March Margarita Madness let’s you vote on the best marg in Tampa Bay
Margarita season has officially arrived in Tampa Bay. March Margarita Madness kicks off it’s inaugural year on March 5, 2026, bringing a bracket-style showdown between some of the best margarita makers in Tampa, St. Pete, and Clearwater. Think tournament energy—but with tequila. Here’s how it works: local restaurants face off head-to-head, and you vote to…
Ahead of Clearwater show, Ron Pope reminisces about the album that opened his eyes
His Clearwater debut next weekend is part of a quick, Florida-exclusive spring tour, which appears to be his first-ever run of shows in the Sunshine State.
Bosphorous Turkish restaurant opens in St. Pete
The restaurant, first opened by a Turkish couple in Orlando in 2004, expanded to Tampa last year with a location on South Howard Ave. A Wesley Chapel location is also in the works.
Jobsite stages play based on the making of ‘Jaws’
In this play, based on the misadventures of making the movie, the trio is seasick and sick of each other as they deal with storms, malfunctioning mechanical shark, big egos and short tempers.
Drag bingo raises funds for WMNF’s ‘Big Gay Radio’ show
Cocktail hosts drag bingo for WMNF’s Big Gay Radio Show in St. Pete this week. Local performer Alexis de la Mer will be handling the balls, and this isn’t her first time. She’s raised thousands of dollars for local nonprofits through St. Pete drag bingo nights, including Mondays at Cocktail and Wednesdays at Mad Hatters.…
Trashy Treasures art garage sale returns to Dunedin this weekend
Dunedin Fine Art Center’s Trashy Treasures offers fine art pieces (what didn’t sell at its big party the night before) and a ton of gently used crafting supplies to browse through.
Red Bull motocross festival gets Dade City dirty this weekend
Amateur dirt bike enthusiasts will ride in extreme and sometimes silly events with some of the world’s best, including Tarah Geiger, a movie star stuntwoman and one of MX’s most decorated athletes, and FMX island hopper Tyler Bereman.
St. Pete’s Salvador Dalí Museum unveils plans for $65 million expansion
The Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg is already home to the largest collection of work from the late artist Salvador Dalí, but now the space wants to more than double its size. This afternoon, St. Petersburg’s surrealist hub unveiled plans for a new $65 million expansion, which it hopes to see completed by 2028. Located…
After 14 years, Tampa’s Soho Saloon has permanently closed its doors
Soho Saloon is hanging up its spurs. The South Tampa country-themed sports bar, located at 410 S.Howard Ave., made the announcement earlier this week via its Instagram account, saying it’s time for “something new.” Owner Michael Disser, of Disser Hospitality Investment, said in the post that the closure and rebrand of the space will bring…
Florida House passes bill allowing state to designate domestic terrorist organizations
Legislation to allow a handful of state officials to designate domestic or foreign terrorist organizations was approved in the GOP-controlled Florida House Tuesday, despite complaints by Democrats that the measure lacks guardrails. The vote was 81-26, mostly along party lines. The bill — HB 1471, sponsored by Rep. Hillary Cassel, R-Dania Beach — says the terrorism…
While measles outbreak spreads through Florida, Republicans advance vaccine exemption bill
A bill that would expand vaccine exemptions for public K-12 schools is headed to the Senate floor. The bill (SB 1756) would create a new “conscience” category for parents to opt their children out of immunizations typically required for students to attend public K-12 schools. It passed through the Senate Rules Committee Tuesday despite opposition…
Citing concerns over Black voting power, West Tampa leaders share redistricting preference
There are four proposals under consideration to redistrict Hillsborough County. Some community leaders worry the changes could dilute Black voting power. The West Tampa Community Development Corporation held an emergency presentation to discuss concerns of the alternative proposals. The changes would impact over 14,000 registered voters in the nine precinct under the proposals. Of those,…
Gasparilla International Film Festival is back this week
There are still plenty of star-studed films screening over the weekend with names like Al Pacino, Willem Dafoe, and Luis Guzmán.
