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Diversity , Equity & Inclusion Committee Chairs : KatariBuck – AsiaticoLawLLC & TimMartin – MartinLawOffice , P . A .
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Merriam-Webster defines “ DIVERSITY ” as : ( 1 ) the condition of having or being composed of differing elements : variety , especially : the inclusion of people of different races , cultures etc . in group or organization ....” Florida has followed a long , hard road on the path to diversity and inclusion .
Historical information indicates that Florida ’ s first settlers in the 1500s were Indians , including the Mocoso in Hillsborough Bay , 1 the Calusa in Charlotte Harbor south to Naples , 2 the Apalachee and Timucua in north and northeast Florida . 3 Catholic Spaniards came to the east and west coasts of Florida in the late 1500s , establishing the country ’ s oldest city , Saint Augustine . 5 During that same time period , Protestant French Settlers 6 came to Florida and established Fort Caroline , 7 now memorialized at the Timucuan Ecological & Historical Preserve , Jacksonville , Florida . The British came in 1763 . 8 From July 2021 to July 2022 , almost 444,500 people moved into Florida , 9 which has a current population in excess of 22,000,000 . 10 In Florida ’ s everchanging landscape , Florida has a diverse population . A primary
concern now is achieving equity and inclusion .
In May 2023 , the State of Florida passed a bill banning state funding for diversity , equity and inclusion programs , 11 purportedly to eliminate discrimination and exclusion . Subsequently , in 2024 , the Florida Supreme Court directed The Florida Bar to eliminate diversity and inclusion initiatives . 12 In response , The Florida Bar eliminated its Diversity & Inclusion Committee and created a Membership Outreach Committee , 13 apparently a work in progress .
Meanwhile , the Hillsborough County Bar Association , a voluntary bar , maintains its Diversity , Equity , and Inclusion Committee , continually committed to inclusion of all . To learn more about this ongoing commitment to inclusion , we invite you to join the HCBA DEI committee . 14
Whether or not regulatory mandates are in place , and regardless of the terminology used , the essence of “ diversity ” is a deliberate focus on inclusion for everyone . n
1
Diversity - definition , Merriam- Webster Dictionary online , < https :// www . merriamwebster . com / dictionary / diversity >.
2
Rodney Kite-Powell , Tampa Bay History Center , Florida ’ s Early American Indians , Mar 31 , 2023 , < https :// tampabayhistorycenter . org / blog / floridas-early-american-indians />.
3
Id .
4
Florida Department of State , 16th Century Settlements , < https :// dos . fl . gov / florida-facts / florida-history / 16thcentury-settlements />.
5
Patrick J . Kiger , History , How St . Augustine Became the First Permanent European Settlement in America , August 29 , 2023 , < https :// www . history . com / news / st-augustine-first-americansettlement >; see also , Florida Department of State , Florida Division of Historical Resources , St . Augustine , < https :// dos . fl . gov / historical / explore / el-camino-real / places-to-go / st-augustine />.
6
Kenneth C . Davis , America ’ s First True “ Pilgrims ,” Smithsonian Magazine online , < https :// www . smithsonianmag . com / history / americas-first-truepilgrims-50229713 /#:~: text = Some % 20fifty % 20years % 20before % 20the , chance % 20for % 20a % 20new % 20life .>.
7
Andrew R . Nicholas , Fort Caroline : The French settlement on the St . Johns , The Jaxson Magazine online , Nov . 25 , 2022 , < https :// www . thejaxsonmag . com / article / fort-caroline-the-frenchsettlement-on-the-st-johns />.
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Save the Date : Plan to Join us at the HCBA Diversity Membership Luncheon on January 15 , 2025 .
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