The largest LGBTQ+ Pride festival in Florida, St. Pete Pride is set to celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2027, and unlike years prior the festival is depending on community members to fund it.
The new president of St. Pete Pride, Trent Brock, said the nearly $300,000 will help pay down the deficit so the organization can use new sponsorships and donations to fund next year’s celebration.
“So in the past, you know, we have always had bills from a previous year's pride follow us into the next year, and as the new board president, I really want to stop that because I believe that it's not financially stable for us to keep doing that,” he said
However, achieving this debt-free goal has become increasingly difficult after a new state law will limit the government support allocated to DEI programs.
Senate Bill 1134 takes effect Jan. 1, and Brock said the legislation has already affected the funding they receive.
“We started to see a lot of our sponsors either reduce the amount of money that they were able to give St. Pete Pride, or a lot of them just pulled out completely. So I do believe that, you know, Senate Bill 1134 had an impact on our ability to fundraise and get sponsorships this year.”
Despite these cuts, the organization remains committed to having a pride festival in their town, even if it means holding a smaller event.
“You know, it may not be as big as it has been in years past, but we are committed to making sure that there is a St. Pete Pride in 2027,” Brock said.
St. Pete pride drew roughly 350,000 attendees last year and has been bringing the community together since its start in 2003. The festival highlights marches, art and live music.
As of Oct. 16 the organization has raised $20,000, and Brock believes they will be able to raise the money they need in order to put together the anniversary celebration.
“You know we are hoping that we are able to raise the $289,000 by Nov. 30, so that way we can close this year's books and then really focus on making next year really special for the community in celebration of 25 years,” he said.
