PHOTO BY JAKE STEVENS PHOTO COURTESY ERNIE WEBB
COMMUNITY LGBTA AWARD
RECIPIENT: ERNIE WEBB “I love Ybor because it doesn’t
matter where you came from,
what you do or what your
socioeconomic status is,” Ernie Webb
says. “You can come down here and
find a fun place to have a great time.”
As one of the co-founders
and owners of the popular Ybor
hotspot Honey Pot, Webb is partly
responsible for that. This year, the
14,000-square-foot dance club
celebrated its eleventh anniversary.
Aside from his entrepreneurial
endeavors, Webb is also the director of
New Home Sales for the local Shimberg
Homes, and was the first LGBTQ
community ally to serve as the Gaybor
District Coalition’s president.
“I’m involved because I enjoy being
involved and I’ve become friends with
a lot of people in this neighborhood,”
Webb says. He adds that learning he’d
receive an award for impacting the local
community “felt amazing.”
“It was a giant honor,” he
says. “I never expected any kind of
recognition.”
GRAND COUPLE: JOHN AND
NANCY DESMOND John and Nancy Desmond are
intrinsically-tied to the Tampa Bay
LGBTQ community and to Ybor City
in particular.
The duo founded the Tampa chapter of
PFLAG in 2011 in support of their newly-out
son. In 2017, they also founded the
organization’s St. Petersburg chapter.
“What an unbelievable experience it has
been for us, two retired folks, to be a part
of the diverse, loving, and welcoming life of
the Tampa Bay LGBTQ community,” Nancy
Desmond says. “Many LGBTQ families are
uplifted and validated by Pride celebrations,
ours included.”
Many LGBTQ families are uplifted and
validated by the Desmonds as well. On most
weekends, they visibly support their gay son
(and the community) by holding up signs
encouraging tolerance and love across from
the protesters holding anti-LGBTQ signs on
Ybor City’s 7th Avenue.
“We are honored and truly humbled
to be chosen as this year’s Tampa Pride
Grand Couple,” Nancy Desmond says.
“Life is grand!”
A man of action but also brevity, John
Desmond agrees with his wife. “Ditto!”
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