When 49 people were killed at a gay nightclub in Florida in 2016, Gov. Rick Scott publicly offered his sympathy to the victimsā families and the LGBT community. āThese are individuals. Letās love every one of them,ā he said then.
Less than 48 hours afterĀ a gunman shot 49 people at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando a year ago, thousands gathered in Ybor City to honor the victims. On this first anniversary of what isĀ the worst mass shooting in U.S. history, Ybor City will again be the site for the Tampa Bay communityĀ to come together to rememberĀ the victims of that attack. The vigilĀ at Centennial Park begins at 7 p.m. “Weāre calling it a night of reflection,” says Carrie West, who helped…
As Orange County once again unfurled a piece of the Sea-to-Sea Rainbow Flag in downtown Orlando, city and county leaders insisted its values of acceptance, understanding, diversity and inclusion shall forever define Orlando. The anniversary of the catastrophic mass murder at Orlando’s popular gay nightclub Pulse on Latino night, June 12, 2016, began largely in celebration of what this community found within itself in the hours, days, months and now the first year since. City Commissioner Patty Sheehan, introduced at…
Unlike their friends in county government a few blocks east on Kennedy Blvd., Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn‘s administration is recognizing the anniversary of theĀ mass shooting ofĀ 49 people at the Pulse LGBTQ nightclub in Orlando, which took place one year ago June 12, 2016. The city is hanging theĀ rainbow Pride flag from the top of Old City Hall this weekend; the rainbow colors will be featured over theĀ five downtown bridges. Tampa is also showing solidarity with Orlando in a new thirty-second…
Monday, June 12, will be one year since the mass shooting ofĀ 49 people at the popular Pulse LGBTQ nightclub in Orlando. Less than 48 hours after that horrific night, Hillsborough County CommissionerĀ Kevin Beckner, County AdministratorĀ Mike Merrill,Ā and a handful ofĀ Hillsborough County sheriff deputiesĀ participated in an event in Ybor City honoring the victims. At their next meeting, Commissioners supported Beckner’s motion to raise an LGBT Pride flag at the County Center for the remainder of June, also in honor of the victims.…
One doesn’t have to go back much farther than a few days to find the latest historical example of mass shootings in Florida: an Orlando workplace shooting that took multiple casualties. It wasn’t the first mass shooting in Florida. It likely won’t be the last. As Orlando and the state of Florida deal with that shooting, the first anniversary of the massacre at Orlando’s Pulse nightclub ā a terrorist attack on the local LGBT community ā also looms. In that…
Ybor City was the site of Tampa’s Pride celebration Saturday, the biggest event since organizers revived it in 2015. “When Carrie (West) said we want to bring the Pride Parade to Tampa, I said let’s roll!” yelled an exuberant Bob Buckhorn in kicking off the festivities. West and longtime partner Mark Bias are founding members of Tampa Pride andĀ helped create the GaYBOR District Coalition in the aughts. He was inspired to bring the event back to TampaĀ after the Hillsborough County…
