Momma Ashley Rose (L) and Eric Suarez at the Rose Dynasty Center. (Photo by Dylan Todd)
LAKELAND, Fla. | The Rose Dynasty Foundation will hold the official grand opening for the Rose Dynasty Center June 9 from 2-5 p.m., making Polk County history in the process.
The LGBTQ+-focused space is the first of its kind in the region, created in partnership with Central Florida primary care and HIV/AIDS specialists Pineapple Healthcare. In addition to health services, the 2,300-square-foot facility will regularly host support groups, offer family-friendly programming and much more.
Rose Dynasty Foundation Founder Jason DeShazo — known for his activism and all-ages entertainment as drag performer Momma Ashley Rose — says the center is a logical extension of the nonprofit’s work. It has led family-friendly events and raised thousands for local charities that align with its mission to provide safe spaces for all since 2017.
“This has been a vision of mine since I was a kid,” DeShazo says. “I didn’t have any inkling that it would be in Polk County, or any inkling that it would look like it does, but it evolved into this vision.
“Working in HIV testing, counseling and therapy over the last 20 years of my life, it also worked out that we’ve partnered with Pineapple Healthcare,” he continues. “We knew post-pandemic that it was time to start looking for a building to provide services to the community. I knew as an organization we needed a physical space and I think it’s going to change the game for us.”
Pineapple Healthcare President and CEO Ethan Suarez agrees. He’s worked with DeShazo for years and says the organization was happy to support the center’s creation.“There’s such a need for health services in the area,” he explains. “That’s what we do at Pineapple, offer all of your health care services as an all-encompassing, one-stop shop.”
The collaboration also marks a new chapter for the Orlando-based Pineapple Healthcare, which was founded in 2020. The center is the organization’s farthest expansion yet.
“The community really said that they need services here,” Suarez explains. “We wanted to bring our brand of customer service and award-winning care to Polk County to show them that they’re valued.”
Among other services, Pineapple Healthcare will offer primary care, HIV care, PrEP/nPEP, STI testing and treatment and even Botox/Dysport. The nurse practitioner-led facility is currently unable to offer gender-affirming care, however, due to Florida law.
Mental health services are also provided on site through Black Swan Counseling and Heather Stambaugh, a licensed mental health counselor and the center’s resource director. She’s served Polk County’s LGBTQ+ community since 2015 to show case that everyone deserves to be supported, understood and celebrated during their therapy experiences.
“It’s time for our queer community and our allies to come together in Polk County and celebrate,” DeShazo says. “This is not about Rose Dynasty, this isn’t about Momma Ashley Rose. This is about a city in Central Florida that needs a safe space — and that safe space is opening to give us an opportunity for people to come together and celebrate love, joy, health and community.”
The grand opening will feature drinks and light finger foods, community and mental health resources, local performers, raffles and giveaways, allowing attendees to view the facility and learn more about its occupants. DeShazo also teases there’s more to come.
“We’re going to outgrow this place, I really believe that,” he says. “This is not going to be the only Rose Dynasty Center — we’re working hard to set up spaces in small towns and communities that need them. This is really just the beginning.”
The Rose Dynasty Center will hold its grand opening June 9 from 2-5 p.m. at 1253 W. Memorial Blvd. in Lakeland, an all-ages and free event. For more information, visit RoseDynastyFoundationInc.org. Learn more about Pineapple Healthcare at PineappleHealthcare.com.
View photos of the space and staff below by Dylan Todd.
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