The rainbow flag of the gay pride movement and the flag of the United States (Getty Images)
Equality Florida, the state’s largest LGBTQ+ organization, is firing back at Gov. Ron DeSantis for calling out two local governments that have funded Pride events as examples of “wasteful spending.”
DeSantis and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Blaise Ingoglia cited a host of expenditures by local governments throughout the state on Wednesday that they allege are examples of them wasting taxpayer dollars.
That list, compiled by the CFO’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team, made two references to local governments’ spending s on Pride events: Pinellas County, $75,000 annually to sponsor the Pride Festival in St. Petersburg held every July; and St. Petersburg itself, $258,000, “including funds from the city’s utility and EMS funds, to support Pride events.”
In a written statement, Equality Florida called the list “a pathetic effort to distract from his corruption, inside dealing, and scandals,” arguing that Pinellas County’s Pride sponsorship “generates millions in economic activity.”
It claims that St. Pete Pride brought $67.2 million to the local economy in 2022 and $60.7 million in 2023, “including more than $34 million in direct spending.”
The group cited specific examples of state spending that it contends “tell the story of waste and corruption,” including the state’s $83 million deal for a 4-acre parcel in Destin, an acquisition that was 10 times its original price.
Equality Florida also refers to the scandal involving the Hope Florida Foundation. The Tampa Bay Times reported on Friday that prosecutors in North Florida are convening a grand jury to delve into the reports that the governor’s administration directed $10 million from a legal settlement with a Medicaid contractor through the foundation for political purposes.
“For $83 million, the state could have funded more than 1,100 years of Pride sponsorships — each one delivering millions in benefits to Florida communities,” said Nadine Smith, the group’s executive director.
“Instead, DeSantis enriches his wealthy donors, launders money through sham charities, and wastes hundreds of millions on failed projects like Alligator Alcatraz, while smearing Pride, which is one of the most reliable engines of local growth.”
