Tampa council dissolves racial reconciliation committee amid federal pressure: ‘Our hands are tied’

TAMPA, Fla. - Tampa City Council voted unanimously Thursday to dissolve its Racial Reconciliation Committee.

What we know:

The vote came after the city attorney’s office advised that keeping the committee could violate federal civil rights law as newly interpreted by the Department of Justice.

In a September 18 memo, City Attorney Andrea Zelman warned that federal funding agencies, including HUD, FEMA and the DOJ now require cities to certify they aren’t running "programs designed to achieve discriminatory outcomes, even those using facially neutral means."

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Council members on Thursday said they had no real choice but to comply.

Dig deeper:

The resolution dissolves the committee immediately, releases its members from Florida’s Sunshine Law, and orders all records filed with the city clerk.

The move marks the end of Tampa’s official effort to address racial inequity.

The committee was born from a 2024 resolution to tackle disparities in housing, economic development, and youth opportunity.

What they're saying:

"It's something that, unfortunately, our hands are tied on," Councilman Luis Viera said during Thursday’s meeting.

"This committee was not radical... All it did was say, 'Hey, look, let's take a look at our history of racism. Let's take a look at our history of oppression." Viera added that discussions of ongoing injustice and discrimination and racism are not radical. "It's the American thing to do. It's a decent thing to do."

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During public comment on Thursday, community activist Connie Burton blasted the council for caving to federal pressure, saying, "For me, you're no different than what I see in Washington, D.C. You just now veiled yourself and said, 'They told us we couldn't do it. That's federal dollars.' We want to know what you're going to do with your dollars. What are you going to bring yourself into some type of humanity?"

Her anger captured a wider frustration that the city’s promises for racial equity are now on hold— or gone altogether.

What we don't know:

It’s not yet clear whether community members will continue the committee’s work privately, though council members encouraged them to self-organize.