TAMPA | Equality Florida held its annual Tampa Gala Nov. 22 at Armature Works, raising at least $690,000 in their fight for LGBTQ+ Floridians.
The nonprofit’s galas detail Equality Florida’s work as the state’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization. This year’s event welcomed nearly 400 people for a seated dinner service, charity auction, keynote address and other festivities.
The gala began with a VIP reception, where Steering Committee Chair Michael Womack presented regional meteorologist Andy Johnson with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Official programming began afterwards, led by area entertainers Jade Embers and Gia Banks.
The emcees thanked sponsors and introduced Equality Florida Executive Director Nadine Smith, who delivered her state-of-the-state address. She began by thanking attendees for their support before addressing the results of the 2024 election, in which Equality Florida had endorsed Kamala Harris’ bid for president.
“Once you crunch the numbers and you really look at it in the cold light of day, what is unescapable is that this was not a mandate for the extreme agenda of Donald Trump,” she shared. “He didn’t break 50% of the voters; more people didn’t vote than voted for either candidate.”
Smith called on attendees to see the nation as more than “red and blue,” noting that things are “much more complicated than that.” She then highlighted how Florida “has been the testing ground for Project 2025,” the anti-LGBTQ+ presidential transition project drafted by conservatives who Trump has already started tapping for his second administration.
“Here in Florida, when they threw everything at us, we did not back down,” Smith asserted. “Here in Florida, we found ways to stand up … and that’s our commitment as Equality Florida, in this time and in this moment. We have learned so many things about how when they tell you to hide, it is so much more important that you stand up. When they try to make you afraid, it is so much more important that you stand up for each other.”
Smith closed by vowing to stand up for LGBTQ+ Floridians, calling on others to do the same. Dr. Gary Howell, psychologist, educator, LGBTQ+ advocate and president of the Florida Psychological Association, subsequently received the evening’s Voice for Equality award.
Howell thanked organizers for the recognition and called on LGBTQ+ and ally attendees to support the transgender community. He noted they “aren’t just an invisible letter in the acronym that we throw around so easily,” stressing that they are facing “unprecedented challenges.”
For Equality Florida’s work, Howell awarded the organization with the first-ever Florida Psychological Association Presidential Citation in return. Smith accepted on the nonprofit’s behalf as Howell stressed that his organization was proud to recognize Equality Florida’s “leadership, dedication, and emotional labor, and all that you do in support of the LGBTQ+ community.”
Equality Florida Deputy Director of Development Nicholas Machuca confirmed the evening’s preliminary fundraising total of $690,000 Nov. 25. For comparison, last year’s gala set a record at with $550,000.
“Amid the challenges our state faces, this gala was more than an event — it was a declaration of hope, resilience and unstoppable progress,” he told Watermark. “The energy in the room was palpable, and the impact of that night will echo far beyond it.”
Watermark is a proud sponsor of Equality Florida’s work. View our photos from this year’s Tampa Gala below.
Photos by Dylan Todd, Ryan Williams-Jent.
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