In the once most accepting Sunshine State, it is legal to discriminate against gay people, for who they love. There is no statewide law that prohibits discrimination against LGBT+ which in practice means according to state law, it is legal to evict, fire, or deny them lodging, housing, or service in a shop or restaurant just for being gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.
Now, the state is no longer advertising Flrodia as a safe destination, it has removed the LGBTQ+ section from its website and will no longer produce guides aimed at people from those communities. Visit Florida CEO Dana Young said during a board meeting on 28th August "Visit Florida is a taxpayer-funded organization, and as such, Visit Florida -- our marketing strategy, our materials and our content -- must align with the state."
"Florida has always been and will continue to be a very, very welcoming state. That is evidenced by the incredible tourism numbers that we presented last week and at this board meeting, and Visit Florida is committed to continuing that message of being welcoming to everyone as we move through the next year and through the next many years in our partnership with the state of Florida."
The Republican Governor Ron DeSantis claimed not to know about the removal of the travel information to LGBT+ visitors "Our view as a state is we are the best place to visit, we're open to all, but we're not going to be segregating people by these different characteristics." DeSantis has been a staunch opponent of equality, in May 2023 he signed four bills restricting LGBT+ rights, including a measure that expanded the controversial “Don’t Say Gay” and has approved a number of other discriminatory laws. In April 2023, DeSantis signed a six-week abortion ban bill into law.
Visit Florida still has online travel guides dedicated to its African American and Hispanic heritage.