Comedian and former ‘Cum Town’ host Adam Friedland comes to Tampa this month
Comedian, podcaster and current talk show host Adam Friedland brings his “dirtbag left” style of comedy to Tampa this spring. The 39-year-old is arguably best known for his work on the popular and incredibly absurd podcast Cum Town with fellow co-hosts Stavros Halkias and Nick Mullen. The podcast ended in 2022, but his latest project,…
Carmageddon returns to downtown Tampa this weekend
Tampa traffic is normally pretty awful, but with multiple giant events all happening downtown at roughly the same time, it will likely be an absolute carmageddon this weekend. Sensing the incoming road rage, the City of Tampa issued a traffic advisory Wednesday afternoon, warning potential drivers to “plan accordingly for heavier traffic, more pedestrians, and…
Guy Fieri, Mayor of Flavortown, has been spotted outside Tampa’s Supernatural Food & Wine
It looks like the Mayor of Flavortown has touched down in Tampa Bay. Not even an hour ago, a Reddit post in r/tampa began to make its rounds, showing what appears to be well-known flame-shirted food hero, Guy Fieri, posted up outside Supernatural Food & Wine in downtown Tampa. But is it really Mr. “Diners,…
‘I think we would have considered ourselves Gulfportian’: John Prine’s wife Fiona discusses Tampa Bay roots ahead of weekend tribute concerts
John Prine was a sundae kind of guy, and his ice cream order was shameless. “He liked scoops of strawberry and the chocolate sauce, and then the whipped cream, and the cherry on top,” Fiona Prine told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “He was like a little kid.” Fiona, for her part, loves caramel, and the…
Is ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ under federal control? Answer could decide environmental groups’ case
Proving that the federal government controls the Everglades immigrant detention camp the state calls “Alligator Alcatraz” could be key to whether environmental groups’ case to shutter the facility survives, a chief appellate judge indicated Tuesday. The question sets up an interesting dynamic: If the migrant lockup is at the beck and call of federal authorities,…
Advocates fear Florida’s domestic terrorist law could reach beyond Muslim groups
One day after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation (HB 1471) granting a handful of public officials power to designate a domestic terrorist organization, members of a likely target of the law warned it could reach beyond Muslim organizations. The Florida chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), as well as representatives from Christian…
Florida has an Asian swamp eel problem
University of Florida researchers are asking South Florida residents for help against the spread of Asian swamp eels. “These fish are difficult to find, and that’s exactly why we need the public’s help,” Frank Mazzotti, a professor of wildlife ecology with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences in Fort Lauderdale, said…
St. Pete’s hot new listening bar, Alessi’s bigger bakery and more Tampa Bay food news
Easy Tiger, a hi-fi listening lounge and cocktail bar, opens next Thursday in St. Petersburg, just a few doors down from owner Matt Kaye’s iconic dive bar, The Bends.
Florida Studies Book Festival brings acclaimed authors to St. Pete this weekend
The program at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg hosts its annual festival this weekend, led by program director Chris Mindl. The lineup of a dozen writers includes Hilary Fowler, who recently published “The Kite and the Snail,” and “The Florida Vegetarian Cookbook” author Dalia Colón.
Tampa Bay locals play a role in Paul Rudd’s movie set at the Don Cesar
The dark comedy directed by Tom McCarthy (“Spotlight”) centers on a real conference that happened at the Don Cesar in 1980, where experts fumbled the chance to stop climate change through a Congressional directive.
Vintage Market Day comes to Plant City this weekend
More than 100 vendors will spread out across the Grimes Building and Astin Pavilion, with a mix that is now leaning heavier into vintage clothing, along with its usual home decor and furniture.
Easy Tiger listening bar opens in St. Pete next week
The lounge is a marriage of mid-century modern style, good music, deep St. Pete roots and a thoughtful cocktail program curated by Chris Trull, who also designs drinks for Kaye’s other ventures, Wild Child and Slim Charmer.
