Fort Lauderdale Pride will not happen in 2025.
Originally scheduled for February and then tentatively moved to October, the long troubled organization is trying to do a “hard reset.”
During an exclusive meeting with OutSFL, Executive Director Ernie Yuen and outgoing Vice President Jason Nuñez talked about the group’s issues and looked to the future.
First, they said the next Pride won’t happen until sometime in 2026. Nuñez wanted to move the event permanently to the autumn, as hotels and businesses aren’t as packed, and the city could use the revenue. They have not picked a new date and are considering all options.
Second, Nuñez announced he’s stepping down as Vice President, a surprising move since he only took over the job in October/November. Nuñez is also the President of the Greater Fort Lauderdale LGBT Chamber of Commerce.
The chamber’s board was uncomfortable with him holding both jobs and wants to avoid the appearance of conflicts of interest. Going forward, Yuen will be the face of PFL.
Nuñez says he will still be heavily involved with PFL, but his official role will be like that of any of the other dedicated volunteers.
Third, they announced Shawn “Kitty Meow” Palacious is rejoining the board. He left in 2023 citing health reasons.
The Past Is Prologue
Moving forward also means confronting the past. PFL never really got on solid footing after the pandemic. Pride of the Americas, originally scheduled for 2020 and cancelled due to the pandemic, was pushed to 2023 and was a shadow of its original plan. POTA and PFL were combined that year to save costs and reinvigorate the event.
Instead, the entire board resigned and sponsors pulled out, citing lack of transparency, oversight, and ignoring PFL’s own by-laws.
Nuñez and Yuen said they met this week with Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis and believe the city is ready to help the new team move forward.
They are also going to restart smaller events, such as Pride Bingo. Palacious will host Bingo, which will move to Sunday afternoon.
Both know the job to bring back PFL will be difficult. Yuen said the organization will not declare bankruptcy as part of their comeback. Pride 2026 may be scaled back from the beach/beach-adjacent parties the community has come to expect. Yuen said it’s important to have a Pride in Fort Lauderdale, even if it’s just a picnic in a park.
