When Stacy Ritter, the CEO of Visit Lauderdale, saw professional organizations condemning Florida over legislation like the “Stop WOKE Act” and what critics call the “don’t say gay” law, she worried her job promoting tourism in Broward County could become much more difficult.
“Every time something happens that could have a negative impact on our destination, we have to sit down at the table and think about what to do. In this case, how do we separate ourselves from, in our view, hateful things that come out of Tallahassee?” said Ritter, speaking about the recently launched campaign from Broward County’s public-funded, nonprofit destination marketing agency to rebut the controversial law.
The agency is reaffirming Fort Lauderdale and its surrounding area as an inclusive, LGBTQ-friendly destination through a social media and advertising campaign under the slogan, “Everyone Under the Sun.”
“In light of what’s going on in the state Legislature and the governor’s office, we need to remind people that we’re an inclusive, diverse destination,” Ritter said, mainly referring to the Parental Rights in Education statute, commonly called the “don’t say gay” law.
“Broward County rejects that and we’re lucky to have a county commission that rejects hateful bills that marginalize people.”
South Florida has its longstanding history as an LGBTQ-tourism destination working in its favor. Fort Lauderdale attracts 1.1 million visitors who identify as LGBTQ, according to Visit Florida, the state’s tourism marketing agency. In Miami-Dade County, Miami Beach Pride and Wynwood Pride attract thousands of visitors. Miami is home to iconic gay venues like the Gaythering hotel and Twist nightclub and is also a staple on the drag scene, with venues like Palace in South Beach and R House in Wynwood.
Still, there has been immediate blowback to South Florida, following passage of the homophobic measure which drew mostly unflattering national media coverage for the state. In March, Kara Swisher, the host of a Vox Media podcast and a notable technology journalist who hosted Pivot MIA, a buzzworthy tech conference in South Beach in February, announced that she would no longer host the event in Miami.
“Shameful act by the Florida GOP and as a parent of four, this is not what it means to be one,” Swisher, who is gay, tweeted. “A significantly expanded Pivot event — after an epic one there in February — that was going to take place in Miami in 2023 will now not.”
Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava wrote to Swisher defending the county’s record of progressive politics, but to no avail. On its website, Vox Media says they are looking for other venues.
Losing that Miami tech event represents the challenge for those marketing South Florida to progressive travelers: Many potential visitors from other parts of the country, and the world, don’t differentiate the progressive pockets of Florida from the increasingly conservative politics coming out of the state Legislature. Lawmakers’ far-right policymaking has made national and international headlines and provided comedy fodder for late-night talk show hosts.
In response to a Visit Lauderdale social media post for its “Everyone Under the Sun” campaign, one Instagram user said there would be no visiting Florida anymore.
“Maybe tell your governor then? I am not setting foot in Florida again,” the Instagram user wrote. “I will not spend tourist dollars in your state anymore, specifically because I do not want any money from my pocket flowing into the coffers of a state that victimizes trans children and queer families to score political points.”
Ritter acknowledged the challenge, but said that she hopes Broward County can stick it out as a progressive area in a conservative state.
“California is a deep blue state, but many people know it has its red pockets,” she said. “Florida is a red state, but has its seriously blue pockets.”
Broward County is one of the most reliably blue counties in Florida, with more than double the amount of registered Democrats than there are Republicans.
“We don’t have the bully pulpit of the governor, but we do have funds and we’re taking our budget and doing the best we can,” Ritter said of Visit Lauderdale’s inclusive-focused marketing campaign, adding that Broward’s tourism agency employees are contacting convention and big event clients, as well as travel agents, to reassure them.
Even after losing Swisher’s tech conference for 2023, Miami’s tourism leaders are taking a less overtly opposing stance towards the legislation in Tallahassee that could deter visitors.
Rolando Aedo, the chief operating officer of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, Miami-Dade’s nonprofit marketing agency, said the agency has always championed the county’s diversity.
“We frankly avoid the politics. We are respectful of political policies, but we stay true to our mission statement and continue to celebrate and showcase the diversity of Miami-Dade,” Aedo said.
“Every campaign we do has celebrated our most unique aspect as a community, and that’s our diversity. That includes Black, brown, LGBTQ, Hispanic. That’s always been our differentiator and that’s why we’ve been so successful as a destination,” he said, adding that Miami tourism has been booming during the pandemic recovery and Miami-Dade has had a record run of conventions so far in 2022.
Last year, Miami-Dade attracted 1.8 million overnight visitors who identified as LGBTQ, according to visitor surveys.
The Miami convention and visitors’ bureau goes the extra step of having an LGBTQ marketing division that partners with the Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce to offer free LGBTQ diversity and inclusion training for hospitality professionals in Miami-Dade.
At the recent Miami Beach Pride festivities April 1-10, businesses hosted pride-themed events and had special pride cocktails. Vietnamese restaurant Phuc Yea crafted a cocktail for the event called the “SAY GAY,” and donated part of the proceeds from its sales to Pridelines, a Miami-based LGBTQ community center.
Owen Bale is co-owner of Wynwood’s R House, a restaurant he opened with his husband Rocco Carulli in 2014, with Bale heading the business side and Carulli the executive chef. For Carulli’s 50th birthday in 2015, they had a drag performance at the restaurant. It was so popular, that they never looked back. Today, Bale said the drag brunch has become a “bigger and bigger part of the business.”
“Miami has a particularly strong drag community, and it’s a huge part of drag in the whole country,” Bale said. “Sure, the big cities are New York and LA, but we have so many powerhouses of drag in Miami.”
R House attracts a fair number of locals, but tourists are a core part of the customers. At the drag show during pride weekend, he said they had customers from Nebraska, Minnesota, California and Washington state.
“Miami is so different from the rest of Florida, there’s a liberalism and tolerance and I hope that LGBT+ tourists will still have a desire to come and experience this beautiful melting pot in Miami,” Bale said. “We need tourists to come to Miami to support the LGBT+ businesses, so we can continue to campaign against these political movements, trying to censor basic conversations. We need support from across the country, please come and spend your money in these venues.”
“Whatever is going on in Tallahassee, every weekend we will be representing our community in a positive way, and doing what we do is a political statement in its own right,” he said.
