Florida mayor, state rep argue over city's upcoming pride event

MELBOURNE, Fla. - The Mayor of Melbourne fired back after State Rep. Randy Fine said the city should pull the permit for this weekend's pride events.

Fine, a Republican, took issue with the planned "drag queen story time" event, while the mayor says the group has done nothing wrong. Melbourne's city clerk told FOX 35 News that the permit, submitted by Space Coast Pride, was done correctly and there's no plan to change it.

The pride events and parade have been going on in Melbourne for more than a decade, and for seven years, organizers say there's been a drag queen story time. Fine says it goes too far.

"The fact that this sort of sexualization happens in woke cities around the country doesn’t make it right," Fine said, "and it’s definitely not right now my community."

Fine claims the group was dishonest when filing its permit, not mentioning the story time. The city says the process mostly concerns things like police presence and street closures, not the content of the event.

Melbourne Mayor Paul Alfrey took to Facebook supporting the event and saying Fine is trying to "inflame our community." The event's organizer explained what that story time will look like.

"It’s nothing unique to us, so it’s just kind of funny to us that it’s become such a point, but it is simply drag queens which will be performing all throughout the day on different stages and will take some time and sit down and read a story," said Justin Cercone, the president of Space Coast Pride.

It's still unclear what will be read during the program.