ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Central Avenue in St. Petersburg has its pride on full display as local businesses gear up for the much-anticipated St. Pete Pride, the largest pride event in Florida.
Alex Gomez, General Manager of local bar Cocktail, isn't surprised to see the support.
"This is the gayborhood," he said.
Watch full report from Jada Williams
While Cocktail is known for its lively Pride décor year-round, the bar is particularly colorful this month.
"Pride is the biggest time of year for us, and we want to really make a difference in the area. For sure," he affirmed.
St. Pete Pride may happen in June, but it takes a full year to plan. Byron Green-Calisch, President of St. Pete Pride, says the work is fulfilling.
“Even though my most tired days, I lay my head on my pillow and I think back like I get to walk in the footsteps of giants, and that's what brings me joy,” he said.
However, this Pride season is marked by a shift in corporate support nationwide. Several companies have scaled back their diversity, equity, and inclusion (D-E-I) initiatives.
This prompted Heritage of Pride, the nonprofit behind New York City’s official pride events, to launch a national peer-to-peer fundraising campaign last month following a reported $750,000 budget shortfall due to a decrease in corporate sponsorships.
Adding to this trend, Scripps News Group Kansas City reported that KC Pride lost approximately $200,000 in sponsorships this year.
Despite these challenges, Green-Calisch conveyed optimism regarding St. Pete Pride’s community engagement.
“I think the coalition that we built this year has looked different this year than it has ever looked in the past. We have diversified our supporters, where we are seeing a lot more individual donors giving dollars to St. Pete Pride than we have in the past," he explained.
He also noted that many of those companies are seeing the negative impacts of scaling back.
"I think those corporations that have had those instances or those conversations about rolling back dei are having or seeing an economic backlash in those conversations as well. And I hate that for them, that it took that find out moment for them to turn their back on DEI efforts and see that how that dollar translates for them," he said.
He further assured that the changes in funding have not detracted from the number of events scheduled.
“We really take over the summer this year. We started early this year with our first program really early May. So we've been already in full pride season,” Green-Calisch said.
Local support remains robust, with a growing number of organizations expressing a desire to engage with St. Pete Pride.
"We've seen organizations that are new, that are coming in, engaging with us and saying, 'Hey, we've never been able to do this in the past, and we want to be able to double down our support for this organization moving forward,'" he noted.
More than 500 volunteers are contributing their time to ensure the success of the events, while local businesses on Central Avenue are joining the celebrations. Many are offering specials, like pride tattoos and discounts throughout the month.
Calisch-Green highlighted the economic potential of the event.
"They know 350,000 people in one day are going to show up and celebrate Pride. They know that over 500,000 people are going to engage with our organization over the course of a month. If they can engage this month with our organization, they know that they're going to see that repeat business throughout the year."
For Cocktail Manager Alex Gomez, the focus remains on community connection.
"We want to be here for the community and show them how much we really care about them. And we're not just here for the business, you know, we're here for the people of this neighborhood of the Grand Central," he affirmed.
And so many people look to Cocktail as one of the go-to bars for Pride.
"There's points in the weekend where we are almost at capacity, and it's just all the love in the air... Our new lounge is going to be packed as well."
Green-Calisch encapsulated the event's spirit, reminding everyone that "the fight for liberation extends outside of the month of June. The month of June is a recharge month."
With local businesses and volunteers mobilized, St. Pete Pride is poised to shine brightly once again this season.
Clearwater Senior Condo owners still waiting for elevator to return to service 5 months later
Residents at "On Top of the World" senior condominium have been forced to live without a functioning elevator for more than four months. The latest notice posted on the elevator stated that it would likely return to service on June 4, but by the end of the day, they were still left without service.
