EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated with comment from Pride Holdings Group.
TAMPA | Johnsons Tampa is facing eviction after Pride Holdings Group, Inc. began operating the business last year, the venue’s landlord charges in a lawsuit seeking over $50,000.
GO Investment Holdings, LLC filed its complaint for eviction and damages July 9 in Hillsborough County. Pride Holdings Group, Johnsons, Albert Whitehead and James M. Colunga are named as defendants and summons were issued July 20.
The lawsuit lists Whitehead and Colunga as guarantors of the Johnsons Tampa lease, an agreement that was entered in 2023. GO Investment Holdings advises they agreed to its the terms, which required payment of “basic rent, taxes, insurance, additional rent and other charges” they say aren’t being met.
The landlord notes that “around August 2025” Pride Holdings Group “allegedly purchased the assets, including the leasehold interest at issue.”
“Landlord was not notified of the purchase, nor did Landlord approve the assignment,” the lawsuit notes. “Regardless, Pride has been operating the business at the Premises and purportedly controls the property at issue (albeit without paying rent).”
Pride Holdings Group is an Orlando-based and publicly traded company. Formerly known as Parliament House Enterprises Inc., its website says it is “focused on acquiring, developing, and operating hospitality, entertainment, and lifestyle assets that serve the global LGBTQ+ community and its allies.”
In addition to Johnsons brand, which includes its flagship in Fort Lauderdale, Pride Holdings Group has also acquired the city’s Aquaplex and The Birdcage Cabaret in Key West. Both locations are closing, Out South Florida reported.
The South Florida Sun Sentinel also reported the group’s Lucky’s Bar & Nightclub, formerly located in West Palm Beach, closed earlier this year.
In Tampa, GO Investment Holdings says Johnsons entered a June 2026 default in the amount of $7,724.87. Their lawsuit also charges that “the Tenant Defendants had separately defaulted under the Lease on at least four occasions during the preceding twelve months.”
As of the filing, they note Johnsons Tampa remains in default, having “also failed to pay rent in July 2026.” The lawsuit advises the venue is “wrongfully withhold[ing] possession of the Leased Premises from Landlord.”
Watermark Out News reached out to Pride Holdings Group for comment. Joshua Cooper, who was appointed the company’s Head of Acquisitions earlier this year, acknowledged the request but did not respond to multiple editorial inquiries prior to this story’s original publication.
Following publication, Cooper, now the group’s director of operations, contacted Watermark Out News to advise Johnsons Tampa has now paid rent through July.
Cooper says attorneys representing the venue’s landlord initially wanted Johnsons Tampa to vacate immediately or to pay six months rent in advance. He advises Pride Holdings Group is “waiting to receive” documentation that “gives us until the middle of January to vacate, which is actually very agreeable to us because the landlord does not maintain the building and it’s quite expensive repairing a building that … was not taken care of prior to the tenancy.”
Once the agreement is signed, he advises, Johnsons Tampa will pay rent for August. Cooper says “the issues of payment arose from the fact that we had two CFOs that were dismissed from the company prior and information was not properly handed over to be able to actually make the rent payments.”
Cooper advises further that by the time Johnsons Tampa vacates its current location “we’ll have another location established” in the Tampa Bay region.
Watermark Out News reached out to Bajo, Cohen and Agliano, the firm representing GO Investment Holdings, for comment. This story will be updated should it be received.
Following the lawsuit, on July 21, Pride Holdings Group announced the retirement of former CEO Michael Barrett.
“As part of his retirement and commitment to enhancing long-term shareholder value, Mr. Barrett has voluntarily returned more than 20% of the Company’s common stock to the corporate treasury,” the group shared in a press release. “The Board believes this action reflects his confidence in the Company’s future and his desire to strengthen Pride Holdings Group for the benefit of all shareholders.”
Pride Holdings Group also noted in its release that its leadership is “focused on executing its strategic growth initiatives throughout the remainder of 2026.”
“The Company is actively evaluating and advancing a pipeline of acquisition opportunities designed to expand its portfolio and strengthen long-term shareholder value,” they noted. “Management expects to announce several acquisitions over the coming weeks and months as transactions are finalized.”
Johnsons Tampa, meanwhile, shared July 22 that “we aren’t going anywhere!” On social media, the venue noted “Johnson’s is here to stay! Thanks everyone for the years of support!! Stay tuned for some exciting announcements!” View a screenshot below.
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