ABOVE: St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman (L) and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, photo via each mayor’s Facebook page.
TAMPA BAY | As COVID-19 continues to impact Florida and its LGBTQ community, St. Petersburg and Tampa officials are urging residents to exercise caution in the new year.
Florida became the third state to hit one million coronavirus cases Dec. 1, closing out the month and year with its highest single-day increase in infections. According to the Florida Dept. of Health, more than 20,000 positive cases were reported on Dec. 31.
More than 875 of them came from Pinellas County, which includes St. Petersburg – and more than 1,500 came from Hillsborough County, of which Tampa calls home. As of Jan. 3, each county’s average two-week positivity rate is respectively 9.31% and 12.74%.
Rising numbers are what prompted St. Petersburg to launch its Race to Safe initiative in December, designed to make Pinellas “Florida’s most COVID-safe community” by lowering its positivity rate. Officials stress that “we must continue doing everything we can to keep our community safe.”
The city now provides a dashboard of information comparing Pinellas, Hillsborough and other counties. It also maintains a list of resources for city businesses, residents and visitors, designed to help mitigate risks and reduce infection rates “the St. Pete Way.”
Ahead of the new year, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman addressed that mentality via social media. “Despite some dark days, the spirit of St. Pete shined bright in 2020,” he wrote Dec. 31. “Public health considerations and peaceful demonstrations remained at the forefront of our community’s response to COVID-19 and social justice.
“As we enter 2021 with COVID remaining a serious threat, we must recommit ourselves to doing right, for ourselves and for each other,” he continued. “I know we can do it.”
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor also addressed constituents Dec. 30, releasing a public service announcement. In it, she calls on locals to “extinguish” COVID-19 in 2021.
“Let’s be honest, we can all agree that 2020 has been a bit of a dumpster fire,” she says in the video, “but the end is in sight and we need you to be the fire extinguisher.”
Castor subsequently outlined a number of resources available to residents and businesses, encouraging responsible behavior throughout the year. She highlighted Tampa’s Lift Up Local and Safe & Sound initiatives, designed to encourage cautious behavior while navigating COVID-19 concerns. Watch it in full below.
In Tampa specifically, COVID-19 has already begun to impact LGBTQ venues and events in the new year. Tampa Pride announced in November that its next celebration has been postponed from March 27 to May 22.
The LGBTQ hotspot Honey Pot also shared Dec. 28 that it would close indefinitely, a response to county restrictions prohibiting unseated patrons from congregating on dance floors.
“We eagerly await a return to normalcy in the new year and the ability to once again dance the night away with each other,” the bar shared via social media. “Until that time, we need to take a break from weekly operations … Be safe until then.”
For more information about each city’s coronavirus response, visit StPete.org/COVID-19 and Tampa.gov/COVID-19.
