In the wake of North Carolina lawmakers' passage of the astonishingly ass-backwards HB2, major companies are pulling out of the state in protest.

HB2, the sole purpose for which lawmakers in that state convened a $42,000-a-day special session to pass, is a real piece of work. It does everything from preempting local governments from passing human rights ordinances that include protections for LGBT individuals to barring transgender individuals from using public bathrooms corresponding to their gender identity.

Large companies that had planned expansions in the state (and want to attract top talent in doing so, not Bible-thumping knuckle-draggers) aren't having it.

These include PayPal, which had planned on bringing 400 jobs to Charlotte, among others.

The mayors of the Tampa Bay's two biggest cities seem to think St. Pete and Tampa stand to benefit.

On Wednesday the Charlotte Observer published an op-ed St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman penned asking North Carolina companies to send jobs to St. Petersburg, an overwhelmingly welcoming city that boasts the biggest Pride celebration in the Southeast.

An excerpt:

Today, North Carolina stands as the state with the dubious distinction of having the worst anti-LGBT legislation in the country. I hope they reverse direction for the good of the people who live and travel there. I know it does not reflect the character of the many people I know from North Carolina.

As mayor of St. Petersburg, I am sending the message to businesses looking to relocate that our community respects and protects the dignity and basic rights of all who live, work and play in our city. In fact, we have consistently received the top ranking in the Municipal Equality Index, a nationwide evaluation of municipal laws and policies.

In a tweet, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn asked PayPal to consider moving its operation to Tampa, another city that welcomes diversity.

In a subsequent tweet he also invited Red Ventures, which said it would pull the plug on a 500-job expansion in Charlotte in the wake of HB2, to come to town.

But as Buckhorn, Kriseman and other local leaders tout their cities' embrace of all groups in their respective locales, they probably also know their cities risk similar fates as North Carolina cities do every time Florida has a legislative session.

After all, conservative lawmakers have seriously considered a bill targeting transgender people's use of public bathrooms corresponding to their gender identity for the past two years, though it died each time.

And very recently, the Florida Department of Children and Families stripped provisions for LGBT youth in group homes that would have "protected youth from bullying and harassment, banned psychologically harmful 'conversion' therapy, and provided affirming guidelines for the care of transgender youth" due to pressure from right wing groups, according to a media release from Equality Florida. This, despite the relatively high risk of homelessness LGBT youth face.

This article appears in Mar 31 – Apr 6, 2016.