

Florida’s sports teams and theme parks weigh options for dealing with crowds again
No timelines have been set to reopen the state’s economically critical theme parks, their accompanying resorts and TV production studios.
Pasco County just reopened some parks and wilderness trails
The county isn’t allowing people to gather in groups of more than 10 people, though.
Tampa punk band Invade drops genre-defying demo for the coronavirus era
It’s as chaotic as the time we’re living in.
The NFL Draft is coming up; so what are the best options for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
The draft begins April 23, with the Bucs positioned at no. 14 overall.
The Florida Aquarium just made a historic breakthrough that could save one the world’s largest reefs
The aquarium announced Wednesday that it became the first institution in the world to reproduce ridged cactus coral in human care.
Bandcamp will waive its revenue share to help Tampa Bay bands impacted by COVID-19
The platform did the same thing last month.
St. Pete author Davon Miller stays positive despite Black Authors Expo cancellation
The soon-to-be 18-year-old donates book proceeds to Johns Hopkins.
Tyler Cornack’s ‘Butt Boy’ flushes a great premise down the toilet
Chip has a killer ass. Literally.
St. Pete’s Reggae Rise Up adjusts lineup and announces ticket exchange for rescheduled date
The festival is now happening in October.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor teams up with local businesses to get face masks to employees
Publix, Walmart and Target are among the 11 businesses that have committed to providing face coverings to each employee who interacts with the public.
Sarasota County will reopen beaches with some restrictions next week
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Skyway, Pinellas County beaches won’t reopen until at least May 1.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says he’s open to allowing hospitals to once again provide non-essential services
DeSantis said he wanted to move quickly to help bolster hospitals, which have been losing money during a clampdown on optional surgeries.
Reopening Florida’s hospitality industry may be slow and gradual, says task force
“I think the key to these things are not to hit the gas pedal, to try and go 100 miles an hour out of the gate, but to gradually ramp up,” said Simpson.
A new Gobioff Foundation program offers unrestricted $500 grants to Tampa artists
The Vinik Family Foundation matched $100K.
Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights is still likely to happen this year, but big changes are in the works
“Even if Halloween Horror Nights happens as planned this fall, the very real possibility of heavy modifications seems unavoidable.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is already taking a coronavirus victory lap
“Those predictions have been false. Our work is succeeding. We have flattened the curve,” the Governor said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says consumer confidence is key to reopen state
“If people can fight over toilet paper at Costco, I got to think there’s a way that you can run a restaurant safely,” DeSantis said.
A ‘Reopen Florida’ group is a hotbed for coronavirus protest events, which Facebook says are banned
Facebook says it’s focused on “removing content that advocates for in-person gatherings defying government health guidance.”
Rob Gronkowski is reportedly coming to Tampa, reuniting with Tom Brady
The two won three Super Bowls together in Gronkowski’s short career as a Patriot.
St. Pete Pride is postponed to the fall, while the fate of Tampa Pride is still undecided
September 26 is one date St. Petersburg is considering.
So far, 119 Florida inmates have tested positive for coronavirus, and most of them are in three prisons
COVID-19 has been detected in 56 prisons and four probation offices across the state as of Monday, corrections officials said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced his task force to restart the economy, but excluded Nikki Fried
Fried says that her omission from the task force is “sadly more of the same politics over state from the governor.”
‘Why Don’t You Just Die!’ is a frenetic blast of blood and violence from Mother Russia
Kirill Sokolov’s first movie was supposed to open in the U.S. before COVID-19 scuttled distribution, but now you can watch it at home.
Ocala’s local drive-in is the only theater in America showing first-run movies
Who wants some ‘Trolls World Tour’ action in their lives?
Tom Brady was kicked out of a Tampa park closed due to the coronavirus
Cue Inner Circle’s “Bad Boys.”
Fewer vaping injuries reported in states with legal weed, says study
No surprise here.
Survey shows marijuana users are worried about smoking pot during the coronavirus pandemic
Even so, just 28% of participants report switching from joints, pipes or bongs to non-smoking alternatives such as edibles during the pandemic.
The 10-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe spurs new calls for ‘clean energy’ in Florida
“In Florida, we know when a hurricane comes through. It devastates a community. It wrecks your home. You build it back on a stronger foundation.”
Nearly 94 percent of Florida residents who applied for unemployment benefits still haven’t seen a check
As of today, the dashboard says that 1,533,733 Florida residents have submitted claims between March 15-April 19.
Starting today, Publix and Walmart employees must wear face coverings
Face coverings were previously optional for associates at both companies.
Video shows tornado crossing Florida’s I-75 this morning
I’ll be damned if that’s not a tornado.
Tampa Bay area is under a severe thunderstorm warning
According to the National Weather Service, a cold front will bring a line of thunderstorms through the region.
