

COVID-19 has barely impacted Florida’s largest lobbying firms
Ballard Partners collected an estimated $4.2 million in fees for the April through June reporting period.
Florida judge will weigh whether schools are ‘simply not ready’ to reopen
“I don’t think I can just make an off-the-cuff decision of this magnitude without going over all the evidence,” he said.
The City of Tampa will once again allow restaurants to expand into sidewalks and parking lots
The Lift Up Recovery Plan began in reaction to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ order limiting restaurant interior capacity to 50%.
Emails between Tampa’s ‘Back the Blue’ mural organizers and city employees raise new questions
The city previously said Castor “didn’t give approval written or verbally” for the mural.
Three Pasco County beaches under a ‘no swim advisory’ due to high levels of poop
Recently, Pasco beaches have witnessed a string of closures due to enterococci.
Florida’s coronavirus death toll has now surpassed 10,000
Additionally, 4,115 new COVID-19 cases were added, which boosts Florida’s total case numbers to 584,047.
Michele Rayner elected as first openly queer Black woman in Florida Legislature
She plans to make ‘good trouble’ for District 70.
Florida Rep. Mike Hill, who once joked about killing gay people, lost his primary
Hill lost the Republican primary to Michelle Salzman in Escambia County’s House District 1.
Florida’s election day was quiet after record mail-in voting numbers
More than 2.2 million Floridians had voted by mail as of Tuesday morning, a nearly 72 percent increase.
‘Political prostitution’: Florida Sen. Marco Rubio slams Lincoln Project founder
The group was founded late last year with the sole mission of “defeating President Trump and Trumpism at the ballot box.”
Duke Energy’s plan to decommission the Crystal River nuclear plant gets approval from state regulators
Duke decided in 2013 to permanently shut down the damaged plant after years of uncertainty about whether the plant would ever again produce electricity.
With construction paused on their new multi-billion dollar theme park, Universal Orlando seems to have an Epic problem
Multiple scenarios have emerged on how Universal plans on addressing the quickly changing economic and social realities that affect their resorts.
Walt Disney World scales back 50th anniversary, but will move forward with new projects
Instead of launching the 50th anniversary in early 2021, Disney now looks to be pushing it back to October 1, the actual anniversary date.
Florida Rep. Ross Spano is trying to hold off Lakeland commissioner Scott Franklin, and other primary races to watch
Here are 10 congressional and legislative primaries to watch today.
Florida Education Commissioner on schools reopening: ‘We are going to have cases, and that’s OK’
“If you have a COVID-19 case or you have (COVID-19) symptoms, don’t panic,” Corcoran told school superintendents in a conference call Thursday.
Tampa’s 7venth Sun Brewery in Seminole Heights has reopened as a restaurant
The same goes for the concept’s Dunedin location.
New pasta to-go concept Dal Moro’s opens in St. Pete next month
It’s the chain’s first U.S. location.
Over 35 Tampa Bay restaurants offering Taco Takeover deals for more than two weeks
Support local business, wear a mask, and if dining in still feels cringy, order your eats for curbside pickup.
St. Pete’s World Thrift celebrates one year anniversary with deals and giveaways
It all goes down August 29.
Florida tax revenues projected to take a $3.42 billion hit due to COVID-19 pandemic
The state received $8.238 billion through the CARES Act, of which $2.472 billion went to local governments.
U.S. Postal Service warned officials of potential mail-in ballot problems in Florida
Florida, a battleground in the election, is among states that received alerts from U.S. Postal Service General Counsel Thomas Marshall late last month.
Florida judge allows legal battle over reopening schools to resume
“This is a case that cries out for the parties to get together at this mediation and come up with an agreement. It’s a very complicated case.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis describes mental health as ‘the big enchilada’ amid school reopenings
“It’s never been an easy issue,” DeSantis said Friday. “It’s an often neglected issue because it’s an easy issue to neglect if you really think about it.”
David Littleton helps turn ‘Uncle Peckerhead’ into a gloriously gory post-punk nightmare
Life on the road for most musicians doesn’t include disposing of bodies after every gig
Instant cult classic ‘Lake Michigan Monster’ reinvents genre cinema on a shoestring
Imagine if Wes Anderson made a retro monster movie while tripping on psilocybin and high on Adderall.
