Equality Florida’s Response To Amazon Bypassing Florida For New Headquarters
TALLAHASSEE — As Amazon announced locations for its new headquarters today, reports emerged that Florida’s bid was harmed by the state’s lack of LGBTQ protections.
USA Today analyzed the weaknesses of cities that did not make the cut, including Miami. The article reported, “While it's an excellent gateway to Latin America and already an international business hub, it has an underdeveloped rapid transit system and the nation's fifth-worst traffic, according to INRIX. Florida also doesn't have protections for lesbian and gay workers.”
Equality Florida Executive Director Nadine Smith issued the following statement in response:
“Equality Florida joined efforts to bring Amazon and the $5 billion in investment with 50,000 jobs to our state by highlighting the presence of local LGBTQ non-discrimination policies that protect 60% of our population. But, the reality is the patchwork quilt of municipalities with full protections next to ones with none is unacceptable. It leaves individuals vulnerable to discrimination, and it harms our efforts to draw businesses and top talent to our states. Companies and innovative entrepreneurs want diverse places that provide a good quality of life for their employees, not a roulette wheel of equality for some but not all.”
Florida lags behind 28 states and DC that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity by statute or by executive order including the cites Amazon chose: New York and Virginia.