Pride Fort Lauderdale is canceling its event for February 8, 2025. Jason Nuñez, PFL’s new vice president, told OutSFL Wednesday afternoon.
Later, the organization issued a statement saying, “After thoughtful consultation with the Mayor of Fort Lauderdale and the City of Fort Lauderdale Special Events Committee, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Pride Organization has made the difficult decision to postpone the previously scheduled February 2025 PRIDE Festival and Parade. This decision was taken with careful consideration, prioritizing the well-being and inclusivity of our vibrant community.”
PFL has been behind the eightball as it tried to pull together a Pride and parade along A1A and Fort Lauderdale Beach. The group applied for permits in August, but those have languished in city hall as PFL’s financial and organizational woes were common knowledge.
However, Nuñez and PFL aren’t punting on 2025. They are working with the city to put on an event in October. He says it won’t be on the beach as in past years. Building infrastructure from the sand up is expensive, and it costs the city more than they want to spend on in-kind donations.
The plan is for an October event and a parade that empties out to Oceanside Park, where the stages and vendors would set up.
The statement continued, “The PRIDE Festival and Parade is more than just a celebration; it is a community-driven program, and we invite everyone to be a part of its evolution. We welcome community members to play an active role in shaping what this festival will look like by joining our team as volunteers, team leads, or committee leads. PRIDE is a collaborative endeavor, coordinated by the Greater Fort Lauderdale Pride Organization's Executive Director serving as the Project Manager, with oversight from our dedicated Board of Directors.”
As for the rest of the February weekend, one of the key players says Pride On the Drive will still happen on Friday, Feb. 7. Nuñez says Sunday, Feb. 9, will be a pool party at the Easton rooftop pool in Fort Lauderdale near Holiday Park.
He also hopes to make Pride’s move to October permanent going forward.
‘Trying to regain credibility.’
PFL, like many nonprofits, struggled after the pandemic. But in the case of PFL, the pervasive infighting and secrecy led to a loss of trust. Requests for line-item budgets, minutes of PFL board meetings, and documentation of how in-kind donations were used (i.e. airline vouchers) were, essentially, ignored.
Visit Lauderdale, Broward County’s tourism arm, dropped out as a sponsor. Shortly before Pride of the Americas, Tito’s Vodka and CAN Community Health withdrew their financial support and CAN is still trying to reclaim its money. The entire board, save for then-President Miik Martorell, resigned.
Earlier this year, a longtime volunteer asked for his $1,000 donation be returned after Pride 2024 events were canceled. No money was refunded.
Martorell then resigned in October, citing the need to focus on his business.
Trust from the community and sponsors will take time to rebuild, and many businesses and groups have already set their 2025 budgets.
“There have been some relationships we’ve had to mend over the past few months that have taken us out of the running for 2025 sponsorships,” Nuñez said. “We’re trying to regain credibility and revive our name. We want the community to know we are not sitting on our hands.”
Getting the city and other sponsors back to the table is a big first step. Sources inside Fort Lauderdale government have expressed frustration with Martorell and PFL for years, and the same can be said of various business owners.
Nuñez describes the effort as “a courting relationship.”
