Valerie Smith, Author at Creative Loafing Tampa

A close-up photograph of Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister marching in the Tampa Pride 2025 parade. Chronister, with short-cropped dark hair and a smile, is wearing the official white HCSO command staff uniform shirt with a black tie and a gold six-pointed star badge. To the left, another deputy in a white uniform holds purple and gold beads. The background shows the historic streets of Ybor City with crowds of spectators, a 'STOP' sign, and bright, direct sunlight casting sharp shadows.

Speed camera company’s $10K donation to Chad Chronister PAC prompts call for independent review

RedSpeed has since made millions in revenue from the government contract.

by Valerie Smith and Colin Wolf April 21, 2026April 22, 2026

A local judicial officer is calling for an independent review of Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister, after a speed camera company donated $10,000 to his political committee shortly after receiving a large government contract. On Nov. 19, 2024, Chronister announced a new initiative that would see thousands of speed cameras installed in schools across Hillsborough […]

A group of six diverse women pose for a selfie in a sunny outdoor patio area. The woman taking the photo has curly dark hair and extensive arm and chest tattoos, wearing a black bikini top and sunglasses. Behind her, friends smile and pose—one sticking her tongue out playfully and another in a blue ruffled top. In the background, stacks of pink and black trucker hats with "LUV HER" and "LICK" branding are visible on a table.

St. Pete Pride has acquired Sapphic St. Pete event series

The next Sapphic St. Pete will likely take place in early November of this year.

by Valerie Smith and The Sapphic Sun April 10, 2026April 12, 2026

A wide shot of the three members of the band Down From Jersey sitting on a dark green couch in a recording studio.

Music

A St. Pete city attorney is in a punk band that’s kicking off this weekend’s Gasparilla Music Festival

Down From Jersey plays a 3 p.m. set on the Sparkman Wharf stage.

by Valerie Smith April 7, 2026April 7, 2026

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd speaking at a wooden lectern during a press conference in Winter Haven. The Sheriff is in a green uniform, gesturing while speaking. Professional news cameras and monitors frame the foreground, set against a backdrop of a blue curtain and various law enforcement flags.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd says some immigrants here ‘illegally’ should have a path to legal residence

The Republican Polk County sheriff said, ‘if one party or the other found the cure to the worst cancers, then the other would vote against it.’

by Valerie Smith March 17, 2026March 17, 2026

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor speaking at a podium during the State of the City address, featuring the City of Tampa official seal and Florida flag.

Immigration attorneys say Tampa mayor should ‘stand up’ for residents in wake of removal threat

If Castor challenges the removal, argues one attorney, she could help set precedent for the entire state and force courts to define ambiguous language in statute.

by Valerie Smith March 16, 2026March 16, 2026

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor speaking at a podium during a press conference, flanked by five Tampa Police Department officers in uniform in front of the City of Tampa Florida seal.

DeSantis Administration threatens to remove Tampa mayor from office over alleged ‘sanctuary’ policies at TPD

If Castor is removed before her term is up in May of next year, then the Tampa City Council Chair would become acting mayor, which is currently District 1’s Alan Clendenin.

by Valerie Smith March 11, 2026March 11, 2026

A colorful traditional Chinese dragon puppet on display at a fair hosted by the St. Petersburg International Folk Fair Society (SPIFFS). The large red and yellow dragon features a red pearl in its mouth and is positioned next to a decorative red lantern on a bamboo pole in an outdoor grassy field.

Arts & Entertainment

St. Pete’s SPIFFS festival raises a glass to immigrants, year-after-year: ‘We are celebrating what they added to the fabric of our country’

The 50th St. Petersburg International Folk Fair happens this weekend in Pinellas Park.

by Valerie Smith March 2, 2026March 2, 2026

Close-up of Axon police body cameras in a charging dock as a person places one unit into the station, highlighting law enforcement video and audio recording equipment.

Hillsborough sheriff deputies can now use controversial Axon AI for some reports

Electronic Frontier Foundation says ‘Axon’s Draft One Is Designed to Defy Transparency.’

by Valerie Smith February 26, 2026February 27, 2026

A pair of partygoers at a Her Way event. Two people pose arm-in-arm at a dimly lit party illuminated by purple club lights. The person on the left wears a white bandana and a blue Edmonton Oilers hockey jersey. The person on the right wears red rectangular sunglasses, a blue Denver Nuggets basketball jersey, and a white pleated skirt. Their blonde locs are styled with colorful hair clips. Other patrons and part of a hookah pipe are visible in the blurred background.

