Ashley Moody, the Republican Attorney General of Florida, has requested that the state agency responsible for investigating violations of the Florida Civil Rights Act conduct an inspection of Starbucks’ diversity, equity, and inclusion practices.
During the governor’s guest hosting appearance on “The Sean Hannity Show” on Wednesday, Moody and Gov. Ron DeSantis disclosed the complaint against Starbucks.
“We’re going to make sure that in Florida this quota or 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, and so the matter will be investigated,” Moody announced on the show.
Moody’s complaint to the commission was filed in March, following the confirmation by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit that the 2023 Stop Woke Act was unconstitutional when applied to businesses.
The objective of that legislation was to prevent organizations from mandating that their personnel participate in DEI training.
Moody contends in the four-page complaint that the company’s objective of achieving inclusivity for individuals of color in 30% of corporate positions and 40% of retail and manufacturing positions by 2025 is in violation of federal and Florida civil rights laws.
Starbucks’ most recent data indicates that over 48% of its employees are white, 31.7% are Hispanic, 8.1% are Black, and 5.9% are Asian.
Moody also asserted that the company has racial quotas by referencing the correlation between executives’ bonuses and the diversity objectives.
In 2023, Starbucks’ executive bonus consideration was 7.5% diversity-related, as reported by the Nation’s Restaurant News.
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