LGBTQ+ Community

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Where Love Wins

St. Pete extends a warm welcome to the LGBTQ+ community and consistently ranks among the top cities for LGBTQ+ people to live and visit. Since 2014 St. Pete has earned a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign's Municipal Equality Index (MEI), which examines the laws, policies, and services of municipalities and rates them on the basis of their inclusivity of LGBTQ+  people who live and work there. St. Pete offers a spectrum of support and opportunities to the LGBTQ+ community, including LGBTQ+ visitor information, the Metro Inclusive Health LGBTQ+ Welcome Center, and the largest Pride celebration in Florida

Striving for Inclusion

Since 2002, the City has been working to make St. Pete a more inclusive and supportive city for LGBTQ+ residents and visitors. For the last nine years the City of St. Petersburg has earned a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation's Municipal Equality Index, a national body that assesses LGBTQ+ inclusion in municipal laws, policies, and services. 

2022 Municipal Equality Index Scorecard

City Actions & Initiatives in Support of the LGBTQ+ Community

St. Petersburg has consistently acted in support and celebration of its LGBTQ+ community and the City’s many initiatives speak to its ongoing commitment to inclusion.

LGBTQ+ City Liaisons

In an effort to foster a diverse, inclusive city, the City of St. Petersburg appoints LGBTQ+ City Liaisons to serve as a bridge between the City and the community. 

Mayor’s Office LGBTQ+ Liaison

Jim Nixon, Mayor's Office LGBTQ+ Liaison
 |  727-893-7879
 |  jim.nixon@stpete.org

The Mayor's Office LGBTQ+ Liaison serves as an accessible and friendly ear to the city's LGBTQ community and elevates LGBTQ-related concerns to the city executive and other city officials. They Serve as a spokesperson for the Mayor's Office to a local LGBTQ+ demographic and a representative of LGBTQ+ interests to the leaders of the St. Petersburg Government.

Police LGBTQ+ Liaison


Lt. Markus Hughes, Police LGBTQ+ Liaison
 |  727-893-4821  |  markus.hughes@stpete.org

The Police LGBTQ+ Liaison serves as a direct line of communication between the LGBTQ+ community and the St. Petersburg Police Department. The Police Liaison develops and strengthens relationships within the LGBTQ+ community and offers assistance in navigating matters that intersect with the police.