Hillsborough County Commission
The commission inspired one of our more powerful covers in 2013 when it voted Jan. 24 4-3 to reject a domestic partnership registry that would have granted a handful of rights to unmarried couples living within Hillsborough County. The same commission, however, voted June 5 to repeal an eight-year-old ordinance that prohibited county officials from recognizing LGBT Pride celebrations. It was a one-step backward, one step forward kind of year for the controversial commission.
Pinellas County Commission passes DPR
With only one dissenting vote, the Pinellas County Commission voted overwhelmingly in favor of a countywide domestic partnership registry on Jan. 15. Newly elected commissioners helped push the majority vote, which was made after residents debated both sides of the issue for several hours. The one commissioner not in favor of granting a handful or rights to co-habiting, unmarried couples in the county was Norm Roche.
Arsonist, murder gets life sentence
Five months after he murdered two gay men and set a home ablaze in the Historic Kenwood neighborhood of St. Petersburg, Michael Scott Norris pleaded guilty to murder Feb. 25 and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Norris confessed to killing Bruce Johnson and Arthur Regula in September 2012, and setting on fire the home they were renovating to cover his crime. His guilty plea was part of a deal with prosecutors who agreed to no longer pursue the death penalty. In July, the homeowner Mitch Harrison, moved into his newly built home on the same lot.
Miss Wanda shot and killed
The two unidentified men responsible for the shooting death of popular drag performer “Miss Wanda” on May 28 took away more than a performer. They took away a mentor, mother and a friend. Tampa Police believe that Miss Wanda, whose real name was Anthony Jerome Lee, was an unintended target in a shooting at a home in the 3900 block of Genessee Street in East Tampa. Reports say Lee was in the home when he answered a knock at the door and two suspects fired their guns. Lee was rushed to Tampa General Hospital where he later died from his injuries. The case is still open.
St. Pete Pride gets wet
The 12th annual St. Pete Pride was a wet one in 2013, with record rainfall drenching the tail end of the parade and causing city officials to cancel the street festival an hour earlier than scheduled. The wet weather didn’t keep spirits damp, however, as St. Pete Pride’s crowd swelled to more than 120,000 revelers in the Grand Central District of St. Petersburg. The sun did manage to make a few appearances throughout the June 29 festival, but didn’t remain a permanent fixture until nearly 6 p.m., long after the festival and parade wrapped for the year.
