St. Pete Pride has acquired Sapphic St. Pete event series
St. Pete Pride has acquired Sapphic St. Pete, which started as a conglomeration of sapphic-themed events last November, organized largely by Rachel Covello. Covello previously operated OutCoast, an LGBTQ+ Florida tourism website. Last year, she put OutCoast “on pause” due to pressure from partnering businesses and destinations to tone down LGBTQ+ content, according to her…
Downtown Tampa hosts two huge ‘Taste’ parties next week
More than 60 restaurants and culinary experiences come to Water Street and the Straz Center for their “Taste” events.
St. Pete’s historic Mefford Mansion is now on the market in Snell Isle
A historic estate in St. Petersburg with ties to a former mayor, a land boom developer, a Home Shopping Network president and more, is now for sale in the Snell Isle neighborhood. Located at 416 Brightwaters Blvd. NE, the sprawling Mediterranean Revival estate was completed in 1925 for prominent attorney and Florida Land Boom developer…
HOAs are ‘out of control’: Tampa Bay voters vent to Florida gubernatorial candidate Paul Renner on ‘Affordability Tour’
Florida GOP gubernatorial candidate Paul Renner took his “Affordability Now” tour to Tampa Bay Thursday, where the conversation focused on property insurance rates, property taxes, and growing discontent with condominium and homeowners’ associations (HOAs). Florida voters have made clear over the past year that affordability is their top concern. In a University of North Florida survey last…
State of Florida launches investigation into ChatGPT for role in FSU school shooting
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is investigating ChatGPT for its alleged role in last year’s mass shooting at Florida State University. “We’ve … learned that ChatGPT may have likely been used to assist the murderer in the recent mass school shooting at Florida State University that tragically took two lives,” Uthmeier said Thursday in a…
‘This is illegal’: Florida Democrats blast coming congressional redistricting session
Although GOP legislative leaders say that a special session on the state budget won’t take place next week, they still intend to meet later this month for an unusual mid-decade congressional redistricting session that Democrats say is unconstitutional and could backfire on Republicans. “This is illegal,” said Rep. RaShon Young, D-Orlando, on a Zoom conference call…
Florida Dem Chair Nikki Fried says party has more candidates signing up to run for office than ever have before
After flipping two legislative seats in special elections, Florida Democrats are riding a wave of enthusiasm. But whether that translates to victories in November remains to be seen. Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said they’ve had more candidates sign up to run for office than they ever have before – the party has recruited…
Creative Loafing Tampa Bay joins ‘Local News Day’
Since its inception four decades ago, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay’s heart, soul and very being has been local—and today we’re joining more than 1,300 newsrooms and 200 partners across the United States to celebrate Local News Day. Founded in the spirit of the dissident press and locked in arms with alternative-weeklies that shaped the country’s…
A quick guide to the 2026 Gasparilla Music Festival, happening this weekend in downtown Tampa
In 2012, I sat under the awning at Tampa Museum of Art and listened to a determined group of Tampeños share plans to create a music festival that their grandkids could be proud of. That cohort’s ambitions outlived my blog post (RIP Suburban Apologist), but those music-and-Tampa-loving psychopaths have endured. David Cox, Executive Director at…
Tampa Bay’s best live music happening April 9-16
Gasparilla Music Festival and this weekend’s John Prine tribute concerts aren’t the only festivals happening in the Bay area over the next few days. Tampa Bay Blues Festival, the Skatepark Of Tampa’s Tampa Pro, and Bullstock are all on the calendar as well. Please enjoy an abridged, festival-centric, version of Music Week below, with a…
Interview: Before St. Petersburg show, Lukas Nelson says going solo was more about ‘showing myself what I can do’
With the release of his first solo album apart from Promise of the Real, Lukas Nelson isn’t so much starting over as he is narrowing his focus. For an artist who’s spent most of his career on the road, he sounds less interested these days in covering ground than in figuring out what actually sticks.…
Skateboarding’s infamous Tampa Pro tournament is this weekend
The Skatepark of Tampa’s 32nd annual Tampa Pro kicks off this week—but athletes like Felipe Gustavo, Jamie Foy, and Zion Wright aren’t the only draws. There’s a comedy show at the park on Thursday, with a book launch and afterparties scheduled for The Bricks in Ybor City on Saturday and Sunday, following chaotic special contests…
Billy Strings was shredding at Skate Park of Tampa this week
Billy Strings, the Grammy-Award winning bluegrass star whose real name is William Apostol, was in town this week for a Wednesday night show at Benchmark International Arena. But before he took the stage, the 33-year-old popped into Skatepark of Tampa for a quick skateboard sesh. Yesterday, Strings posted a series of clips to his Instagram…
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Tampa Police officers wrangle a 9-foot alligator from New Tampa pool [VIDEO]
The Tampa Police Department responded to a scaly intruder at a homeowner’s pool in the Arbor Greene community of New Tampa last month. In bodycam footage posted to social media this week, TPD officers can be seen assisting a wildlife trapper rope a 9-foot alligator that seemingly broke through the home’s screened-in pool area. “Just…
Before Largo show, Daniel Donato reveals the album that changed everything
By the time the fifth studio album emerges, a lot of artists have pretty much found their sound. But not country wunderkind Daniel Donato. On last summer’s Horizons, the 30-year-old “cosmic country” pioneer (both the name of his backing band, and a subgenre that’s ever-evolving and picking up inspiration from all corners of country music)…
Before sold-out Tampa concert, Maris reveals an album that changed her life
Next year marks 30 years since the University of South Florida first put together Bullstock, a day-long music festival that brings together a handful of national acts and local names for a free show to help forget about upcoming exams for a night. With past lineups including the likes of Grouplove and the recently-broken up…
Hernando’s Fox Fam Jam music festival kicks off Friday
Some festivals don’t have last call. Count Fox Fam Jam among them. Situated on Brooksville’s magical Florida Sand Music Ranch, the lineup is a mix of the state’s most revered jam, bluegrass, funk, electro and psych-rock bands. There’s live art, and organizers have encourages campers to stay up all night to take advantage of Hernando…
Morean Arts Center celebrates a decade of ‘Fresh Squeezed’ local art
Sixty-four artists from 27 Florida cities have been featured over the past 10 years. This year, eight artists and two additional artists in the Chihuly Collection special exhibition space were selected from nearly 150 applicants to bring a mix of painting, sculpture, glass and immersive installations to Tampa Bay
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The best things to do in Tampa Bay this week, including flowers, books and vintage festivals [April 9-16]
Have a look at what’s going down the week of April 9-16, and don’t forget, you can always submit to CL’s calendar.
Demetri Martin tops Tampa Bay’s best April comedy gigs
There’s a whole lot to laugh at in Tampa Bay this month, including heavy hitters like Demetri Martin. See April’s best gigs below, and check out community.cltampa.com for more.