Florida gas prices spike another 24 cents as war in Iran continues
Gas prices in Florida were up an average of 24 cents in the past week, cruising past the $4 mark as the conflict in Iran continued to rattle global oil markets. The average gallon of gas was $4.19 in Florida on Monday, according to the auto club AAA, $1.30 more than on Feb. 28 when…
Live Nation wants to build a new 4,300-capacity music venue in Ybor City
Live Nation, the world’s largest concert promotion company that was recently exposed for joking about robbing Tampa concert goers blind, plans to build a new 4,300-capacity music venue in Ybor City. Real estate developer Kettler says the new yet-to-be named mid-sized venue will be part of the still under construction Gasworx District. It plans to…
Creative Loafing Tampa Bay readers respond to Bondi getting fired, ‘Hunky Jesus’ party, and more
Creative Loafing Tampa Bay keeps reaching into the mailbag, and treading carefully into the comments section. The exercise leaves us increasingly grateful for readers who come to us in print—and especially online—read the news and thoughtfully respond. Keep it coming, folks (scan the QR code if you’re the emailing type), and we’ll keep posting it.…
Willie Nelson is coming to Clearwater this summer
Willie Nelson turns 93 this year, and he’s still on the road with plans to visit the Tampa Bay area this summer. The Highwayman recently hit the stage for his own Luck Reunion festival, his first public show since Farm Aid in Minneapolis last September. And good news for fans who like to party during…
Entrepreneur Gary Hartfield enters race to be Tampa’s next mayor
Tampa’s mayoral race is already up to its neck in candidates thanks to nine people who’ve filed and two expected to join the bid to succeed term-limited Mayor Jane Castor. The latest to join is Gary Hartfield, author and founder of Serenity Village Insurance & Consulting. And for Hartfield, running for mayor is “just the…
A St. Pete city attorney is in a punk band that’s kicking off this weekend’s Gasparilla Music Festival
It’s Wednesday afternoon. Joseph Patner slogs through pages of dry legalese as the lead litigation attorney for the City of St. Petersburg. Inscrutable financial spreadsheets reflect off Scott Robinson’s glasses while he advises clients on bankruptcy law. Eli Goodman sits in a video call, drawing on his software engineer experience to lead production of software……
Siblings from Tampa Bay’s acting Friedman family make co-acting debut in important freeFall production
Broadway had the Barrymores. Britain the Redgraves. Hollywood the Fondas. And Tampa has… The Friedmans! Chances are that if you’ve been to the theater in the last several years, you’ve caught a performance by a member of the Friedman family—Noa, 25, who’s worked for just about every local professional company in the area (most recently…
‘Without Shade, Without Rest’: New documentary highlighting fight for outdoor worker heat protections screens in Tampa
As Florida heat intensifies, so does the goal to protect workers from it—and coalitions from Immokalee and Miami tell that story in Tampa this April. On Thursday, April 23, the Tampa Community Church will host a screening for the documentary, “Without Shade, Without Rest.” The documentary follows the story of two organizations’ shared goals for…
He was rizzin’: Photos from the ‘Hunky Jesus & Foxy Mary’ contest at St. Pete’s Wet Spot pool bar
Tampa Bay’s Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence were at it over Easter weekend, bringing drag performances to the pool at St. Petersburg’s Mari Jean hotel. Partygoers were rizzin’ for the Easter Sunday celebration, which included a “Hunky Jesus & Foxy Mary contest.” As previously reported, the Mari Jean’s Wet Spot got a new pool heater in…
DeSantis signs Florida bill allowing state to label groups as ‘domestic terrorist organizations’
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a bill allowing the state to designate groups as “domestic terrorist organizations.” It backs up an executive order he issued in December placing that label on two Islamic groups. The law, effective July 1, bars a court or other adjudicatory body from enforcing any provision of a religious or…
West Tampa icon Alessi Bakery opens new massive location April 15
The 18,000-square-foot space will feature all the classic handmade desserts, baked goods and Cuban sandwiches guests have come to love for the past century, along with a few upgrades.