Central Florida drive-ins will show Metallica’s first concert of 2020
Oh, and it’s happening on a movie screen.
Clearwater quintet Row Jomah drops ‘Devil’s Fair’ and teases new song ‘Big Water’
The Clearwater-based quintet has opened for jam-circuit favorites Twiddle.
Riley Morgan, of St. Pete rock band Pleasures, teams up with Adam Deranian for new 13% project
The project promises ‘dark valleys of dystopian drum-and-bass.’
Tampa songwriter Frank Calcaterra shares new song from Youth Remedies side project
The DieAlps! member wrote ‘How Do You Sleep At Night?’ after the 2016 election, and it still feels relevant.
Tampa hip-hop fans should have Stoney Hoop’s ‘Mixed Sheep’ on rotation
It’s one of the best releases of the year.
St. Pete’s Brazilian jazz songwriter Daniela Soledade tries French on ‘Comment Te Dire Adieu’
She’s spending quarantine working on a new album.
Saturday’s community cookout will feature Hillsborough Commission candidate Sky U. White and Tampa activists
It’s from 2 p.m.-7 p.m. in MacFarlane Park.
Bodega’s new St. Pete location officially opens today
Same menu, but new spot.
Florida judge fast-tracks lawsuits challenging mandate to reopen schools for in-person learning
Corcoran’s July 6 emergency order requires schools outside of South Florida to reopen five days a week in August.
Florida prison workers, inmates and families plead for help, as COVID-19 cases soar
As of Thursday, 14,271 state inmates had tested positive for COVID-19, a number that has skyrocketed since mid-July.
Democrats say Florida’s COVID-19 prison outbreak is a sign of a failed system
“Each person that’s incarcerated is someone’s family and should be seen as more than a number,” Powell said.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor nominated for Florida Women’s Hall of Fame
Former state Sen. Arthenia Joyner of Tampa was also nominated.
Bento Asian Kitchen + Sushi opens new Tampa location next month
Co-founder Johnny Tung hopes to open three more Tampa locations in the near future.
Jake’s Coastal Cantina on Indian Rocks Beach has moved to a new location
The new digs are just right around the corner.
New pizza and sports bar ‘Jack Pallino’s’ will open soon in Dunedin
The concept is another brainchild of Nina Hospitality.
After remodeling, Bamboozle’s Channelside location has reopened in downtown Tampa
According to the restaurant’s newsletter, the joint known for Vietnamese fare is operating as takeout only.
Josephine just formed in the Atlantic, making it the 10th named storm of the hurricane season
As of now, the storm is expected to turn northeast well before reaching Florida.
Tampa Republican Jamie Grant resigns to take job with DeSantis Administration
Grant said he will start the job in two weeks.
While campaigning for Trump, former Florida AG Pam Bondi stresses the importance of mail-in-ballots
“It (Florida’s process) is safe, especially for older people who don’t want to leave their homes, for people who are worried about getting sick,” Bondi said.
Savage Love: What to do when you want more from the married person you’re having an affair with
Also, is it wrong to smell your wife’s underwear without telling her?
St. Pete songwriter Kristopher James and Nashville’s Kyshona Armstrong team up for ‘Never Had To Find Our Way’
The pair met at the Straz Center when concerts were still a thing.
It was inevitable that Trump would show his whole ass
Informed Dissent.
Proposed plans for St. Pete’s Gas Plant site raise red flags for a neighborhood thats been wronged before.
‘The site, first and foremost, should redeem our past default.’
The City of St. Petersburg should bend Echelman’s ‘Arc’ even further towards justice
Echelman’s name choice carries echoes of the past, but is that conflict too distant for most people to connect it with her sculpture in the here and now?
Tampa woman’s podcast club turns focus on minority mental health
Many Pods & PR participants have gone to seek further counseling and come to terms with previously unaddressed issues.
City of St. Pete says people have asked for a ‘Back the Blue’ mural—but no one’s applied for a permit
The organizers of the Tampa mural, which was completed before the City of Tampa approved the permit, have not been met with any penalties.
Only 17 percent of Tampa Police officers live within city limits
By definition, Tampa police officers are outsiders.
Ignoring protesters, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor wants to increase the Police Department’s budget by $13 million
The proposed total for TPD is $176 million.






