ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — St. Pete police officers will be in full force throughout June as Pride events take over downtown. St. Pete Police Chief Anthony Holloway said his department is ready for a busy month, including any unexpected curveballs that may be thrown their way.
"As we move more toward the Pride Parade, then there'll be more conversations each and every day to just see if there are any credible threats in the Tampa Bay area. Our intel unit will also be talking to more people and will be having more contact with the organizer of pride," Holloway said.
St. Pete Pride is the biggest pride parade in the Southeast, with roughly half a million people expected to attend.
"All officers, their days are canceled for the week of pride," Holloway said. "Because we want to make sure we have enough resources available, just in case anything happens during Pride Week."
The safety and security of the events are done with help from law enforcement partners. St. Pete police work alongside Tampa police, FDLE, and federal partners. The Tampa Police Department's bomb squad is brought in and FDLE's regional intelligence center is used.
For businesses in the downtown area, their own safety planning is well underway. Greg Mikurak owns Ride 'Em Cowboy, a bar on the corner of the St. Pete Pride mural's intersection.
The rainbow street mural was recently vandalized by two separate cars.
"It's a heightened awareness for everybody. Everybody wants to feel extra protected around right now," Mikurak said.
Mikurak is hiring additional security for the Pride Festival and Parade events.
"A lot of the police department comes and they'll introduce themselves to us and make sure that we know, 'Hey, I'm the one that's normally on the block,' so that you have somebody that is a liaison that we can always deal with," Mikurak explained.
Holloway said it's working together that makes the month's events go well. Every tip his department receives is thoroughly investigated.
"Every threat, whether it is the month of Pride or any month, we still take all threats seriously, and we will investigate those. If it's during Pride Week, then we'll just make sure we try to handle this right away. Because the parade is like right around the corner," Holloway said.
Earlier this month, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security issued a warning of potential targeting of LGBTQIA events during Pride month. Chief Holloway said his department has not found any credible threats.
Malique Rankin is a general assignment reporter with 10 Tampa Bay. You can email her story ideas at mrankin@10tampabay.com and follow her Facebook, X, and Instagram pages.