DATA: See how Jacksonville ranked in the Human Rights Campaign's Municipal Equality Index
A new report shows how much progress the City of Jacksonville has made in the last decade when it comes to LGBTQ+ inclusion. Locals say they're seeing the improvements.
Still, there's more work to be done and rankings compared to other neighboring cities say the same.
According to the Human Rights Campaign's annual Municipal Equality Index (MEI) — a national review of cities' commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion — Jacksonville's laws, policies and services have earned the city a 'B' ranking, or 85 out of 100 points.
READ THE FULL STORY: Jacksonville scores "B" on LGBTQ+ inclusion report, but lower than other major Florida cities
That marks a 70 point increase compared to the city's 2012 score, or an increase of more than 400 percent. Comparably sized major cities like Tallahassee, Tampa, West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale all received perfect 100-point scores.
Still, a perfect score doesn't necessarily mean things are perfect. The score sheets are a reflection of the effort city officials are putting into proactive and inclusive policies and representation within the LGBTQ+ community. Here's a look at how the city's score has increased over the last decade.
You can read a detailed explainer on this year's score and what it means for Jacksonville here.
Here's a look at how all 20 Florida cities that were evaluated ranked in the 2021 Municipal Equality Index:
Fort Lauderdale: 100
Hollywood: 100
Oakland Park: 100
Orlando: 100
St. Pete: 100
Tallahassee: 100
Tampa: 100
Wellington: 100
West Palm Beach: 100
Wilton Manors: 100
Miami Shores: 98
Gainesville: 96
Coral Gables: 95
Miami: 89
Jacksonville: 85
Pembroke Pines: 77
Port Saint Lucie: 73
Cape Coral: 69
Hialeah: 44
Daytona Beach: 30
Emily Bloch is an education reporter for The Florida Times-Union. Follow her on Twitter or email her. Sign up for her newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: DATA: See how Jacksonville ranked in this year's Muncipal Equality Index
