SARASOTA, Fla. (WFLA) — The 'Gulfcoast Pride Festival' returned to downtown Sarasota on Saturday after the event was canceled last year due to back-to-back Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

“Can you imagine the trauma that our entire community faced– two hurricanes back to back? We all need this day to celebrate after that last hurricane season,” said Tom Edwards, executive director of Project Pride SRQ.

Though in great cheer, Edwards also pointed out what has changed from previous years.

“We’ve seen the crosswalks being removed. We’ve seen diversity and equity and inclusion programs being removed,” he said.

The Florida Department of Transportation directed the removal of all street road art over traffic safety concerns.

Federal and state policies have also put a halt to many diversity, e

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