Creative Loafing Tampa Bay

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Tampa Mayor Jane Castor launches re-election campaign today

More than half of Castor's election PAC is funded by development interests.

By Justin Garcia

Nov 28, 2022

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor will file for re-election today at 10 a.m. according to a press release published by Florida Politics. As of now, Castor faces two opponents, Jeff Godsell and Belinda Noah, both Republicans...

Jane Castor was a longtime Republican before switching to Democrat ahead of her first bid for mayor, which she won against the late businessman and philanthropist David Straz in 2019.

Chris Ponte’s highly-anticipated new restaurant, Ponte Modern American, now open at Midtown Tampa

Make your reservations ASAP.

By Kyla Fields

Chris Ponte’s highly-anticipated new restaurant, Ponte Modern American, now open at Midtown Tampa

Lyle Lovett's acoustic band is playing two nights in Clearwater this spring

He's at the Cap in February and March.

By Ray Roa

Lyle Lovett's acoustic band is playing two nights in Clearwater this spring

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@ Anecdote Brewing Co.

Through Dec. 18, 11 a.m.

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Dunkin' Donuts giving away free coffee to Florida residents on Tuesday following Hurricanes Ian, Nicole

By Valerie Galarza

Dunkin’ giving free coffee on Giving Tuesday to Floridians.

Actually, guns do kill people

By Jeffrey C. Billman

Transgender Day of Remembrance in Tampa, Florida on Nov. 20, 2022.

The Who's Roger Daltrey is playing Clearwater next year

By Ray Roa

The Who plays Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida on April 27, 2022.

Native American charged with misdemeanor after protesting Tampa's Columbus statue

By Justin Garcia

Tampa's Columbus Statue was splashed with fake blood during a protest in October.

'Racism is alive and well in Jacksonville': Confederate banner stokes controversy ahead of Jaguars game

By A.G. Gancarski and Florida Politics

'Racism is alive and well in Jacksonville': Confederate banner stokes controversy ahead of Jaguars game

Judge rejects Moms for Liberty lawsuit against Florida school board

By Jim Saunders and News Service of Florida

A protester outside of the Moms For Liberty summit in downtown Tampa last July.

Former 'All Night Jazz' director Bob Seymour now hosts a show on WMNF Tampa 88.5-FM

By Justin Garcia

Bob Seymour in the studio.

It's the last day to bid on tickets for every concert coming to St. Pete's Jannus Live in 2023

By Ray Roa

Turnstile plays Jannus Live in St. Petersburg, Florida on Oct. 16, 2022.

Trending Slideshows

Photos: Busch Gardens celebrates 10 years of Christmas Town

Photos: Busch Gardens Tampa Bay celebrates 10 years of Christmas Town

Everyone we saw when Have Gun, Will Travel played a post-Thanksgiving concert in Tampa Heights

Everyone we saw when Have Gun, Will Travel played a post-Thanksgiving concert in Tampa Heights

Enchant covers St. Pete's infamous indoor baseball stadium during the offseason with millions of Christmas lights.

Photos: Enchant Christmas kicks off at St. Pete's Tropicana Field

Tampa Bay Hotel opens, 1891
When tycoon Henry Plant brought his railroad to Tampa in 1884, he found a pathetic hardscrabble town of 700 people. But in the years after the railroad connection, Tampa’s elite clamored for Plant to open a luxury hotel in his latest terminus. On Feb. 5, 1891, Plant’s Tampa Bay Hotel opened with a grand ball. At 9 that evening, the capacity crowd enjoyed an opera. Then Mayor Herman Glogowski led a grand procession to the dining room for a reception and dancing. At 11, a buffet offered oysters, fish, cold roasts, salad and desserts. The party didn’t wind down until 1 a.m.; the guests slept on couches and chairs in the lobby, as the bedrooms had not yet been furnished.
The Tampa Bay Hotel frequently made headlines, especially during the Spanish-American war when journalists and generals commiserated from the veranda’s rocking chairs. The kitchen served up lavish meals with menus written entirely in mangled French. But with a short tourist season of just four months, the hotel never really flourished. The old Tampa Bay Hotel is now home to the University of Tampa and the Henry Plant museum.

Photo via Burgert Brothers/USF

Breaking bread: A culinary history of Tampa in 10 meals

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