Fearing Trump crackdown, Tampa ends Racial Reconciliation Committee

Colbi Edmonds, Tampa Bay Times on Oct 9, 2025

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TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa City Council dissolved its Racial Reconciliation Committee Thursday, following guidance from a city attorney that it likely runs afoul of federal efforts to dismantle programs promoting diversity, equity and inclusion for minorities.

But the committee can continue to meet as an independent organization. If it does, it would no longer be obligated to follow Florida’s Sunshine Laws, which prevent members from discussing their work in private.

Committee members can also bring their ideas to the City Council, similar to any other community organization, Council member Bill Carlson said.

“I would rather do this today and enable the committee to go forward, rather than either leaving it in limbo or trying to challenge the federal government and ending up with a big fight that’s going to lead to nothing,” Carlson said.

The City Council voted unanimously to dissolve the committee during the part of its meeting set aside for votes that are not considered controversial.

State and federal leaders have been cracking down on diversity-related initiatives in recent months, and Tampa Bay leaders have been complying — from covering up rainbow crosswalks to St. Petersburg officials choosing to rename two offices that included “diversity” and “equity” in their titles.

Last month, a Tampa city attorney sent a memo to council members that said the city could risk federal funding if it continued to support the Racial Reconciliation Committee’s efforts.

Attorney Andrea E. Zelman listed several executive orders from President Donald Trump that cover gender, diversity, crime, discrimination and immigration.

For example, one of Trump’s executive orders requires that cities certify they don’t have programs ”that discriminate based on race or gender or otherwise violate federal anti-discrimination laws" to receive federal funds.

Zelman said the federal government could withhold money for hurricane relief, transportation, affordable housing and more if the city doesn’t comply with Trump’s directives.

Some members of the committee spoke during public comment Thursday in opposition to the council’s decision.

“I feel embarrassed, embarrassed for a country that has to follow orders from someone,” said lifelong resident and Racial Reconciliation Committee member Connie Burton, “that has so much dirt and filth and bigotry and racism connected to them, and you say ‘We must follow orders. We must follow Hitler. We must follow any dictator.’”

In April 2024, the City Council unanimously approved the 13-member committee to address the city’s racial and economic divide.

Committee members explored solutions to five topics: affordable housing, economic development, youth empowerment, citizens returning from prison and “ignored history.”

The committee was formed more than three years after the council initially passed Resolution 568, which apologized “for any and all past participation in sanctioning segregation and systemic discrimination of African Americans.”

Even before Thursday’s decision, the committee has faced challenges.

Committee members this year shared their frustrations with a lack of engagement and assistance from city leadership, including Mayor Jane Castor.

“I’m disappointed that from the inception, we had issues with the facilitators. It took us probably three meetings before we started getting a groove,” committee member Robin Lockett said Thursday. “I’m proud of the work that we’ve done, but there’s other things that can be done.”

Council member Luis Viera said Thursday’s vote was “procedurally and legally” something the city needed to do, but it was not signaling the end of the committee’s efforts.

Viera drafted the proposal that formed the committee. He had proposed that the mayor be allowed to make six appointees to the committee, which she declined to do.

He said he didn’t want to vote “no” because he didn’t want to make others look bad for the sake of acting on principle.

“This committee was not radical,” he said. “It is nothing that the federal government should give a damn about. If anything, it’s something the federal government should be encouraging and supporting.”

Viera said he has never seen such “punitive effects” on local efforts from the federal government, and he fully supports the committee continuing its social justice efforts.

“We live in very, very shameful times,” he said.