For the past three years, the iconic Sunshine Skyway Bridge spanning Tampa Bay has celebrated LGBTQ Pride Month each June with a bright display of rainbow lights. But this year, the rainbow lights will be replaced with red, white and blue.
The Florida Department of Transportation announced the 1,800 LED lighting system on the cable-stayed bridge will display only red, white and blue lights nightly from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The extended patriotic display is intended to commemorate the state’s new “Freedom Summer” tax holiday eliminating sales tax on admissions to parks, museums and outdoor recreation venues in July.
However, the FDOT’s decision to nix all special lighting displays for the summer, including the Pride celebration, came shortly after a Manatee County commissioner voiced objection to the annual rainbow lights.
“The decision by the Florida Department of Transportation to eliminate the annual LGBTQ Pride display on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge is deeply disappointing,” said Nathan Bruemmer, president of St. Pete Pride. “For the last three years, this beloved regional landmark has celebrated the LGBTQ community with brilliant rainbows of light during Pride Month. Thousands of residents and visitors alike looked forward to this annual tradition.”
In February, an internal email from the Manatee County Administrator’s office stated Commissioner Chair Mike Rahn “will not be approving lighting of the Skyway for Pride Month or National Gun Violence Awareness Day.”
While Rahn did approve lighting displays for causes like the Alzheimer’s Foundation and cancer awareness groups, his objection to the Pride lights appears to have put the annual celebration’s future in jeopardy.
“I do not have the authority to override the governor of the state Florida,” Rahn told the Tampa Bay Times in February. “However, in my opinion, the lighting of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge is a FDOT matter and should not be left with to the individual counties.”
On May 13th, the FDOT made its summer lighting plan clear – only red, white and blue displays from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
“The Sunshine Skyway’s signature red, white and blue display will celebrate freedom summer and welcome visitors and Floridians alike to take advantage of tax-free admissions at state parks and museums throughout Florida,” FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue stated.
Perdue did not directly address why other special lighting displays previously approved could not also be accommodated as they had in years past. The announcement wiped out planned lightings for causes like Mental Health Awareness, Juneteenth, Ovarian Cancer Awareness and more.
Nathan Bruemmer of St. Pete Pride claimed the patriotic display’s “true purpose seems to be stamping out an expression of love, acceptance and inclusion that the LGBTQ community has grown to cherish.”
Steve Kornell, a Pinellas County resident and LGBTQ ally, also criticized the move, calling it “a slap in the face” to the region’s vibrant LGBTQ community.
“For one commissioner to voice his personal objection and then see this celebration of inclusivity get erased is incredibly hurtful,” Kornell said. “The Pride lights brought so much joy each June and made this area feel like a welcoming, accepting place for all people. It’s really shameful they’ve been overridden by this over-the-top patriotic display pandering to the governor’s political agenda.”
The $15 million programmable LED system was installed in 2019 and had allowed for numerous celebratory displays beyond just Pride Month, including for local university graduations, sports team victories and various holidays and awareness causes.
While the FDOT insists the extended summer display is simply aligned with the new “Freedom Summer” tax legislation signed by Governor Ron DeSantis, the timing and cancellation of the Pride tradition points suggests Commissioner Rahn’s objection caused the change.