Leading LGBT magazine of South Florida

The Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (MDGLCC) announced this week that it will launch one of the country’s first gay Chamber-sponsored LGBT Visitors Centers in Miami Beach.

The center will be located on the first floor of the historic Old City Hall and will open April 15, 2010.

The new LGBT Visitor Center will become a welcome station with resources and community information for the 1.2 million gay and lesbian travelers who visit Miami-Dade annually, according to Steve Adkins, MDGLCC President. Adkins promises the center will also serve as a gathering place for business networking and social gatherings for the estimated 183,000 LGBT Residents who live in the Miami area.

“We envision the new Visitor Center becoming the nucleus of LGBT activity for visitors, locals and our business community,” Adkins said. “Other cities have LGBT community centers or general tourist information places, but we’re aware of no other city in the country that has a permanent, central location run by a gay Chamber that serves the needs of both LGBT and gay-friendly visitors and locals.”

Located at 1130 Washington Avenue, Old City Hall is literally at the epicenter of LGBT activity in South Beach. Steps to Ocean Drive and the beach, a few blocks south of famed Lincoln Road and right in the middle of bars, restaurants, shops and hotels, Old City Hall is easily accessible by foot, car, bus or Rollerblade. The Mediterranean Neo-Classical designed building was built in 1927 and reopened last October after a three-year, $7 million renovation by the City.

In addition to offices for the MDGLCC staff and volunteers, the 2,500 square-foot space on the first floor of Old City Hall will house a conference room that MDGLCC members, community groups and other non-profits can use for meetings or presentations. The center will also feature a computer lab where visitors can check e-mails and a resource center where visitors and locals can collect information on MDGLCC member companies, LGBT and LGBT-friendly organizations and businesses. The center will also house a lounge where people can simply hang out and meet new friends or take a break from the non-stop Miami Beach action.

“A Visitor Center of this magnitude makes perfect sense for Miami Beach,” said Adkins. “We’re arguably among the top LGBT tourist destinations in the country, if not the world, and the local LGBT community is very well-integrated into the general population, making this city one of the most progressive and accepting in the world.”

That integration makes Miami Beach unusual and provides a bigger opportunity for a Center, Adkins observed. “Unlike other cities, there are no ‘gay ghettos’ here where the LGBT community congregates, nor are there side streets lined with pride flags to indicate the few places of acceptance. Here, people freely walk Lincoln Road or Ocean Drive hand-in-hand and are warmly welcomed at shops, hotels and restaurants.”

Another benefit of the Visitor Center will be the ability to further quantify the economic impact of LGBT visitors and the community overall on the local economy. According to the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, LGBT visitors spent more than $1.7 billion throughout Miami-Dade County in 2007. Ultimately, Adkins hopes the new, high-visibility location will serve as a catalyst to bring more LGBT and LGBT-friendly businesses – and visitors – to Miami Beach.

“We really look forward to the Visitor Center being front-and-center in Miami Beach,” Adkins said.