Arts & Entertainment

Her Way celebrates Tampa Bay’s Black millennial sapphics

And they’re throwing a sexy Galentine’s R&B party in Tampa this weekend.

by Valerie Smith and The Sapphic Sun February 24, 2026February 24, 2026

Pinellas County law enforcement monitoring a public protest outside a U.S. Customs and Border Protection recruitment event in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Pinellas police chiefs signed ICE agreements following sheriff’s ‘removal’ warning, records show

PCSO’s Bob Gualtieri told all Pinellas police chiefs, ‘the consequences for not doing so include removal from office by the Governor, including his power to remove police chiefs.’

by Valerie Smith February 17, 2026February 17, 2026

A person with long brown hair stands at a street corner, speaking into a handheld microphone while wearing sunglasses and a tan cardigan. They are surrounded by several other people holding protest signs that read "RATE HIKES AREN'T INEVITABLE," "TAKE BACK THE GRID," and "PUBLIC POWER CAN'T BE BEAT." The background shows a sunny city street with palm trees and a red emergency vehicle in the distance.

Dump Duke says public power is cheaper, more reliable, than what St. Pete is getting now

The group held a Jan. 28 press conference alongside other community action groups.

by Valerie Smith February 4, 2026February 4, 2026

In Pinellas, a dark money-funded ‘Energy Alliance’ is working against the push for publicly-owned electricity

Incorporation paperwork for Pinellas Energy Alliance says the group is organized to represent the interests of electric utility companies

by Valerie Smith February 4, 2026February 4, 2026

A person with curly brown hair and glasses sits in a blue chair, speaking into a black handheld microphone. They are wearing a dark navy blazer over a white patterned button-down shirt, captured in a candid moment during a panel or presentation with a white wall and a blue television screen in the background.

Public defender to bring services directly to Tampa residents with ‘PD13 Street Legal’

Lisa McLean, will bring her office and more to the University Community Resource Center from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. on Feb. 21.

by Valerie Smith January 31, 2026January 31, 2026

n a crowded parking lot at night, an individual with long curly hair and a black shirt speaks with a law enforcement officer wearing a white uniform and a "Hillsborough County Sheriff" patch. In the foreground, another person stands with their back to the camera wearing a grey t-shirt featuring a graphic of the Dome of the Rock and the word "PALESTINE."

Vigil for Tampa man killed in West Bank interrupted by Christian content creators [PHOTOS]

One content creator who heckled families created a fundraiser for himself.

by Valerie Smith January 20, 2026January 20, 2026

A crowd of people hold protest signs and a large banner reading “MICRO PENIS” during an outdoor demonstration, with a law enforcement officer standing nearby.

Photos: Protestors picket Border Patrol recruitment at St. Pete Carillon Hilton

About 100 protestors chanted and held signs to air their grievances with the agency and the hotel hosting the event.

by Valerie Smith January 16, 2026January 16, 2026

Law enforcement officers wearing tactical vests stand near a Hilton Carillon Park sign during an outdoor event, with people and protest signage visible in the background.

At St. Pete recruitment event, Border Patrol rep touts qualified immunity and early retirement

Inside the Jan. 13 event at the Carillon Park Hilton.

by Valerie Smith January 16, 2026January 19, 2026

A high-contrast shot of law enforcement at a public doorway. Agent Greg Bovino is the central focus, looking toward the side with a serious expression, equipped with a body camera and tactical gear. The scene includes a "Circle K" storefront sign in the background and a person in a camo face mask.

Border Patrol to hold recruiting event at St. Pete Hilton, despite activist pressure

The event is part of a nationwide effort to add agents for CPB, a group with a reputation for aggressive and violent immigration enforcement tactics.

by Valerie Smith January 12, 2026January 12, 2026

A professional portrait of an individual with a bald head and a full beard, wearing square-rimmed tortoiseshell glasses and teal-colored medical scrubs. The person is smiling and looking directly at the camera.

Hillsborough County Commission candidate Neil Manimala talks transit, compassion, bipartisanship and Wawa coffee

He’s hoping to block Donna Cameron Cepeda, a Republican elected in 2022, from re-election in District 5.

by Valerie Smith December 6, 2025December 6, 2025

In Tampa, Ruth’s List trains the next wave of women candidates

Naya Young’s big win could be a sign of more to come, the organization hopes.

by Valerie Smith December 2, 2025December 2, 2025

At USF Tampa, Christian supremacist content creators mock, spit, and wave bacon at praying Muslim students

In Florida, maliciously disturbing a religious gathering is a first-degree misdemeanor, or a third-degree felony with hate crime enhancement.

by Valerie Smith November 20, 2025November 20, 2025