Nation’s longest-running MLK Parade will not lose funding

A new organizer, budget crunch and state auditors will not, at least for now, affect St. Petersburg’s support for its storied Martin Luther King (MLK) Parade. 

Councilmember Gina Driscoll caused a community stir when she broached the topic at a July 31 budget meeting. She questioned why the annual event’s allocation was now $230,000 when the St. Pete Pride Parade, which is “also hurting,” will receive $150,000 worth of city services and no cash subsidy. 

Driscoll then pulled a consent agenda item – typically a blanket vote – on a three-year, $690,000 contract with the MLK Parade’s new organizer for a discussion Thursday. A nearly 50-minute, ardent debate ensued.

“The information that we have about this year’s parade does not add up,” Driscoll said. “I asked one question: Why are we increasing it over last year at a time when we’re crying poor? 

“Do not turn this into a shell game.” 

The nation’s longest-running MLK Day parade is also one of the largest.

St. Petersburg’s annual MLK Parade began in 1986 and is now the nation’s longest-running such event. Chief Equity Officer George Smith said it represents a “significant piece of civil rights history.”

What began as a grassroots celebration has grown exponentially. Advantage Village Academy (AVA) began overseeing the parade in 2017 and rebranded it into the MLK Dream Big Weekend.

At the July 31 meeting, Driscoll noted that AVA received $35,000 from the city until 2018. She then requested an increase to $50,000, and the amount doubled to $100,000 in 2023. 

The council subsequently approved another raise to $150,000. However, Mayor Ken Welch’s administration appropriated another $80,000 not included in the previous budget to secure a “marquee band” – Florida A&M University’s renowned Marching 100. 

The topic simmered on social media and local radio stations for a week. Public speakers offered their thoughts long before council members eventually approved a new $690,000 contract with Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival Inc. in a 6-1 vote. 

“This is not about who deserves more – it’s about honoring truth,” said Esther Sanni, president of the city’s NAACP chapter. “We can support the LGBTQ community and uplift the legacy of Black leaders without pitting one struggle against the other.” 

Trevor Mallory has worked with the previous parade organizers for nine years. He and others expressed concern for the event’s fate as the Florida Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – known for its adversarial attitude toward anything that promotes diversity, equity and inclusion – will audit St. Petersburg’s budget next week. 

“I do believe the Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival and its staff are qualified to continue this parade,” Mallory said. “But I know the sleepless nights that it takes, and for us to already be in August, and I’m seeing all these cancellations … it already operates in the red, at $296,000 last year.” 

The mayoral administration allocated $80,000 to Florida A&M University’s renowned Marching 100 band last year.

Councilmember Deborah Figgs-Sanders agreed that stakeholders are “really behind the gun as far as timing is concerned.” She does not know, and no one else said, why AVA decided not to pursue a new contract.

Figgs-Sanders acknowledged the need to explore budget cuts, but said the city supports initiatives with less impact and relevance than the parade. “Why all of a sudden, now, do we want to pull funds from the MLK Parade?”

“I understand that we’re looking at DOGE, but one thing I don’t want us to do is operate in fear,” Figgs-Sanders said. “We can continue to support the man who brought us to this point of not walking in fear.” 

Driscoll, who supports the parade and its intent, said the administration should “hold off” on allocating $80,000 for a band. The amount includes buses, lodgings and food. 

City Administrator Rob Gerdes said the preeminent Historic Black College and University (HBCU) band “really increased the activity and the vibrancy and the interest in the parade.”

Driscoll noted that fire rescue personnel lack $325,000 in bunker gear.

“When you guys come back and tell us that we can’t afford this, we can’t afford that, these are the kinds of decisions that lead to that,” she continued. “In a difficult year, you have to ask difficult questions. I strongly believe we can still have a parade that everyone is incredibly proud of … and still take care of the needs we have in our city.” 

Her colleagues on the dais did not budge. Councilmember Brandi Gabbard wondered why anyone would “nitpick” one of the nation’s most prominent MLK Parades when “there’s no increase in funding.” 

Gabbard would have preferred the item to remain on the consent agenda instead of sparking a “very divisive conversation within our community that I’ve been watching over the last week. And quite frankly, it has been, I think, an embarrassment for our city.” 

The parade will still receive $75,000 in tourist development tax funding from Pinellas County. Council Chair Copley Gerdes and Councilmembers Richie Floyd, Corey Givens Jr., Mike Harting, and Figgs-Sanders approved the city’s contract. Driscoll dissented, and Councilmember Lisset Hanewicz was absent.