It's the stuff of Tampa political lore, but when then-Hillsborough County Commissioner Ronda Storms uttered that phrase, she did so nonchalantly and with little controversy.
Storms, who's known for her rather colorful personality, was reading an ordinance that barred county support — tangible or intangible — of Pride events. The only commissioner at the time to vote against the ban was Kathy Castor, now a Democratic Congressman.
Times sure as hell have changed.
That ordinance has since been reversed, thanks in large part to former Commissioner Kevin Beckner, the first openly gay commissioner. And even the most conservative commissioners don't appear all that enthusiastic about passing laws targeting LGBTQ citizens or rescinding portions of the human rights ordinance aimed at protecting them from discrimination.
Yet even if most politicians in the Tampa Bay area condemn homophobia, it's still out there, even visible in some circles. And nothing suggests that more than Storms's return to politics.
Earlier this month, she filed to run in the Republican primary for the Florida House District 59 seat. It's the seat Rep. Ross Spano, also a Republican, is leaving to run for attorney general. It's a seat that covers areas like Brandon, Valrico, Bloomingdale and Palm River-Clair Mel. In other words, it's not exactly a liberal hub.
Storms, who went on to be a state senator after her tenure on the commission before losing to Democrat Bob Henriquez in the race for county property appraiser, may have an uphill primary battle against Dover Republican Joseph Wicker, who appears to have GOP establishment support and a relatively sizable campaign war chest (more than $25,000; Storms has yet to report any funds). What she does have, of course, is name recognition — and the ire of Democrats who remember how she led the commission's homophobic streak over a decade ago, which in a Republican primary in an ultraconservative district like the 59th might actually play well in some circles. While in the legislature she championed creationism, though some on the right still harangue her for not supporting an open carry bill while in the Senate.
The prospect of a Storms candidacy has piqued the interest of local Dems.
“Oh, the Democrats are fired up about her filing,” said Ione Townsend, head of the Hillsborough County Democratic Executive Committee. "We're a little bit surprised. We thought her career had ended years ago. But they're fired up. The LGBTA community is fired up and Democrats in general are fired up about Ronda Storms filing for lots and lots of reasons.”
There's no Democrat in the race yet, but that could change relatively soon.
That's because while in most election years, a serious Democrat would likely not waste a second even thinking about running in the 59th — but this is 2018, and Dems are pretty sure they have a blue wave on their hands, and this could be a flippable seat.
Trump did only win in the district by less than 1.5 percentage points in 2016, and it had gone for Obama in 2012.
With someone like Storms potentially carrying the GOP torch in a largely suburban/exurban district, an enterprising Democrat might jump at the chance to flip it.
“We're talking to two very viable candidates at this point in time,” Townsend said.
She could not say who, she said, because neither has confirmed their run to her at this point.
But Storms can expect a fight from the LGBTQ community.
“That is belittling, very much, to a diverse community,” said Carrie West, who co-founded the GayBor District Coalition and helped relaunch Tampa Pride, of her run. “We don't need bigots running our community and running our government. What we want is fairness and equal [treatment].”
Though, he added, people can change and many a politician has “evolved” on the issue in recent years. But it's unclear whether Storms's views on equality have changed. CL reached out to the Storms campaign and as of deadline has yet to hear back.
This article appears in Mar 22-29, 2018.