As of right now, Naples Pride says its drag show is still happening outdoors — on stage at Cambier Park — just like the federal judge ordered.
But Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier says he wants to appeal that decision.
And tomorrow, the Naples City Council is holding an emergency meeting at noon to talk about it.
Just today, a three-judge panel from the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals said Florida’s Protection of Children Act — which bans drag shows for kids — will stay blocked for now . The panel says the law is likely unconstitutional.
But Naples Pride’s attorney, Callhan Soldavini, says that decision doesn’t affect their case.
“Judge Steele stopped the city of Naples from prohibiting an all-ages drag performance in a public park,” Soldavini said. “While it’s great news that in an entirely separate case … the 11th Circuit Court affirmed a lower court’s injunction on the Florida drag ban … that is not the reason we at Naples Pride are able to move forward with performances outdoor for all ages … our lawsuit doesn’t implicate the state’s drag ban … meaning that the attorney general has no basis to intervene.”
She’s talking about a post Uthmeier made on X.
He wrote in part, “The decisions out of Fort Myers and the Eleventh Circuit panel are both radical and wrong. My office will fight aggressively and swiftly to get these bad decisions overturned.”
But Soldavini says the attorney general is essentially powerless to overturn what’s happening in Naples.
“The attorney general has no stake in our case, and his statement does nothing aside from show his hatred towards LGBTQ people,” Soldavini said.
She says only the City of Naples could choose to appeal.
This all started after a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction Monday, after Naples Pride sued the city and police department. They argued the city’s permit requiring the drag show to be indoors — and restricted to people 18 and older — violated their First Amendment right.
Naples Pride also challenged the security costs.
They paid $15,520 in 2024. This year, they were charged $44,160 to hold the drag show outdoors.
Naples police say that’s because they expect protests and will need more staffing and equipment.
But the federal judge ordered the city to go back and recalculate that fee, removing any “unlawful factors.”
That means if extra police were added solely because of anticipated protests, that cost shouldn’t fall on Naples Pride.
Whatever part of the $44,000 falls into that category, the city would have to cover it.
Naples Pride says even if the city appeals, they don’t see how the court would respond in time for Pride Fest, which is only three weeks away.
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