In a packed room at H.G. Rooster’s, Florida’s longest operating gay bar, Rob Long did not need to convince the crowd he was on their side.
They already knew. They had seen him take the hits, push back, and refuse to budge when the state tried to make Delray Beach back off its Pride crosswalk. On Nov. 19, Long made it clear that his campaign for House District 90 is an extension of the same fight.
The event, co-sponsored by Equality Florida, Palm Beach County Human Rights Council Voter’s Alliance, and local Democratic groups, felt more like a reunion than a fundraiser. People hugged him, clapped for him, and called him by his first name like he was a neighborhood fixture. In fairness, he is. Long has spent years in Delray Beach, now serving as vice mayor. He has built a reputation as one of the few local officials willing to go head-to-head with Tallahassee.
That reputation comes from the crosswalk battle. When FDOT crews showed up to paint over Delray Beach’s crosswalk twice, Long was the only commissioner who voted to keep fighting. He pushed for surveillance to catch vandals, insisted the state had no authority to erase the mural, and called out the political motives behind the crackdown. Residents watched their crosswalk burned out by drivers during a Trump rally, and the teenager who vandalized it was treated like a minor celebrity. Long saw the writing on the wall. The hostility was not subtle.
He reminded the room of that fight. For him, it was never complicated. These symbols matter. This community matters. Home rule matters. The people trying to erase queer visibility count on local leaders to fold. He was not about to be one of them.
“It was an honor to advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and for home rule and for what is right,” Long said. “It has been a challenging time in this state and this country.”
He is not exaggerating. District 90, which covers Delray Beach and Boynton Beach, is one of the last Democratic strongholds in Palm Beach County. Voters gave Democrat Joe Casello a 12 point margin in the last cycle. Long and Casello were close, and their long planned succession shifted abruptly when Casello died in July. Long went from a slow burn 18 month timeline to a five-month sprint.
“None of us saw that coming,” Long said. “My 18-month campaign turned into a five-month campaign.”
Even with the chaotic start, the campaign is moving fast. Long told the room that nearly half of the district’s vote by mail ballots were already returned and 62% of them came from Democrats. He credited the volunteers who had been phone banking and advocating. He thanked the organizations that packed the bar for backing him so quickly.
He told people he actually wants them in Tallahassee.
“You will always have me as an advocate and as a friend,” he said. “I’ll always be available and I expect to see a lot of these faces coming to visit me in Tallahassee."
The crowd laughed, but they also nodded. These are the people who show up to crosswalk hearings, chalk protests, and late night commission meetings. They know Long did not just show up for Pride Month. He showed up when the state scraped paint off the asphalt. He showed up when the vandals did victory laps online. He showed up when his own colleagues wanted to drop the fight.
That is the version of Long they are sending into a special election on Dec. 9.
