Leif Helland, Author at Creative Loafing Tampa

Arts & Entertainment

Cast members of Hamilton will be in Tampa next week educating young voters about November election

“If you stand for nothing then what’ll you fall for?”

by Leif Helland October 22, 2026October 22, 2026

The room where it happens is in Ybor City on Friday. That’s when Tampa’s young voters get a musical oriented lesson ahead of the midterms, which wrap on Tuesday, Nov. 3 (early voting is happening now). Lin-Manuel Miranda’s award-winning Broadway musical “Hamilton” opens this week at the Straz Center, but some of its touring cast […]

Alt-text: A news press photograph by Michael Johnson showing Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera at Tampa City Hall in Tampa, Florida on June 23, 2026. Captured in a medium shot inside an office hallway, Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera leans back against a light green wall beside door nameplates while looking toward the viewer with an expressive open-mouthed expression. He wears a white dress shirt, black-rimmed glasses, and a dark blue tie with diagonal orange stripes, set adjacent to an office doorway featuring a "LUIS VIERA TAMPA CITY COUNCILMAN" sign under bright indoor hallway lighting.

Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera is stepping down to run for State House, and now his co-workers must appoint a replacement

Applications for the appointment open on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

by Leif Helland October 21, 2026October 26, 2026

A close-up botanical photograph showing Climbing aster (Symphyotrichum carolinianum). Captured in a tight macro shot, light purple and lavender ray florets radiate around a golden-yellow and reddish-brown center disk floret. The delicate, elongated petals curve gently outward against a softly blurred green foliage background under natural daylighting.

Tampa residents can now get up to $3,000 for turning their lawns into Florida-friendly landscaping

The City of Tampa is paying people with money they collected from watering restriction fines.

by Leif Helland October 15, 2026October 15, 2026

Arts & Entertainment

‘Coraline’ filmmaker Brad Schiff headlines Tampa Animation Festival coming to downtown in November

More than 130 films are set to screen at University of Tampa.

by Leif Helland October 14, 2026October 14, 2026

A wide interior event photograph by Centro Asturiano de Tampa showing Wines of Spain at the Centro Asturiano de Tampa in Ybor City, Florida on Oct. 16, 2024. Captured from a wide angle across the polished hardwood floor of a grand ballroom, attendees stand raising wine glasses in a collective toast. In the foreground, guest figures stand beside high-top cocktail tables and tasting stations beneath crystal chandeliers and grand arched wall moldings under warm venue lighting.

Tampa Bay’s food & drink events happening October 15-22, including Wines of Spain and more

Plus A Taste of Tapeo at Golden Isles, Dunedin Seafood and Music Festival, and more.

by Leif Helland and Josh Bradley October 14, 2026October 14, 2026

A surrealist artwork crop promoting 'Microdose,' opening at Honey Gallery in Ybor City, Florida on Oct. 15, 2026. Captured in a tight square detail shot, vibrant abstract color swirls in shades of psychedelic pink, violet, electric blue, and gold merge into organic patterns with fine metallic accents. Smooth fluid textures blend together under bright overhead gallery lighting.

Arts & Entertainment, Events & Film, Tampa Bay Journalism Project

Tampa’s Honey Gallery invites guests to ‘Microdose’ at exhibition opening for Thursday’s Ybor Arts Tour

The work of Eito Ohashi and a few local artists is part of the offering at Kress Contemporary.

by Leif Helland October 14, 2026October 14, 2026

A group portrait photograph showing Tampa DSA members outside Michelle Sawyer's Antifascist Women's March Mural in Ybor City, Florida. Captured in a wide shot outdoors in bright daylight, approximately thirty group members pose together kneeling and standing in front of the building wall at 2015 E. 7th Ave. The background prominently features artist Michelle Sawyer's mural depicting three women alongside bold text reading "¡NO PASARÁN! 1937 ANTIFASCIST WOMEN'S MARCH", framed by palm trees and an Ybor City historic marker under a clear sky.

Tampa’s Democratic Socialists are canvassing, then going to a soccer game this weekend

The DSA is knocking doors for Ashley Herrmann, then kicking it at the Tampa Bay Sun match.

by Leif Helland October 6, 2026October 7, 2026

An outdoor landscape photograph by Joni Hanebutt showing A Bigfoot statue in the swamp and Skunkape Headquarters in the Florida's Everglades National Park on Dec. 3. 2023. Captured from an asphalt parking lot in front of a green wooden building with signs reading "SKUNKAPE HEADQUARTERS" and "SHEALY'S", a dark ape-like Skunk Ape statue stands on a low platform in the center foreground. Four flagpoles flying American, Florida, and state flags surround the driveway, framed by a wooden fence line, green trees, and a bright blue sky with scattered clouds.