A Pennsylvania murder suspect was among the Florida beach crowds this weekend
Duval beaches reopened for limited daily hours on Friday, and nearby St. Johns County reopened on Saturday.
St. Pete’s Meow Wolf-inspired ‘Fairgrounds’ issues call to artists for 2021
The art complex lives in The Factory at the Warehouse Arts District.
Florida’s jobless rate for March is bad, but it’s also much worse than it looks
Officials were quick to note that the March rate shows where the state was in mid-March.
Tampa rapper Big Baby Scumbag drops ‘Free Joe Exotic’ freestyle
He thinks she did it.
Times are tough for Tampa Bay realtors, so a local agent created this quarantine-based video for her listing
“We did all the filming practicing social distancing, and we were all wearing masks and gloves the entire time,” Christian told Creative Loafing.
Florida’s small business loan program ran out of money, but only after giving millions to corporate chains
“We are looking at it. We are looking to do more money as well, and that’s something that we’re looking at.”
Tampa songwriter Blake Yeager covers Joe Exotic’s ‘Tiger King’ song ‘I Saw A Tiger’
He called the exercise a “dance on the line between sanity and insanity.”
Disney just brought back its ‘Bedtime Hotline’ for a limited time
Kiddos can hear from Mickey, Minnie, Donald (who you probably won’t be able to understand), Daisy or Goofy.
Seeking a better state of mind as you quarantine? Don’t forget to communicate
Here are three tips Sumner has for strengthening our social interactions during the weeks we’re spending physically separated.
Someone spray-painted swastikas on a Jewish temple in Sarasota this week
According to the sheriff’s department, the vandal caused approximately $5,000 in damages.
Some Tampa Bay nursing home residents still ‘in the dark’ following mass transport from Freedom Square
Residents were brought to three area hospitals after COVID-19 outbreak.
Publix donates $1 million to Feeding America food banks
Feeding Tampa Bay in Tampa will receive $100,000.
A third Florida inmate has now died of COVID-19
Blackwater, a private prison operated by The Geo Group Inc., is the state’s hardest-hit correctional facility.
Only 4 percent of Florida residents who filed for unemployment have received a check
“While we’ve made some progress in the recent days, it’s not nearly enough.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says his decision to deem WWE as ‘essential’ had nothing to do with politics
“What does that have to do with me? Have they (McMahons) supported me?”
1 in 5 coronavirus deaths in Florida are in nursing homes
The state first began reporting deaths in longterm care facilities Wednesday evening and now posts 126 deaths.
Hillsborough County won’t make it mandatory to wear face masks in public
UPDATE: The Emergency Policy Group never even got to vote on it.
Hillsborough County just canceled the coronavirus curfew
The topic of mandatory masks is still on the table.
Tampa Bay saxophonist had money saved, so he’s using time in isolation to work on his technique
He is arguably the most accomplished saxophonist the Bay area has ever produced.
‘McMillions’ co-director discusses massive impact of scam that bilked McDonald’s out of $24 million
Brian Lazarte’s binge-able true-crime series is on HBO.
Hooters laid off over 600 employees in the Tampa Bay area
In total, the layoffs impacted 679 workers at all 11 local Hooters locations.
Tampa Publix employee tests positive for coronavirus
There has been no announcement on employees receiving hazard pay.
Tampa Bay’s Jobsite Theater announces two new online series
Jobsite and Florida Bjorkestra among arts collectives reaching out to fans during pandemic.
DeSantis just signed a law limiting ballot initiatives, now it’s being used to stop Florida’s recreational pot movement
The new law was highly controversial during the legislative session that ended last month.
Florid Gov. Ron DeSantis shakes up leadership of state’s unemployment system
While DeSantis said he was “happy” in progress made, he remains “disappointed” in the website’s performance.
Tampa Bay under quarantine is starting to feel familiar, and not in a good way
But we’re still staying home.
Floridian Social Club says ‘concert schedule takes precedence over everything’ at St. Pete’s renamed State Theatre
A chat with Operating Principal Kevin Chadwick.
Op-Ed: Now is the time for Tampa to deal with pedestrian deaths on Bayshore Boulevard
Who will fight for a better balustrade?
Tampa Bay’s Naked Farmer adjusted to the coronavirus and changed its DNA forever
Jordan Johnson set up a ‘farm-to-door’ direct supply chain between farmers and consumers.
State food safety experts answer Florida’s most paranoid grocery-disinfecting questions
As of now there is no evidence of foodborne transfer
More than $55,000 in relief is already on the way to over 100 Pinellas artists
The monies come from the Pinellas Arts Community Relief Fund.
Florida among 14 states where StubHub buyers can get refunds for canceled or postponed events
Last week, StubHub reversed its refund policy, but we’re protected.






