DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — From street renaming to Pride banners and rainbow-colored pyramids, the discussion over how Delray Beach highlights its LGBTQ+ community following the removal of the Pride intersection is well underway.
“If we’re bringing unity, shouldn’t somebody with a different opinion be allowed to express that opinion?” said resident Caryl Fiorino.
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Some residents are split on the matter.
“There are other solutions, and I think them using taxpayer dollars that could potentially go toward a monument, which segregates the rest of us that don’t necessarily live by the lifestyle,” Fiorino said.
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Fiorino has lived in Delray Beach for more than two decades. She shared her concerns about the Delray Pride Project, saying that while she supports inclusion, she doesn’t believe the city should be required to fund or maintain a public Pride display.
City leaders have taken the idea to the public, starting with meetings and workshops this month. Delray Beach Mayor Tom Carney said no final decision has been made.
“We don’t know what it’s going to look like, but we’re continuing the process,” Carney said.
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“There are groups that think that it should be funded by the city, there are groups that think that it should be funded by private money—and by the way, my meetings with the LGBTQ community, they offered, they said we can do this privately,” he said.
The 2021 Pride intersection was funded through private donations. For now, there’s no decision on who will pay for the new Pride project. Carney said the city will continue gathering community input.
“To the extent that I can get private funds to do something, that’s gonna be where I think we should go, because I think taxpayer money should be saved in any place I can save it,” Carney said.
A public workshop to continue the discussions is scheduled for Oct. 14.
