Starbucks Coffee Co.’s policies enacted to hire a more diverse workforce is evidence of unlawful racial quotas, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier (R) said in a lawsuit filed Wednesday.
The coffee giant’s mentorship programs for certain races, goals to hire 40% people of color in its stores, and executive compensation based on hitting these targets show the company is violating antidiscrimination rules under Florida’s Civil Rights Act, Uthmeier said in the suit, filed in rural Highlands County Circuit Court.
The company’s “DEI polices crossed the line into race-based quotas,” he said in a statement. “Starbucks made DEI more than a slogan, they turned it into a mandatory hiring and promotion system based on race.”
The complaint seeks civil penalties of $10,000 “for each instance of racial discrimination” Starbucks allegedly committed against Florida residents, “which the Attorney General currently estimates amounts to at least in the tens of millions, if not more, as Defendant operates 900+ stores” in the state.
Uthmeier claims his office has received complaints from Floridians saying that Starbucks’ practices caused them “humiliation, reduced their compensation, exposed them to hostile work environment,” among other damages.
“We disagree. We are deeply committed to creating opportunity for every single one of our partners (employees),” the company said through a spokesperson. “Our programs and benefits are open to everyone and lawful. Our hiring practices are inclusive, fair and competitive, and designed to ensure the strongest candidate for every job, every time.”
Starbucks, which made news for tying executive compensation to DEI goals, has rolled back some of its diversity initiatives. The company was sued by Missouri in February over similar discrimination allegations.
Federal, State Fight
The suit is the latest battle in a year of legal clashes over DEI policies spurred on by national policymakers in DC and Republican attorneys general.
Executive orders from President Donald Trump have sought to outlaw corporate diversity initiatives, his administration’s labor and employment regulators have worked to exclude diversity policies from the workplace, and the White House has targeted big law firms to strike deals over DEI initiatives.
At the state level, Republicans are also pressing the issue. A coalition of GOP states have demanded big law firms disclose their DEI practices. In Florida Uthmeier has prohibited any firms with DEI policies from taking legal work for the state, and he’s sued Target Corp., claiming that the company’s DEI policies harmed Florida investors.
“DEI can never be an excuse to violate someone’s civil rights,” Uthmeier said Wednesday.
The case is Uthmeier v. Starbucks Coffee Co., Fla. Cir. Ct., docket number unavailable, complaint filed 12/10/25.
