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Florida Attorney General Subpoenas Records From Vero Beach Pride Event

His office is probing whether adult performances at a family-friendly Pride event violated the state’s embattled drag show ban currently blocked by federal courts.

FILE - Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier speaks during a meeting between Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state cabinet at the Florida capitol in Tallahassee, Fla., Wednesday, March 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, file)
Kilted Mermaid, a neighborhood craft beer and wine bar, in Vero Beach, Fla.
A protester makes a sign during a protest in San Francisco. Drag performances have because a flash point in culture wars, particularly in Florida where a local official is under investigation for possibly exposing children to a sexualized performance. File Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI
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Overview

  • The subpoena orders the Kilted Mermaid to produce guest lists, reservation logs, surveillance footage, performer contracts and staff schedules by August 8.
  • AG James Uthmeier says the June 29 Pride Tea Dance featured adult, sexualized drag performances in front of children despite being promoted as all-ages.
  • Vice Mayor Linda Moore, who co-owns the Kilted Mermaid, has declined to comment and says no specific statutes have been cited in the investigation.
  • Florida’s Protection of Children Act bars minors from “adult live performances” and carries potential fines and liquor-license penalties, but it remains blocked under a preliminary injunction.
  • The dispute over the drag show ban will return to the Middle District of Florida for a full trial on the law’s constitutionality.