Several Florida cities were named in a list of pro-equality municipalities released by the Municipal Equality Index in late November. Among those, Orlando scored the highest with Tampa coming in third. Second place went to Miami and Jacksonville came in a distant last.
The report is compiled by the Human Rights Campaign in collaboration with state organizers, the Equality Federation and the Victory Fund and includes analysis by Equality Florida’s Executive Director Nadine Smith on the game changing impact of local laws that include and protect LGBT equality. Smith praised the release of the study as an important tool in challenging cities to do better.
“As cities compete for jobs and talent, their commitment to equality and fairness are increasingly deciding factors,” said Smith. “This equality report card is a great way to let cities know what it takes to lead and what they risk by falling behind.”
The MEI rates cities based on 47 criteria falling under six broad categories: Non-discrimination laws; Relationship recognition; The municipality’s employment practices; Inclusiveness of city services; Law enforcement; and Municipal leadership.
The highest score possible is a 100. Orlando landed 77 points and Tampa scored a 66. St. Petersburg earned 46 points – which is the same score as Tallahassee, the state capital. Jacksonville was given a score of 15.
In all, 11 cities were highlighted and they were chosen based on the high numbers of LGBTs living within them according to the 2010 census.
The exclusion of some Florida cities did not rest well with some LGBT activists in the Sunshine State.
In fact, Judge Rand Hoch, the founder of the Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, immediately contacted HRC upon the release of the report to ask why Lake Worth, West Palm Beach and other Palm Beach County cities were excluded.
“A prompt response from your office will preclude us from urging our supporters to refrain from making end-of-the-year contributions to your organization,” Hoch wrote in an email to HRC. “After 24 years doing LGBT advocacy in Florida, we have a lot of supporters.
After his signature, Hoch included a link to a history of proactive LGBT legislation in the county dating back to 1988.
The full report, including long form scorecards of every city included in the study, is available at HRC.org/MEI.
