TAMPA BAY, Fla. — For the seventh year in a row, the cities of St. Petersburg and Orlando have received a perfect score of 100 from the Municipal Equality Index, a measurement of the city’s commitment to supporting its LGBTQ+ community. Not to be outdone, Tampa also nailed a perfect score this year, its third in a row.

Every year, LGBTQ+ advocacy organization the Human Rights Campaign grades cities and towns nationwide on their inclusivity via the MEI, taking metrics like municipal services, employment and law enforcement. In 2020, more than 500 cities were ranked, with 94 achieving a perfect score—the most in MEI history, which goes back nearly a decade.

“St. Petersburg continues to demonstrate its commitment to equality for the LGBTQ community and for all that live in our amazing city, we are proud to work alongside our corporate partners and statewide municipalities as we embrace equality,” said St. Pete’s LGBTQ Liason, Jim Nixon, in a press release responding to the news. “It is not only the right thing to do, it helps businesses and economies thrive."

"We are incredibly proud to have received a perfect score for the seventh year in a row,” added St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman. “It is a reflection of our values and policy advancements and serves as a vital message point for us when recruiting people and businesses to our city.”

Bay area urban communities are well-known for their inclusiveness; the annual St. Pete Pride festival is recognized as the largest in the Southeast, and in April of 2019 Tampa elected its first openly gay mayor, former Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor.

Three other Florida municipalities—Tallahassee, Fort Lauderdale and another Broward County city, Wilton Manors—also received perfect MEI scores.