Federal judge rules Naples Pride's lawsuit against city of Naples can proceed

NAPLES, Fla. —

A federal judge has ruled that a lawsuit filed by Naples Pride against the city of Naples is allowed to proceed.

On Tuesday, a senior United States district judge denied the city of Naples' motion to dismiss the First Amendment lawsuit brought against it.

In part, the judge dismissed the lawsuit against individual council members and the Naples Police Department, but ruled that it can move forward against the city of Naples.

The lawsuit was brought by Naples Pride, a nonprofit that supports the LGBTQ+ community in Southwest Florida, after the city forced the organization's annual Pridefest drag show indoors.

Naples Pride filed the lawsuit in April 2025 after the city imposed restrictions on Naples Pride's annual events, including the drag show.

"The Court's thoughtful opinion makes clear that contrived 'public safety' concerns are not an excuse to discriminate against viewpoints the City doesn't like," said Jonah Knobler, counsel for Naples Pride and a partner at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP. "We welcome this decision and look forward to the next phase of this case, where we expect to uncover and present even more evidence of the City's unconstitutional conduct."

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