The results of a Palm Beach County disparity study are in, but officials say they have no choice but to shelve it for now.
In July 2024, the county approved a nearly $430,000 contract for consultants to conduct a disparity study and economic impact study to determine the availability and utilization of minority- and women-owned firms from 2019 to 2023.
While there were some areas of improvement, the disparity study identified areas that lagged, too, said Deputy County Administrator Tammy Fields.
For example, African American-owned firms were underused in some industries while some Hispanic American subcontractors were overused in some areas, according to the study.
But the existence of an emergency order that eliminated diversity, equity and inclusion efforts from the county’s policies prevents county officials from acting on any of the disparity study’s findings, particularly through the county’s Office of Small Business Development.
“It’s for informational purposes only,” County Administrator Joseph Abruzzo said. “It does not enact any change or policy.”
A “considerable” amount of money was spent on the studies, Abruzzo said. But the findings are irrelevant now, he said.
To use them would violate the emergency order that county commissioners approved in June, said Axel Miranda, the Office of Small Business Development director. The order had been created in response to President Donald Trump’s executive order that prohibits the use of federal funds for the promotion of gender ideology and diversity, equity inclusion and accessibility programs.
For the 2025 fiscal year, the county received nearly $330 million in federal grant funds, which county officials were concerned about possibly losing if the emergency order was not approved.
The order meant suspending portions of the county’s Equal Business Opportunity Ordinances and removing the enforcement and utilization of preferences or distinctions based on sex or race.
Trump’s executive order is being challenged, Fields said at a County Commission meeting on Tuesday. But for now, county officials still are barred from considering race and gender when it comes to small-business certification.
Heading into next year, Abruzzo said he is looking for ways to reduce the hoops all small-business owners have to climb through. “I don’t like red tape,” he said.
Miranda said he believes the future “looks really bright for small businesses,” despite the emergency ordinance.
“There are groups out there that are becoming aware of the opportunities. There’s a lot of advocacy going on,” he said.
