Education reformer and activist Christopher Rufo said, 'The conservative counter-revolution has begun'
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Conservatives on social media celebrated after the University of Florida recently announced it would fire all employees in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) positions and administrative appointments.
A memo put out by the Florida public university on Friday stated, "To comply with the Florida Board of Governors' regulation 9.016 on prohibited expenditures, the University of Florida has closed the Office of the Chief Diversity Officer, eliminated DEI positions and administrative appointments, and halted DEI-focused contracts with outside vendors."
The school made its decision to comply with Florida law. The Florida Board of Governors passed the regulation in January limiting public funding for DEI, defining them as "any program, campus activity, or policy that classifies individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation and promotes differential or preferential treatment of individuals on the basis of such classification."
COLLEGE DEI CRACKDOWN PASSES ALABAMA SENATE
Conservatives, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., praised the University of Florida on Friday after it sent out a memo noting it would fire all DEI hires. ((Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images/Ethan Miller/Getty Images))
The school’s memo also noted that the approximately $5 million in funds reallocated from these DEI programs would go to a faculty recruitment fund.
The decision was music to many conservatives’ ears on X.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who's made weeding out "wokeness" a signature of his administration, congratulated the school in an X post, stating, "DEI is toxic and has no place in our public universities. I’m glad that Florida was the first state to eliminate DEI and I hope more states follow suit."
Manhattan Institute senior fellow Christopher Rufo shared the news, posting, "BREAKING: University of Florida has fired all employees related to DEI. The conservative counter-revolution has begun."
CollegeFix editor Jennifer Kabbany shared, "BREAKING: University of Florida just went scorched Earth on DEI. It's closing its DEI office, eliminated DEI positions, and halted DEI contracts!"
DEI is toxic and has no place in our public universities.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) March 1, 2024
I’m glad that Florida was the first state to eliminate DEI and I hope more states follow suit. https://t.co/oThvwowKu6
Chaya Raichik, the woman behind the popular conservative social media account "Libs of TikTok," posted, "DEI must DIE."
FLORIDA GOV RON DESANTIS SIGNS LAW WITH BIG POTENTIAL IMPACT ON EPSTEIN CASE
The university's announcement brought it in line with The Florida Board of Governor's "regulation on prohibited expenditures." (Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Conservative podcast host Brandi Kruse remarked, "DEI is a failed experiment that poisoned the real progress our country was making toward acceptance, inclusivity, and diversity. We cannot live up to our promise as a country until every DEI dollar is stripped from our public institutions."
Desantis’ communications director Bryan Griffin posted, "W[Win]. DEI is gone at @UF."
"Moms For Liberty" cofounder Tiffany Justice celebrated, posting, "Huge! Florida is leading the rest of the country out of the DEI madness!"
Fox News Digital's David Rutz contributed to this report.
Gabriel Hays is an associate editor for Fox News Digital.
