaint with the Florida Commission on Human Relations, which she said would launch a “full investigation.” The decades-old commission is meant to enforce the Florida Civil Rights Act and address discrimination issues.

“We’re going to make sure that this quota for 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,” Moody said.

The governor, an opponent of DEI programs who signed a bill last year banning such initiatives at state universities, thanked her for the work: “You should treat people as individuals, judge them based on the content of their character, not the color of their skin or their ethnicity or anything like that.”

Both the Commission on Human Relations and Starbucks did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Tallahassee Democrat, part of the USA TODAY Network.

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Over the past few years, Republican lawmakers across the country have sought to dismantle DEI programs in higher education and in the corporate world. Since last year, some 85 anti-DEI bills have been introduced in 28 states, with 13 becoming law, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. Conservative groups argue that the initiatives are discriminatory to those not benefitting from them, while supporters say programs are tackling systemic inequality.

More: Trump tried to crush the ‘DEI revolution.’ Here’s how he might finish the job.

DEI under siege: Why more businesses are being accused of ‘reverse discrimination’

Starbucks has a DEI page on its website

In the complaint, Moody accused the company of having policies that “appear on their face to discriminate on the basis of race.”

She pointed to a portion of Starbucks’ website that mentioned the company’s “annual inclusion and diversity goals of achieving BIPOC representation of at least 30 percent at all corporate levels and at least 40 percent of all retail and manufacturing roles by 2025.”

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She also brought up how executive bonuses were tied to DEI goals, which was also mentioned.

Starbucks promotes on a separate webpage a commitment to diversity and inclusion, saying it has anti-bias curriculum, pay equity and that it was working to “enhance our efforts in reaching a broader pool of candidates and reaching talent that brings new perspectives and experiences to improve our business and workplace.”

But the company’s investors earlier this year in a non-binding vote approved a plan to drop executive bonuses correlated with DEI goals.

Meantime, a federal appeals court recently OK’d a block on a key provision of Florida’s “Stop WOKE Act.”

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That provision restricted businesses’ diversity practices and trainings, blocking concepts that could make employees feel “personal responsibility” for actions committed in the past — such as discriminatory ones — by someone of the “same race, color, sex or national origin.”

More: Florida Gov. DeSantis hosts Sean Hannity’s radio show, warns of threat from the left

Contributing: Christopher Cann, USA TODAY



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Florida

Man shot to death in Wabasso, Indian River sheriff seeks help

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Man shot to death in Wabasso, Indian River sheriff seeks help


A man is dead, found by Indian River County sheriff’s deputies with multiple gunshot wounds early March 28, Sheriff Eric Flowers said in a social media post by the agency.

The victim was not publicly identified.

Authorities believe the shooting happened about 5:30 a.m. near the 8500 block of 64th Avenue in the unincorporated area of Wabasso, Flowers said in the video, where he stood at the scene of the shooting.

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The victim, Flowers said, was “transported to the emergency room, where he succumbed to his injuries.”

Flowers also asked for assistance from the public in piecing together what happened.

“Anybody who knows anything about this, anybody who lives in the Wabasso area who may have seen something or heard something, any delivery drivers, we’re looking for information from you,” Flowers said.

Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers, 800-273-8477.

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This story will be updated.

Wicker Perlis is TCPalm’s Watchdog Reporter for St. Lucie County. You can reach him at Wicker.Perlis@TCPalm.com.



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Tiger Woods charged with DUI after rollover crash in Florida

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Tiger Woods charged with DUI after rollover crash in Florida


Tiger Woods showed signs of impairment and was arrested at the scene of a car crash in which he struck another vehicle and rolled his Land Rover.

Tiger Woods was arrested on ‌a DUI charge following a rollover crash in Jupiter Island, ⁠Florida, that ⁠did not cause any significant injuries.

Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said Woods and the person in the other vehicle were not injured. Woods was able to crawl out of the passenger side of his Land Rover.

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The crash occurred just after 2pm (18:00 GMT), not far from where Woods lives on Jupiter Island. Budensiek said Woods attempted to pass a pressure cleaner truck while driving on a two-lane road. He swerved to avoid a collision as he was passing the truck, but clipped the back end of its trailer. Woods’s vehicle then rolled onto its driver’s side.

Budensiek said investigators at the scene found Woods to be showing signs of impairment. He did a breathalyser test, which came out negative, but he refused to take a urine test. Authorities charged him with driving under the influence with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test, Budensiek said. Both charges are misdemeanours.

Woods’s manager at Excel Sports did not immediately respond to a text message seeking information.

This was at least the third time Woods has been involved in a car crash, most recently in February 2021, when his SUV ran off a coastal road in Los Angeles at high speed, leading to multiple leg and ankle injuries. Woods said later doctors considered amputation.

Woods has played 11 tournaments since that 2021 crash, not finishing closer than within 16 shots of the winner the four times he finished 72 holes.

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He was also arrested on a DUI charge in 2017 when South Florida police found him asleep behind the wheel of his car that was parked awkwardly with damage to the driver’s side. Woods said he had taken a bad mix of painkillers. He later pleaded guilty to reckless driving.

Woods won his fifth Masters and 15th major in 2019. He has 82 wins on the PGA Tour, tied for the all-time record with Sam Snead.

Woods, 50, had been working his way back to golf from a seventh back surgery in September. He had not decided whether he could play in the Masters on April 9-12.

His last official tournament was the British Open in 2024. Woods ruptured his Achilles tendon in March 2025, and that kept him off the course all season, even before the back surgery. He managed to play in his indoor TGL golf league on Tuesday night.

He has kept deeply involved in PGA Tour affairs as chairman of the Future Competition Committee that is restructuring the model of the tour.

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Woods also faced a soft deadline at the end of the month to decide whether to become the US Ryder Cup captain for the 2027 matches in Ireland. Woods was offered the job for the last Ryder Cup and did not turn it down until June. The PGA of America wants a decision much sooner this time.



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House ethics panel finds Florida congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick committed 25 violations

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House ethics panel finds Florida congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick committed 25 violations


WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee found Friday that Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida had committed numerous violations of House rules and ethics standards, a ruling that could add weight to Republicans’ push to expel her from Congress.

After meeting for over seven hours Thursday night, an ethics panel composed of four Democrats and four Republicans found that Cherfilus-McCormick had committed 25 ethics violations. The panel said it would recommend a punishment in the coming weeks.

The allegations center around her receipt of millions of dollars from her family’s health care business after the state of Florida made an overpayment of roughly $5 million in disaster relief funds. Cherfilus-McCormick is accused of using that money to fund her 2022 congressional campaign through a network of businesses and family members.

The congresswoman, who is running for a fourth term representing a southeastern Florida district, has denied wrongdoing, and her attorney stridently criticized Thursday’s public hearing — the first open proceeding in nearly 15 years. But the ruling from the Ethics Committee could fuel a potential vote on her expulsion and divide a Democratic Caucus that is trying to make a comeback to power in the November elections.

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Cherfilus-McCormick also faces federal charges for allegedly stealing the $5 million in COVID-19 disaster relief funds and using it for purchases like a 3-carat yellow diamond ring. Her brother, former chief of staff and accountant were also charged in the alleged scheme. She pleaded not guilty to those charges, and her attorney indicated Thursday that the trial is expected to start in the coming months.



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