STATE NEWS

Orlando native Nikole Parker has been named the new director of transgender equality at Equality Florida. Parker takes over after former director, Gina Duncan, retired earlier this year.

Parker has been a part of a number of LGBTQ organizations including the onePULSE Foundation, Orlando United Assistance Center, Contigo Fund and more.

“I am so excited to re-join Equality Florida and continue the necessary work to ensure that transgender and nonbinary individuals, especially Black, indigenous, and people of color, voices are uplifted,” Parker said. “Oftentimes we are left out of the very conversations being had to help us. I want to ensure that everyone has a seat at the table.”

The Palm Beach County State Attorney’s office postponed a Sept. 13 plea meeting with Alexander Jerich, the man accused of defacing the pride intersection in Delray Beach, Florida.

A new date has not been set but Richard Clausi, chief of the office’s misdemeanor division, told South Florida Gay News he thinks it will be another month before they meet.

“We’re just moving it for a month so I can reach out individually to all of the parties that were involved primarily with the dedication,” he explained. “How it affected them, what they think would be an appropriate punishment. While it’s not binding on the state, we want to get everybody’s input.”

Jerich, 21, was arrested June 17, days after he was recorded burning out his truck tires over the newly dedicated pride intersection in downtown Delray Beach. He had been part of a birthday caravan for former President Donald Trump when someone allegedly yelled at him to “tear up that gay intersection.” A member of the caravan, who said he is gay, came forward to police.

The Delray Beach Police Department states that the cost of the space was $16,720. The city’s public works department is working with the vendor to have the intersection repainted, which is expected to cost several thousand dollars, Gina Carter, the public information officer for Delray Beach, told SFGN in July.

Clausi told SFGN that Jerich’s lawyer, Pedro Dijols, told him that his client “demonstrated willingness and an ability to pay the restitution to get the sidewalk back up to where it should be.”

The restitution is a minimum of $8,000.

“We’ll at least have a better idea of what the plea offer is in 30 days and what, if anything, the defendant wants to do with it,” he said.

Delray police originally charged Jerich with criminal mischief over $1,000, reckless driving and evidence of prejudice (felony enhancement). However, in August, State Attorney Dave Aronberg dropped the hate crime charge, saying the victim in this case was the city of Delray Beach, which does not have a sexual orientation or gender identity.

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