Key West will no longer receive any state funding for future Pride events after Florida passes an anti-DEI bill.
In a letter to the Key West Business Guild, the island chain’s LGBTQ visitor center, Monroe County’s senior assistant county attorney formally stated that the group will no longer receive funding for ongoing projects. Senate Bill 1134 and House Bill 1001starting in 2027.
The popular Key West Pride, gay men’s Tropical Heat weekend, and Women’s Fest will no longer receive state funding. This, emphasized Rob Dougherty, executive director of the Key West Visitor Center, will change the way all of the largest LGBTQ events held in the Keys begin this year.
He said this explanation is solely a result of SB 1134 and HB 1001, which limit the official actions of local governments by “prohibiting counties and local governments, respectively, from funding, promoting, or conducting official actions related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
This law is being used to impose limits on funding for events, but the real purpose of the events is to uplift already marginalized groups.
“Women Fest lost. [funding] It’s a women-only event. Tropical Heat lost because it was a men’s only event…that’s how the system is applied. ”
This will have no impact this year, Dougherty assured the Washington Blade. However, the future is not so certain.
“The law signed by (Republican Florida) Governor DeSantis doesn’t go into effect until January 1st, so 2026 is OK,” Dougherty told the Blade. “However, it will impact Key West Pride 2027, Tropical Heat 2027 and Women’s Fest. So all funding for those three events is gone.”
He said this would represent the bulk of the funding expected for the LGBTQ festival, which the Key West Tourism Authority says is “known internationally as a gay mecca.”
“We will lose about $200,000, not all of it directly, but because of the way the Tourism Development Council (TDC) distributes the money, about $75,000 of it will go to Key West Pride and help pay for marketing, memorabilia and other costs of promoting the event.”
He went on to explain that marketing to many metropolitan areas with large LGBTQ populations may not see as much Key West advertising and push as in past years, and that’s important.
“Our digital marketing, our print marketing, our SEO marketing, all of that is paid through there and we’re targeting places that have direct flights like Washington, D.C., New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Dallas. So it’s definitely going to have an impact.”
He explained that the money that will stop coming is not just for organizing events and celebrations. Funds that go directly back into communities will be hit the hardest.
“An estimated 250,000 LGBTQ+ travelers visit Key West on an annual basis, and a very conservative estimate is that each LGBTQ+ person has two to four fellow travelers who share their values.”
“TDC also estimates that more than $1,500 is spent per visit per person, which means if you add up and multiply these numbers together, you get up to about $1.2 billion, which is potentially lost.”
He said gay vacations in particular require a foundation and expectation of safety and support, which would essentially change the way Key West tourism operates, especially large-scale LGBTQ tourism.
“We travel based on where we feel most welcome,” Dougherty said. “Key West has always been its own little place. Key West’s LGBTQ+ history, and everything about Key West, has always been a little strange to people. And that’s why they come here.”
The guild is Formed in 1978 Becoming the nation’s first LGBTQ destination marketing organization by encouraging summer tourism and supporting Key West’s gay community. We have grown significantly since our original membership and now include more than 475 companies representing virtually every aspect of the island’s business community.
He also said this should be an eye-opener for any place considered an LGBTQ destination, whether it’s a blue state or a red state.
“If it can happen here, it can happen anywhere, so I think this incident can set off a wake-up call across the country.”
Source: Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News – www.washingtonblade.com
