Each year in Florida, people who work to improve the lives of women in the state are honored with something called the Spirit of Community Awards.

It’s a product of the Florida Commission on the Status of Women, an initiative first envisioned in 1991 by then-Gov. Lawton Chiles, and since codified into state law with an annual report to the governor and coordination through the Florida Attorney General’s Office.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has continued this tradition and has congratulated the winners each year with a signed letter that coincides with an awards ceremony.

I mention this because one of the 2021 winners was a transgender woman who was honored for her work as a champion of DEI – diversity, equity and inclusion – in Florida.

If DEI rings a bell, it’s probably because you’ve seen or read recently about DeSantis outlawing diversity, equity and inclusion departments at public universities and promising to snuff out DEI throughout the state.

“The whole experiment with DEI is coming to an end in the state of Florida,” DeSantis said in May. “We are eliminating the DEI programs.”

So, it’s worth noting that a year before saying that, DeSantis helped honor one of Florida’s most dedicated proponents and educators in the field of diversity, equity and inclusion.

'I appreciate your dedication and hard work'

Ashley Brundage, 43, of Tampa, views her congratulatory letter dated June 22, 2022, from DeSantis as an odd artifact from someone who has gone out of his way to denigrate her life's work.

“I appreciate your dedication and hard work as a mentor and advocate to children and women,” DeSantis’ letter says. “I am confident that you serve as a shining example of a positive role in your community.

“As Governor, and the father of three children, I believe that community involvement is essential as we work to improve and enrich the lives of others and engage in the issues that impact Florida families.”

Brundage’s work includes being a former vice president of DEI at PNC Bank and a board member of GLAAD, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group. She now runs her own company called Empowering Differences, which does diversity, equity and inclusion training for companies.

“My nomination was written with all the great things I did,” Brundage told me. “I generate a lot of money for the state. I work with the tourism industry of Florida. I served on numerous boards, from the transit authority to human rights groups.”

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DeSantis 'should get to know all of his constituents'

Brundage had hoped that DeSantis would have been there for her awards ceremony, which was held at the educational center at Manatee Lagoon in Riviera Beach in June last year. They could have talked, she said.

“I’m very apolitical in nature,” Brundage said. “I’ll listen to anyone if they give me an equal chance. I would have liked the opportunity to tell the governor to actually get to know the Floridians who happen to be affected by his position.

“He should get to know all of his constituents, even the ones who he may not agree with,” she said. 

But it seems pretty obvious that the governor’s office honored the transgender woman for her DEI efforts in what might best be called an accidental, one-off brush with unintentional enlightenment.

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Because now DeSantis goes around the state calling diversity, equity and inclusion “discrimination, exclusion and indoctrination,” characterizing it as an evil he intends to vanquish. 

Brundage calls that misguided.

“Before it was called DEI, it used to just be considered leadership,” she said. “The people in charge just learned as much as possible about the people who are different from them so they can work better with them. 

“Empowering people shouldn’t be threatening to anybody,” she said. “As a mom, I just want my kids to be happy. I’m going to be there for them, just as the governor should be there for everybody in Florida.”

Yes, that award was definitely an oversight by DeSantis’ office. 

“Best wishes for your continued success,” DeSantis' letter says in closing to the transgender DEI champion. “Keep up the great work!”

Further proof that even a broken clock tells the right time twice a day. 

Frank Cerabino is a news columnist with The Palm Beach Post, where this column first published.