In every way, Tampa Pride 2023 was a hot one thanks to temperatures in the mid-to-high-80s. Not to mention there was also a big ol' Love Is Love community wedding, and beautiful people from all walks of life flocking to Seventh Avenue in Ybor City for a celebration of Tampa's LGBTQ+ community.
Elected officials—including District 3 incumbent Lynn Hurtak, who is the only city council candidate endorsed by the Hillsborough LGBTQ Democratic Caucus—were there to show support for a community being demonized by Gov. Ron DeSantis and the GOP-controlled legislature.
Also marching in the parade was Hillsborough's State Attorney, Susan “Suzy” Lopez. She was appointed by the governor when he ousted her predecessor, elected State Attorney for the 13th District (SAO13), Andrew Warren, who was suspended from office, in part, for condemning the criminalization of transgender people and gender-affirming care.
Notably, Lopez's office will also have to decide on whether it will prosecute four University of South Florida students arrested and charged with battery on a law enforcement officer after protesting Black enrollment numbers and the attack on diversity programs. So it remains to be seen if the LGBTQ+ community can even feel safe with Lopez (who has a dog named "Rhonda Santis") in the prosecutor's chair.
In an email to Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, a spokesperson for SAO13 said, "The State Attorney’s Office does not choose which cases to prosecute based on personal beliefs. Our office upholds the law, and that applies to all cases regardless of the subject matter."
UPDATED 03/27/23 4:47 p.m. Updated with comment from SAO13.
