Gay Friendly St Petersburg Gays find hospitable haven in Pinellas Gay residents in Tampa cite the sense of community for going to St. Petersburg to socialize. By RICK GERSHMAN Published April 16, 2006 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mark Bias and his partner live in South Tampa, but they work and - for the most part - socialize in St. Petersburg. They're among many gay Tampa residents who find themselves more comfortable these days on the Pinellas side of the bay. "To us, there is no feel of a gay and lesbian community left in South Tampa," Bias said. He and his male partner, Carrie West, have lived in South Tampa's Hyde Park area since 1988. Over the years, they've watched many friends head across the bay. "At one time, nine gay families lived on our block, and today there are only three gay families left," Bias said. Several gay residents said South Tampa seems to have less to offer, and St. Petersburg has a stronger sense of community. Bias said South Tampa used to have numerous gay-themed businesses, including Bias and West's gay film and novelties store, MC Film Festival, at Kennedy Boulevard and Himes Avenue. Today, he said, they are all gone. Years ago, the couple moved the business to St. Petersburg, where it now has two locations. One is in the Suncoast Resort, an all-gay resort and entertainment complex on 34th Street S. The other is in the Grand Central District along Central Avenue, an area that has developed a large number of gay-owned and gay-oriented businesses in recent years. Part of the reason, Bias said, is the Hillsborough County Commission's vote to ban any official recognition of gay pride. Commissioner Ronda Storms proposed the ban after viewing a library display. "Since Ronda Storms and (the commission) have made all gay and lesbian people and their families and friends feel unwelcome in the whole county, we have seen a huge increase in people moving to St. Pete," Bias said. Here, he said, "we feel welcomed as a vibrant part of the community." Jeff Rey, 25, was born in Dunedin. He lives in St. Petersburg and is the activities director at the St. Petersburg Metro Center, a community center for gays and lesbians. About South Tampa's gay scene, Rey said, "If you compare it to five years ago, or 10 years ago, it's definitely not what it was. And I think that's also because St. Pete became a little bit more unified." Rey said Pinellas County has more gay-themed stores and neighborhood bars, which offer a greater sense of community. "We also have the advantage of having Suncoast (Resort), where you can go during the daytime, or on the weekends, and you go to the tiki bar," he said. "In Tampa, there's really not anything like that." But Rey has been impressed by a spike of activity from gays and their straight friends in response to the headline-grabbing issues. Such events tend to unify communities, he said. "The stuff that's happening in Hillsborough, I think it's complacency that got Tampa to this point," he said. "But what's happened with Ronda Storms, what's happened with the gay-straight alliances, it's reminding people to get out there." There are several reasons why St. Petersburg has attracted the gay community from South Tampa in recent years, said Brian Longstreth, a Realtor who is gay. "Hyde Park wasn't that great 20 years ago when the gays started moving in," Longstreth said. "They also took risks on opening gay-owned businesses there. When the area starting attracting more families, the chain stores started to follow, driving up rents and changing the demographics. "In St. Petersburg, it's not really one neighborhood (that) is considered gay friendly. There are many with different styles, price ranges and character." The most recent St. Pete Pride festival drew a crowd of more than 35,000, making it the largest pride celebration in Florida, Longstreth said.Rick Gershman can be reached at rgershman@sptimes.com or 813 226-3431. His blog, The Ill Literate, is at www.sptimes.com/blogs/tampaa