Florida’s diverse LGBT community
St Petersburg Sarasota
Florida’s most populous LGBT communities can be found in Miami and Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota.
Ft Lauderdale
The State of Florida arguably leads the nation in the rich diversity of its LGBT community, which ranges from multi-cultural millennials to mobile, active retirees. The state’s blue skies, white sand beaches and promise of eternal summer are huge draws to five million LGBT visitors annually. Another one million LGBT people of all ages live here, attracted by favorable economic opportunities, jobs, great colleges and universities, excellent health care and ideal retirement conditions. There’s the multicultural mix of South Florida – the gateway to the Caribbean, Latin America and the world – reflected by the diversity on the streets of colorful, pulsating and energetic Miami Beach. Add to that Key West’s and Fort Lauderdale’s long history as meccas for gay men and you begin to understand
the state’s LGBT tourism growth. Within Fort Lauderdale, Wilton Manors is now the gayest city in America, and Wilton Drive is the hotspot for nightlife, shopping, bars and entertainment, restaurants, and thrift stores. And there’s the always fun and exciting melting pot of Central Florida, anchored by Orlando – America’s largest tourist destination — and extending west to Tampa, St. Petersburg and Sarasota, where the entertainment industry and lifestyle have attracted a swell of LGBT millennials and retirees drawn from all over the USA. When added together, South and Central Florida make up the third largest population of gay Americans (379,668) after New York City (568,334) and Los Angeles (441,326), according to Gallup.
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