Hulk Hogan’s second Tampa Bay home hits the market for $4.5 million
Last January, the primary residence of the late WWE legend Terry Bollea, aka Hulk Hogan, was listed for just under $11 million in Clearwater Beach. Now, his considerably smaller beach “cottage” is on the market. Located at 1038 Eldorado Avenue, the home sits directly next door to the Hulkster’s main house, and was mostly used…
Photos: Legendary Miami punk band Quit reunites with friends at Crowbar in Ybor City
Miami rock band Quit is back in action, marking its third reunion since changing the face of Floridian punk music in the late-’80s and early-’90s. Frontman Addison ‘Addie’ Burns, guitarist Russell Mofsky, Tony Rocha on bass, and drummer Andrew Serafini were joined by an all-star cast last Friday at Crowbar in Ybor City. Tampa emo…
South Tampa Argentinian steakhouse Renzo’s is moving to a new location just two miles away
After nearly two decades on the corner of W Kennedy Boulevard and S Sterling Avenue, South Tampa steakhouse Renzo’s will move to a new location less than two miles away. Renzo Menzerotolo told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay he hopes to soft open at 122 S Howard Ave. by May. Both the new location and the…
New Port Richey mayoral candidate Marlowe Jones wants to lead the city that arrested him
It’s a Friday night at the Hacienda Hotel in downtown New Port Richey, the historic hot pink stucco resort that once helped sell the city as “Hollywood East.” Nearby, families play and stroll through Sims Park, as the Pithlachascotee River glows in the setting sun. Community activist and New Port Richey native Marlowe Jones walks…
Florida AG says state can now fund religious charter schools, and ‘encourage’ Christianity
Florida won’t enforce a plank of its constitution barring public funds from going to religious institutions, Attorney General James Uthmeier stated Thursday. Uthmeier, who was appointed to the Cabinet position by Gov. Ron DeSantis in February 2025, issued an unprompted legal opinion declaring the state constitution’s ban on funding for religious institutions to violate the…
![‘Nothing To See Here’: Tempus Projects opens two new art shows in Ybor City [PHOTOS]](https://i0.wp.com/www.cltampa.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Tempus-Projects-Nothing-to-See-Here-14-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&ssl=1)
‘Nothing To See Here’: Tempus Projects opens two new art shows in Ybor City [PHOTOS]
Things got awkward at Tempus Projects last night thanks to Wallace Wilson and Lisa McCarthy. The photographer and painter, respectively, opened a new collaborative exhibition “Awkward Transactions” in Ybor City, showcasing a process where Wilson’s large-scale photos are joined by McCarthy’s brush for singular pieces of work. Also opening last night at the Kress Contemporary…
Environmental groups sue after Trump administration opens up oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico
A coalition of environmental groups filed a lawsuit Thursday against the Trump administration over its decision this week to remove Endangered Species Act protections from species threatened by oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. On Tuesday, a group of administration officials called the Endangered Species Committee met for only the fourth time in its…
Florida Republicans line up to praise fired Attorney General Pam Bondi
Florida Republicans have glowing praise for Pam Bondi as she leaves her role as the U.S. attorney general. On the other hand, Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried posted to X: “Please don’t send her home!?!?!?,” pointing to Bondi’s Florida roots. President Donald Trump announced Bondi’s departure Thursday. Trump said Bondi “will be transitioning to a much…
Trump fires Pam Bondi as Attorney General
After defending President Donald Trump from accusations of pedophilia and sexual misconduct, and trying to save him from impeachment in his first term, Tampa native Pam Bondi is out as U.S. Attorney General. Trump announced her firing on social media on Thursday. His former personal defense lawyer, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, will assume the…
Tampa has $6 million to spend on tree canopy mitigation, advocates and officials disagree on how the money should be used
Walk outside on a sweltering Florida summer afternoon and step from a sun-baked street into the shade of a tree. The temperature drop is dramatic, and in parts of Tampa, that relief has been disappearing. Shawn Landry, a researcher at the University of South Florida (USF), told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay this temperature difference reflects…
Sydney Gruters, wife of RNC Chair and state Sen. Joe Gruters, says she’s running for Florida congressional seat
Sydney Gruters, wife of Republican National Committee Chair and state Sen. Joe Gruters, announced Thursday that she is filing to run for the Florida Congressional District 16 seat that will be vacated by Republican Vern Buchanan later this year. Her announcement comes after President Donald Trump endorsed her in the contest last week. “As a…
Tampa Bay’s best live music happening April 2-9
Tampa Bay’s live music weekend is here, and while both Jer (pictured), the agenda has a lot of strong weekday shows mixed in. Billy Strings is here on Wednesday (along with Fil Pate’s pre-show bluegrass jam at Sparkman Wharf). Tampa Bay Blues Festival kicks off next Thursday, April 9, a day that includes shows from…
