Information about Gay Life in Florida! (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale/ or Other)

[matt121matt121]

I appreciate all of the information that is starting to grow in the Gayborhood thread, but with this thread I would like for you guys to help out with some more specific information in a more defined geographical area.

The main areas I'm currently interest in are:
1. Ft. Lauderdale Area
(including the areas of Weston, Coral Springs, and others [I saw those 2 cities on the best places to live list in Money magazine])
2. Miami (including South Beach, etc.)
3. Orlando (including around Disney World)
4. Open to any other areas in the State of Florida as well, so if you've got info, please pass it on.

Things I would like to know are what are some of the good nightlife hotspots, hows the social life like, events, etc.

Also please specify if you learned your information from living there, or just visiting as a tourist, as sometimes this can skew the true information.

 

[Mem]

Gay Florida Guide to business, services, discount accommodations, travel and events like Gay Days, White Party and Fantasy Fest.

On the left click on the city you want to learn more about.

 

[matt121matt121]

Thanks for the link, I'll have a look at it, but I was really hoping to get some insights on peoples personal experiences. Since I can research online till the end of time and still not learn what can be learned from first hand experience.

 

[SteveHd]

How about Belle Glade? :biggrin:

 

[B_VinylBoy]

From my extensive visits, it seems as if a lot is now going on in Fort Lauderdale. Miami will always have some kind of gay scene since they have clubs that run till 5AM on the beach (Score & Twist), plus downtown that has a block of clubs with a 24 hour liquor license. But beyond that, it seems as if housing is more affordable in Fort Lauderdale and people are flocking to it. You grab any of the weekly gay 'zines and most of the info relates to Lauderdale these days.

Plus, Lauderdale & Miami Beach aren't too far away from each other. So if you know how to drive, you can get the best of both worlds.

 

[Randll86]

I am str8 so I can't really speak on the subject, but I have a few gay friends that live in st pete as do I, and they really like it here.

 

[gymfresh]

Ft Lauderdale is still pretty gay-friendly, despite having a homophobic jerk for mayor (Naugle is on his way out). The town of Wilton Manors, directly north of central Ft Lauderdale, is very, very pro-gay (city council, etc.). It's the Southeast's equivalent of West Hollywood. Lauderdale has numerous clothing optional guest houses and resorts for men visiting the area, as good a place as any for LPSG research. :wink: When I was checking the area out to buy a home, I actually stayed a couple of times at a nude-at-all-times B&B.

Ft Lauderdale is also very water-friendly, with year-round boating, scuba and swimming and it's the home of the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

I've been going there every few weeks for the past 6 years and will be moving there next month, from San Francisco.

There is plenty of gay life in many of Florida's larger cities, including Miami, Miami Beach (a completely separate city from Miami), Orlando and Tampa. Less so in Jacksonville, though the student populations of Tallahassee and Gainesville add a progressive element there. Badpuppy Enterprises is based in Cocoa Beach, near Orlando, and sponsors events in that area. Key West is no longer the predominantly gay party town it once was, though their live-and-let-live attitude does attract a lot of gay visitors and residents. Hella expensive to live there, though, and isolated.

Florida is an odd state for lesbians and gay men. On the one hand, the state is overtly hedonistic, largely due to geography and weather. But there is a strong religious, uptight element -- FL is the only state to explicitly ban adoptions by gay men and lesbians -- that makes gay life there seem like it's always on borrowed time. Even if it is extensive. Locals say there is a line across the state that largely approximates US Interstate 4 (I-4) that divides the conservative north from the progressive south, though that generalizes too much. Gainesville in the north is more progressive, say, than Naples in the south.

Feel free to send me a PM if you have specific questions.

 

[matt121matt121]

Just thought I'd give an update to say that last Nov, I decided to move to the Fort Lauderdale area, and have been living here since about January...

Still need to check out more of the gay scene though...