ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – John Miller owns Daddies Doughnuts and Delights with his husband Jerome. The pair is excited to celebrate their first Pride Month since opening their business.

“This is our first Pride as a business so, I think it’ll be pretty good. People seem to like it so far," he said.

Nine months ago, he, his husband Jerome and their friends Josh and Joel turned weekly pastries they made during the height of pandemic into Daddies Doughnuts & Delights, a new local business.

“I have grown children, and I'm a grandpa, so it's like daddy's," John said. "It's fun, it sounds like a fun place to go.” 

And he says there's only one place they wanted to put this "fun place to go," right in the heart of St. Pete's Central Avenue business district. 

“It’s the place to do it. That’s the thing, we have not had any backlash or anything. Everyone's just so welcome, and so accepting whether they're allies or they just don't care St. Pete is just a great city like that," John continued.

According to the National LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce, there are 1.4 million LGBTQ owned businesses in the US. Locally, Saint Pete officials say LGBTQ businesses make up roughly a little more than 12% of all small businesses. It's a rough estimate, because the city is just starting to track LGBTQ on businesses this year. In addition, the city has partnered with the Tampa Bay Rays to create an LGBTQ business directory.

“So we worked to create a directory of LGBTQ businesses,” said Jim Nixon, LGBTQ Liaison to the mayor’s office. “It's part of their (The Rays) diversity and equity program. So actually have the listings actually of LGBTQ businesses on their website under the community diversity website.”

John and the other daddy co-owners plan to be added to the list, and hopefully reap the benefits from it in the near future.