Rolling with Pride: Shuffleboard, Solidarity, and Over $10,000 Raised for Greater Pinellas

Under the warm Florida sky at the historic St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club, the courts hummed with a familiar, grounding energy: the clack of tangs against disks, basslines rolling out of the sound system, and laughter echoing across generatiohttps://instagram.com/belliesfoodtruckns. On Friday, June 12, our community gathered for the third annual Shuffle with Pride, hosted and championed by Dan Casper and The Platinum Group of Smith & Associates Real Estate.

From Safety Harbor, Clearwater, and Dunedin to the heart of South Pinellas, families, queer youth, elders, and allies packed the courts shoulder-to-shoulder. Alongside our coalition partners, including St Pete Pride (celebrating 24 years of grassroots presence), Metro Inclusive Health, Equality Florida, and representatives from the City of St. Petersburg, we witnessed what happens when community organizes not for corporate optics, but for deep, collective care.

Community Care in Action

For PFLAG Safety Harbor and Greater Pinellas, community care isn't an abstract slogan; it is the warm food placed in people's hands, the quiet rides coordinated across the county, and the unshakeable safety nets we weave for our families. As a 100% volunteer-led chapter, every single resource we steward returns directly to peer circles, mutual aid stipends, youth gatherings, and parent resources across Upper Tampa Bay and Pinellas County.

Feeding and fueling a bustling crowd takes true community solidarity, and local favorite Bellies Food Truck showed up in a big way. Rolling right onto the grounds, Bellies served up warm, hearty comfort food that kept players energized between games and volunteers fed through long evening shifts. Paired with the crowd-favorite beer frosé, their presence brought that distinct, home-cooked Florida warmth where breaking bread together anchors the entire gathering.

Across the bleachers, parents navigating a child's recent coming out sat with seasoned trans advocates, swapping advice, sharing laughs, and sharing a meal. These unscripted, shared moments are where real peer support lives.

As PFLAG Safety Harbor Founder and President Wendy Vernon shared:

“For the past three years, Shuffle with Pride has brought our community together for a night of joy, celebration, and connection. We are incredibly grateful to Dan Casper for his commitment to making this event happen year after year and for creating a space where people feel welcomed, seen, and celebrated. As a 100% volunteer-led organization, every dollar raised goes directly back into the community through community dinners, events, mutual aid, and programs supporting LGBTQ+ individuals and families throughout Greater Pinellas.”

Speaking Up / Showing Up

When the final receipts and raffle tickets were tallied, our community’s generosity broke records: over $10,000 was raised in a single evening, carrying our three-year total past the $25,000 milestone.

The momentum behind this gathering also earned Shuffle with Pride a nomination for Best Pride Event in Creative Loafing’s Best of the Bay, reflecting the deep grassroots love this tournament has garnered across the Tampa Bay area.

Civic leaders rolled up their sleeves and joined the front lines. St. Petersburg City Councilmember and mayoral candidate Brandi Gabbard spent the evening volunteering on the ground, assisting guests and coordinating court access alongside chapter leaders.

Host Dan Casper of The Platinum Group reflected on what the night meant:

“When we sat down four years ago and started talking about doing an event at St. Pete Shuffle for Pride, we all agreed that the emphasis had to be about the community. It needed to be a celebration of the people that make our city so great. I know I found myself more than once standing off to the side and taking in all the love and joy that was emanating from those in attendance. It was a humbling experience to be able to say we created a space that filled so many people with joy, happiness, and Pride.”

Yet our queer joy in Florida is never detached from shared vigilance, memory, and resistance. June 12 marked exactly ten years since the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. Amid the energetic matches and music, our community held sacred space for remembrance. Arranged across a quiet row of clubhouse seats was a memorial bearing the names of the 49 lives taken in 2016, surrounded by flowers and a clear promise: Today and every day, we honor their memory. We celebrate and play because our community deserves to live out loud, without fear.

Looking Ahead: Grounded, Resilient, and Unshakable

In a climate where state-level politics continuously target LGBTQ+ youth and families, events like Shuffle with Pride remind us that our roots in Pinellas run deeper than any hostile legislation. We do not hide; we gather, we feed each other, and we protect one another.

Every dollar raised through this event directly sustains our year-round work: peer-led parent and youth circles, neurodivergent-affirming community art nights, emergency family mutual aid funds, and allyship workshops across the county.

We extend our deep gratitude to Dan Casper, The Platinum Group, Smith & Associates Real Estate, Bellies Food Truck, photographer Ryan Williams-Jent, our tireless volunteers, and every neighbor who picked up a shuffleboard cue.

Join Us at the Table

Whether you are looking for peer support, want to volunteer, or need a safe, affirming space for your family:

• Explore Upcoming Gatherings: Visit our Events Page for dates on monthly peer circles, youth spaces, and family potlucks.

• Get Involved: Reach out to learn more about grassroots volunteer and mutual aid opportunities.

Photo credit: Ryan Williams-Jent https://watermarkoutnews.com/2026/06/16/photos-shuffle-with-pride-raises-over-10k-for-pflag-safety-harbor