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Residents urge Naples council to deny drag show permit for Cambier Park; council hears public safety and values concerns
Summary
Dozens of residents spoke during public comment urging the city to deny a special‑event permit for an upcoming Pride/drag entertainment event at Cambier Park, arguing it is inappropriate for an all‑ages park; the council did not take a vote during the workshop but heard a broad set of views and legal references from many speakers.
Dozens of residents on Jan. 13 urged the Naples City Council to deny a special event permit that would allow a Pride‑related event including a drag performance to be staged at Cambier Park with all‑ages access.
Public commentators — including teachers, nonprofit leaders, grandparents and long‑time residents — characterized the planned drag entertainment as inappropriate for a public park where children may attend. Speakers referenced the city's special event permit manual and a Florida statute (Florida Statute 800.047) in urging the council to deny the permit; speakers also urged the council to interpret the city's permit rules as limiting events that the speakers said would be sexually explicit or targeted at minors. Several speakers described prior events outside city limits they said they found objectionable and asked the council to refuse to repeat that experience.
Others in the audience framed their objections as moral or religious, while some speakers said the event organizers came from outside the city and that the city should prioritize local concerns. A few publicly voiced support for protecting children or stated that events that might be considered adult‑oriented should be kept at adults‑only venues.
Council members did not take action on the item during the Jan. 13 workshop; at several points staff clarified the permit process and that the event currently on the county calendar went through a county permit process. Councilmembers asked questions about the scope of the permit review, applicable ordinance and the city manager's discretion under the special event permit manual.
City staff and the mayor reiterated the council's pledge of civility and said public‑comment views will be part of the record when the permit is considered under the normal review process. No formal votes or decisions were recorded at the workshop; the matter remains subject to the city's special event permitting process and any required approvals.
