ORLANDO, Fla. — Just days from the five-year remembrance of Orlando’s Pulse nightclub massacre, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday vetoed $150,000 in state funds that would have provided counseling for survivors — despite a budget that has $9.5 billion in reserves. And in what advocates describe as “war” on LGBTQ+ Floridians, the governor also eliminated $750,000 approved by the Florida Legislature for the Orlando-based Zebra Coalition to create housing for homeless gay and transgender youth.
The move comes one day after DeSantis signed a bill banning transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s school sports.
“Let’s be clear about what this is: Gov. DeSantis has declared war on Florida’s LGBTQ community,” said Brandon Wolf, a Pulse survivor who now works for Equality Florida, the statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization. “Before the 2019 remembrance ceremony, Gov. DeSantis stood on hallowed ground, steps from where I escaped the building in 2016, and promised me that he would always support those of us impacted by the Pulse nightclub shooting. Today, almost two years later to the date, he vetoed mental health services for us. I will never forget.”
Neither the governor nor his press secretary responded Wednesday afternoon to a request to comment on the vetoes. A news release issued with the signed budget states, “We are also continuing to prioritize public health and mental well-being.”
Heather Wilkie, executive director of the Orlando-based Zebra Coalition, which supports LGBTQ+ youth, said the governor’s actions indicate otherwise.
“I was just taken aback because (the appropriation) got to his desk,” she said. “It takes so much work to get it through the Legislature, but it passed, and even yesterday with the trans sports bill — which is a terrible, terrible thing for our kids — I still had hope. But now we’re going to be left picking up the pieces and there’s not even going to be support for housing for them.”
Researchers say at least 40% of the nation’s homeless youth identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or gender non-conforming. They are also more likely to be suicidal and struggle with substance abuse, unemployment and depression.
The Zebra Coalition had secured an arrangement with Park Lake Presbyterian Church to renovate the former Davis Park Motel on East Colonial Drive to house up to 35 youths. Wilkie said her organization is still committed to the project but will need to find the money for renovations and operations through grants.
“We’re going to make this happen,” she said, “but it has definitely put up a huge barrier in our path to being able to open sooner rather than later.”
State Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, said the timing of DeSantis’ vetoes — two days into Pride Month, celebrating the LGBTQ+ community, and 10 days before the Pulse remembrance — seems especially callous.
“I think people see these acts as totally heartless,” he said. “It adds insult to injury that it comes during Pride Month, not even 24 hours after he signed a bill to expel transgender kids from sports teams and humiliate them in front of their peers. What message is the governor trying to send to LGBTQ Floridians with these actions?”
At The LGBT+ Center Orlando, the governor’s veto puts counseling for survivors of the June 2016 Pulse massacre in jeopardy, leaders said. The shooting left 49 dead, more than 60 critically injured and hundreds psychologically traumatized. The center took over the Orlando United Assistance Center, dedicated to helping survivors, from the Heart of Florida United Way last year.
It’s the second year in a row that the governor has vetoed state spending for the counseling fund. In 2020, he cut $50,000 that had been approved by the Legislature — less than a 10th of the original request.
The LGBT+ Center’s executive director, George Wallace, said his staff must now find another source to support the program, but options may be limited. The United Way previously struggled to secure grants for the effort.
“Yesterday marked the first day of Pride Month, and Gov. DeSantis has once again proved that he is one of the most homophobic and transphobic governors in the United States,” Wallace said.
State Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, said the expenditures appeared to be the only LGBTQ+ program spending in the state budget.
“It’s super frustrating that $150,000 towards a mental health program gets the veto pen when the governor brags about his leadership in mental health,” she said. “So those two projects in particular — (the vetoes are) a punch in the gut.”
