Starbucks resolves Florida DEI lawsuit with blockbuster nationwide agreement | 17 Sep 2026 | Starbucks will pay Florida $1 million and will not use race-and sex-based goals, quotas and preferences in employment practices companywide under a sweeping settlement ending the state’s civil rights lawsuit against the coffee giant. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier’s office confirmed to Fox News Digital that the agreement applies to all Starbucks operations nationwide, not just the company’s locations in Florida. “Every Floridian deserves to be hired, promoted and compensated based on merit, qualifications and character — not race or sex,” Uthmeier told Fox News Digital. “This resolution ensures that Starbucks’ policies and practices fully comply with Florida’s civil rights laws. DEI can never be an excuse to violate civil rights.” The negotiated resolution ends the lawsuit Uthmeier filed in December 2025 accusing Starbucks of violating the Florida Civil Rights Act through racial and sex-based goals, quotas and preferences in its workplace policies.