In August 2009, St. Petersburg got its gay resort back. When the Flamingo Resort opened the last weekend of August last year, the LGBT community of Tampa Bay rushed to see the newly remodeled hotel and to visit with friends many hadn’t seen in more than two years—since the Suncoast Resort closed in 2007.
The Flamingo Resort celebrates its first anniversary the weekend of Aug. 27-29 with special shows and special guests.
“For so long I felt like we didn’t have a real Florida-feeling place to enjoy in Tampa Bay,” says Cheri Lee, who was enjoying a cocktail near the Flamingo’s large pool recently. “But now we actually have a piece of Florida right here in St. Petersburg. It’s about time.”
Finding a theme
Since it opened last August, The Flamingo has evolved to meet the needs of its clientele. Resort managers David Baker and David Reinhardt have tried several themed nights—some that worked and some that didn’t—and many different themed weekends.
“It seems that the management here is paying attention to what we want,” says Flamingo regular Wes Rushing, who lives in Largo. “Every night there’s something here and when something doesn’t work, they simply try again. I think that’s what keeps the place fresh. I admire their hard work.”
With nights like its Dine with Divas on Mondays, Twist Thursdays and Outlaw Fridays, the Flamingo seems to have found a way to provide entertainment to the masses. On one particular Outlaw Friday, line dancer novice Mindy Brooks was thrilled to learn the steps to a few new dances.
“Ever since we lost Wranglers and Spurs [in Ybor City] we haven’t really had a place to enjoy country music,” Brooks says while taking a break. “This is great and I hope to become a regular here on Fridays if my work schedule allows it.”
Stellar cast
In just one year, The Flamingo Resort has created its own traditions—mostly in part to its stellar show cast.
Show director Bobby York, along with vocalist Iman, Miss Gay America 2010 Coco Montrese and T-Dance hostess Alexis De La Mer consistently pack the resort’s show bar and special guest entertainers shake up the lineup on occasion.
Typically, Friday and Saturday night shows create a standing-room only crowd that packs both bars. The antics of De La Mer have become a major attraction on Sundays, where she hosts the weekly T-Dance from 5 p.m. to dusk.
“I come to swim, mostly, but I stick around to see what she’s going to do each week,” says local resident Daniel Roth. “The games she comes up with are hilarious and she totally changes the mood from a relaxing pool day to a party atmosphere.”
A “Blu” mood
Earlier this year, the St. Petersburg City Council voted to allow bars and clubs to stay open until 3 a.m.—but the Flamingo had bigger plans. Because of zoning laws, the Flamingo is able to stay open even later and offers dancing until the wee hours of the morning—5 a.m. to be exact.
The area dubbed “The Blu Room” transforms into Club H/E, for High Energy, at 11 p.m. and house DJs and special guests spin in the club all night on Saturdays. Gay and lesbian DJs have played host at the dance party, including Alyson Calagna, who was in the DJ booth for the April Pink Party.
“It’s the only place to dance until it’s light out,” one dancer posted on Facebook recently. “I say dance all night—you can sleep all day Sunday.”
When it’s not a dance club, the Blu Room serves as a meeting space for local clubs and organizations (the Tampa Bay Bears meet there the first Friday of each month) and special shows.
In its first year, the Flamingo has played host to American Idol alum Frenchie Davis and former adult film star-turned-singer Colton Ford. It was also the venue for the Tampa Bay Leather/boy contest and the Mr. and Miss Florida Gay Rodeo Association pageant.
Creating a hub
Upon the Flamingo’s opening, resort director David Baker said he envisioned the resort becoming a hub for the local LGBT community as well as a destination place for LGBT travelers.
“We want this to be an inviting place and a respectable place,” Baker told Watermark. “We’ve put a lot of time, thought and effort into providing the LGBT community a place to come. We also want to offer a luxury resort for those visiting us from out of town or from out of the country.”
The resort still boasts 130 rentable rooms but has added several businesses poolside. David Reynolds Jewelry, Studio Mares art gallery and salon and a satellite office of the AIDS Service Association of Pinellas are just the beginning, according to Flamingo staff.
“I hope that the resort is successful,” says Lee, who added that she enjoys the Flamingo’s new happy hour 2-for-1 specials. “This is needed for the community and it’s a great place to relax or party, depending on your mood.”
