Hunter Vance: OASIS Owner and Founder

Beneva Fruitville

I am beyond thrilled to be honoring my dear friend Hunter Vance. He has been an integral part of the Sarasota LGBTQ community for over a decade.

I began performing as Beneva Fruitville in December 2008 and Hunter was an established dancer in the Sarasota, St. Pete and Tampa Bay area. He was always the first to say “Hi” with a genuine smile and friendly attitude. We established a strong friendship. He has often told me the story of his unexpected move from Los Angeles to Tampa, which left him homeless and broken. He found solace and comfort in the embrace of the area’s LGBTQ community and has never looked back. This is home. Many of us in the LGBTQ community are allowed to make our own families and he has done that. He has been able to create a large, loving, often dysfunctional but without a doubt there-for-one-another family.

Through the many night clubs, bars and hotspots we have all experienced over the years in this area, Hunter has been a mainstay. Specifically in Sarasota we have had Triangles, Club Heat, Alley Bar Throb, Barrel 87 and now with his very own operation Oasis, Hunter has moved through the ranks and has been there for the community at every step, especially as a voice of reason when disparate opinions emerge.

He’s also been the friendly reminder to never take life too seriously and has been fiercely protective over his chosen family. He has helped to establish a new sense of Pride in our community and his door is literally open to anyone. He works diligently to bring the Sarasota LGBTQ community together through Oasis and charitable donations and harbors a safe place for ALL people to experience the LGBTQ nightlife culture.

I am proud to work at Oasis—the only 24/7 LGBTQ+ establishment in Sarasota, but I am even more proud to call Hunter Vance my friend.

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