NGLTF takes over Florida's famed Winter Party

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force announced Friday that it will take over Florida's Winter Party and annual Recognition Dinner--significant fund-raisers for GLBT Miami-area residents. "We are honored and privileged that the Gay and Lesbian Foundation of South Florida has passed to us the responsibility of continuing, building, and safeguarding the Winter Party and the Recognition Dinner for the benefit of the Miami-Dade LGBT community," said Matt Foreman, NGLTF executive director. The Task Force is paying the foundation an undisclosed sum for the events, which will cover the foundation's outstanding obligations. The foundation expects to formally dissolve in the near future. Each year going forward, two thirds of the net proceeds of the Winter Party and Recognition Dinner will be donated to Miami-Dade LGBT organizations. GLFSF said it had entered into negotiations and reached an agreement with the Task Force because of the Task Force's long history of supporting grassroots activism and its unique connection to Miami-Dade. Last year, for example, NGLTF contributed nearly $700,000 in cash grants to state and local LGBT organizations, more than 20% its net income, an amount unmatched by any other gay organization. GLFSF, formerly the Dade Human Rights Foundation, was founded in 1995. Since then it has distributed $1.2 million in grants to organizations serving the south Florida LGBT community. One of the group's primary sources of income has been the Winter Party, held each March on Miami Beach. It attracts 4,000 participants.