With businesses pulling out left and right in North Carolina due to the state’s governor signing a bill that prohibits municipalities from protecting their LGBT citizens, a plethora of companies will now be wandering the deserts looking for a new tolerant town to call home.
Enter the mayors of St. Petersburg and Tampa.
After PayPal announced April 5 they would be canceling plans for a new operation center in Charlotte, North Carolina, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn sent a tweet inviting Dan Schulman, the President and CEO of PayPal, to relocate the center to Tampa.
Tampa is, & always will be, proud of our diverse community. We invite @paypal to open their global ops center here! https://t.co/91Xm6ZvQak
— Bob Buckhorn (@BobBuckhorn) April 5, 2016
Across the bay, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman is attempting to become mayor of the outcasts, defending those attacked with unjust fear and anger.
He took on Donald Trump last year when the presidential hopeful called for a ban on Muslims into the United States. Kriseman tweeted, banning Trump from entering St. Petersburg.
I am hereby barring Donald Trump from entering St. Petersburg until we fully understand the dangerous threat posed by all Trumps.
— Rick Kriseman (@Kriseman) December 8, 2015
This time Kriseman came to the aid of those companies refusing to do business in North Carolina with a letter he wrote for The Charlotte Observer in Charlotte, North Carolina telling them to bring those jobs to the open and inclusive St. Petersburg, Florida.
Kriseman wrote:
“As Georgia veers to avert the disaster North Carolina has inflicted upon its economy, there has never been a better time for Florida, and especially St. Petersburg, to send the message that we are welcoming, inclusive and open for business.
Today, North Carolina stands as the state with the dubious distinction of having the worst anti-LGBT legislation in the country. I hope they reverse direction for the good of the people who live and travel there. I know it does not reflect the character of the many people I know from North Carolina.
As mayor of St. Petersburg, I am sending the message to businesses looking to relocate that our community respects and protects the dignity and basic rights of all who live, work and play in our city. In fact, we have consistently received the top ranking in the Municipal Equality Index, a nationwide evaluation of municipal laws and policies.
In St. Petersburg, our Chamber of Commerce is a proud member of Florida Business for A Competitive Workforce, a coalition made up of Florida’s top employers pushing to ensure those protections exist all across our great state. The Florida Competitive Workforce act enjoys bipartisan support and the vast majority of Floridians believe nondiscrimination should be the law statewide. I supported that bill as a legislator and as mayor have ensured those protections are strong in our city.
Having witnessed the damage to the reputation and economy of other states, it is surprising to see legislatures self-inflict these injuries. Arizona’s governor vetoed similar legislation in 2014 amidst public outcry and the potential loss of major employers, sporting events and tourism dollars. Indiana held a special session to try and undo the damage of its discriminatory legislation in 2015. A study by Visit Indy found that the state lost more than $60 million in revenue because of its bill that legalized discrimination against our LGBT brothers and sisters.
It is bad enough that these bills harm LGBT people, but they are written in such a way that undermines basic protections for all. A legal analysis of the hastily crafted law reveals that the law may remove the state right to sue for discrimination based on race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex or disability.
That is not the recipe for recruiting and retaining talent. That is not the message that inspires innovation. St. Petersburg, where the sun shines on all, is open for business and eager to provide a new home where hard work, not prejudice and discrimination, determine how high you can climb.”
Nicely done Mr. Mayors!
