Monroe County cuts tourism funds for Key West LGBTQ events

Monroe County pulled tourist-attraction funding from several Key West LGBTQ event applications after a new state law forced a review of how Tourist Development Council dollars can be spent on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

The county said in a May 5 public notice that Florida Statute 125.595(1)(b), created by SB 1134 and HB 1001 and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on April 22, requires counties to stop funding, promoting or taking official action related to DEI initiatives. The law takes effect Jan. 1, 2027, and Monroe County said event grant applications and funding awards now must be checked for compliance.

Several Cultural Umbrella applications saw reduced awards, including Aquanettes: Past, Present, and Future, Randy Roberts Live, Sons and Daughters of Italy and The Birdcage Cabaret Starring Christopher Peterson. The county said DAC II, III, IV, V and fishing-related event applications were not affected.

The sharpest blow landed on the Southernmost City’s biggest LGBTQ draws. A later notice to the Key West Business Guild said Pride, Tropical Heat and Womenfest would lose funding starting in 2027, a combined cut of about $200,000. Those events bring thousands of visitors to Key West each year, filling hotels, bars and restaurants from Duval Street to the Old Town side streets and driving business for bartenders, servers, hotel staff, retail clerks and other tourism workers.

That matters in a county where tourism tax money is not a side issue but the backbone of local event planning. The Monroe County Tourist Development Council says its mission is to manage tourism marketing to ensure long-term economic stability through visitor-related revenues and to support community and environmental resources. In Key West, that makes the loss of TDC support a direct hit to the hospitality economy that depends on crowded parade weekends, booked rooms and full dining rooms.

The Key West Business Guild has said it relies on TDC money to operate the Gay Key West visitor center on Duval Street. Pride, a weeklong June event that ends with a parade down Duval Street, has long been one of the city’s most visible tourism draws, with the rainbow flag on Duval Street serving as a symbol tied to that business. Monroe County’s decision now raises the question of whether other signature events linked to race, gender identity or sexual orientation will face the same restrictions when they seek future support after Jan. 1, 2027.