Arts & Entertainment

Believers can track Bigfoot and the Florida Skunk Ape at the Safety Harbor Library this fall

The Mid Florida Bigfoot Research Group does an afterhours presentation at the library in October.

by Leif Helland September 30, 2026October 6, 2026

Vote Here sign on a sidewalk walkway leading to a polling place on Election Day.

Voter registration deadline for general election is October 5

Early voting for Hillsborough and Pinellas counties runs Oct. 19.-Nov. 1.

by Leif Helland September 30, 2026September 30, 2026

Aerial drone view of a modern high-tech data center facility and cloud computing infrastructure campus.

Here’s a toolkit to help Florida residents combat large-scale AI data centers

Suncoast Sierra Club wants you to be prepared to interact with local governments as AI data centers continue to be proposed across the country.

by Leif Helland September 25, 2026September 25, 2026

Community leader Fran Tate enters Tampa’s District 5 City Council race

The founder and president of the Jackson Heights Neighborhood Association wants to get infrastructure projects moving.

by Leif Helland September 18, 2026September 18, 2026

Boyd Hill Nature Preserve pine flatwoods with saw palmetto groundcover and longleaf pine trees under a clear sky in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Arts & Entertainment

St. Pete’s Boyd Hill Nature Preserve will give away 3,000 Florida native plants in November

The annual Backyard Plant Giveaway is back.

by Leif Helland September 16, 2026September 21, 2026

A high-action night photograph showing a skateboarder launching air mid-trick during the Tampa Am concrete jam at Skatepark of Tampa in Tampa, Florida on Oct. 14, 2023. Captured mid-flight above a concrete bowl ramp, the skater grabs their board while airborne against a dark night sky. Spectators line the top platform edge of the ramp on the left, while a large crowd watches from the lower viewing area surrounding the lighted concrete course in the background.

Arts & Entertainment

The legendary Tampa Am skateboarding competition returns in October

The tournament, in its 32nd year, has launched the careers of the sport’s biggest athletes.

by Leif Helland September 16, 2026September 16, 2026

Dr. Patricia Alonzo enters District 7 Tampa City Council race, seeking to fix the district’s socioeconomic disparities

Retired journalist Alan Cohn and Morris Lopez III are also in the race to replace outgoing Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera.

by Leif Helland September 10, 2026September 10, 2026

A wide indoor photograph of flamenco dancers performing in the center ballroom during the Wines of Spain event at the Centro Asturiano de Tampa in Ybor City, Florida on Oct. 16, 2024. Under grand crystal chandeliers suspended from high ceilings, dancers in vibrant red and white ruffled flamenco skirts twirl in the middle of a hardwood dance floor. Surrounding the performance floor, guests socialize around tall tasting tables and wine display stations stocked with glasses, bottles, and appetizers.

Wines of Spain returns to Ybor City, benefitting preservation at 125-year-old Centro Asturiano de Tampa

More than 50 Spanish and Mediterranean red, white, and dessert wines will be available.

by Leif Helland September 10, 2026September 10, 2026

Hillsborough County Democratic Black Caucus holds general election candidate forum next month

The forum allows residents to speak with candidates and ask questions before the upcoming general midterm election.

by Leif Helland September 9, 2026October 19, 2026

After two years of renovations, St. Pete’s Historic Manhattan Casino finally reopens

The City of St. Petersburg partnered with ASD SKY Architecture to redevelop the community-rented space.

by Leif Helland September 3, 2026September 3, 2026

Co-owner of Armature Works wants to bring a Trader Joe’s to Seminole Heights

“Rather than quietly putting up a “For Lease” sign, we wanted to ask the neighborhood what it wanted,” Harden told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.

by Leif Helland September 3, 2026September 3, 2026

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco speaking with U.S. Border Patrol agents in front of an aerial satellite map display.

Pasco Sheriff’s Office will begrudgingly end Flock, license plate detection systems

Pasco County Sheriff’s Office currently leases roughly 70 Flock cameras.

by Leif Helland August 27, 2026August 27, 2026

A wide exterior photograph showing the historic Tampa Theatre building on a brick-paved street in downtown Tampa, Florida, on August 20, 2026. Captured from across the street at a low angle, the mid-rise building features a tall vertical neon sign spelling "TAMPA" mounted along its side and an illuminated marquee marquee above the entrance overhang displaying featured movie titles. Green trees flank the street on both sides, with brick pavers curving through the foreground under an overcast sky.

Arts & Entertainment

As it wraps centennial renovations, Tampa Theatre shares details on its fall reopening

Downtown’s iconic movie house has been under renovation since March and hosts a week of parties this October.

by Leif Helland August 20, 2026August 22, 2026