Florida places temporary ban on H-1B visas in university system
University system decision-makers expressed a willingness to be nimble as they voted to pause H-1B visas at state universities until next year. The move followed Gov. Ron DeSantis’ call for universities to eliminate the visas, which allow foreigners in specialty occupations to temporarily work in the United States. Board of Governors Chair Alan Levine during…
War in Iran will likely impact Florida gas prices
Gas prices in Florida on Monday were little changed from the start of the weekend. But the statewide $2.88 average reported Monday by the auto club AAA is projected to spike in the coming days, as the U.S. and Israel launched coordinated attacks on Iranian targets over the weekend. The size and duration of any uptick will…
Florida Republican bill targeting public sector labor unions moves forward
Legislation putting new rules on some public sector unions’ certification votes is headed to the Senate floor after passing through committee Monday, but only after some GOP members expressed concern over the measure. The bill (SB 1296) was also amended to water down the thresholds for union certification and recertification. Instead of requiring more than…
Back from hiatus, hypnotic soul-rock band Alabama Shakes comes to Clearwater this spring
Alabama Shakes is dusting itself off and bringing a new tour to the Tampa Bay area this spring. The band fronted by Brittany Howard exploded onto the scene with its 2012 debut album Boys and Girls, immediately garnering both critical and public acclaim for a rhythmic blend of reverb-heavy guitar and haunting, emotional vocals. From…
Ybor City gets new pedestrian safety upgrades, following deadly police chase
The City of Tampa and the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) say that a new $400,000 roadway improvement project in Ybor City is in “direct response” to the fatal high-speed chase that resulted in four deaths and multiple injuries last November. According to a City of Tampa press release, the first phase of the project is…
Photos: Everyone we saw at Punk Black Tampa 2026
Punk Black Tampa took a victory lap at Crowbar last Saturday, when the celebration of melanated rock and roll staged one last throwdown at the famed Ybor City venue set to close this summer.
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’
In 1975, thousands of immigrants had recently moved to Pinellas County as the Vietnam war made their home countries inhospitable. As anti-immigrant reactions spread, the St. Petersburg International Folk Fair Society (SPIFFS) was formed to showcase the beautiful things people from other cultures can bring to our community. In the decades since, SPIFFS has held…
Tampa Monitor: City Council to hear update to Land Development Code
Council sits this week with a 73-item regular agenda meeting Thursday, March 5 sandwiched by two special call workshops. One, Tuesday evening, a three-hour budget workshop to discuss the upcoming Fiscal Year 2027 budget and one Friday morning for the CRA Board to discuss housing and community grants. One big item on Thursday’s agenda that won’t include…
Tampa Monitor: City Council to hold special call Fiscal Year 27 workshop on Tuesday
Long time readers of Tampa Monitor will know that one of the single biggest issues raised here has been the failure of city council to grasp the budget process. To fully understand what they are approving. One of the biggest misconceptions has been what approving the 5 year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and the projects…
Photos: Tampa protesters rally against Iran war and Cuban embargo
American intervention in two different parts of the world were top of mind for Tampa activists over the last week. Last Thursday, Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society was just outside the University of South Florida’s Tampa campus to call for an end to the ongoing embargo on Cuba. SDS argues that despite the…
Planned 420-mile Florida Gulf Coast Trail will connect Tampa Bay to Naples
You can’t walk, run or bike it just yet, but ambitious plans to link Tampa Bay with Naples are well on their way to being realized. The 420-mile Florida Gulf Coast Trail will be one of the longest continuous trails in Florida, linking seven counties and 52 rural, urban and suburban communities, including Hillsborough and Pinellas counties…
Urban designer and USF assistant dean Taryn Sabia enters Tampa mayoral race
The field for Tampa’s 2027 mayoral election has nine names in it now after Taryn Sabia filed paperwork on Monday morning. The 47-year-old urban designer and Assistant Dean for Research at the University of South Florida’s College of Design, Art & Performance was joined at the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Election by her husband Adam…
Florida has third-most measles cases in U.S.
Florida has the third-most measles cases in the country and is on track to be the second-highest. According to the Florida Department of Health’s Reportable Diseases Frequency Report released this week, the number of diagnoses for 2026 jumped almost 25 percent, from 92 on Feb. 14 to 114 on Feb. 21. Currently, Florida is the…
Pentagram String Band brings Satanic bluegrass to St. Pete on Sunday
Don’t worry, Missouri’s Pentagram String Band is not what happens when Mumford & Sons discovers the Ouija board. Led by drifter and busker Johnny Lawhorn, the Kansas City outfit plays a murderous, misanthropic strain of bluegrass that feels conspicuously optimistic when it gets blasted out of the speakers. Ragtime-loving Louisiana busker Matthew Bracken Edens brings…
CAMPground26 festival brings out-of-the-box composition to Tampa
The live music calendar presents so many comforting, familiar places to take your listening, but there are always opportunities to think outside of the box. For the better part of half-a-decade now, CAMPGround has been happy to play that role (the “CAMP” is short for Contemporary Art Music Project). Built around “new music,” the festival…
Analog-loving New Orleans Americana band The Deslondes plays Tampa on Monday
Some of us live in a world where the call to go analog grows louder and louder every day. Newport Folk Festival darling The Deslondes give that notion a signal boost on a forthcoming compilation of songs by Swamp Dogg, Shelby Lynne, Johnny Cash, Clifton Chenier, and more—all recorded to tape by band members John…
Sun-Ray Cinema is the best place to see a movie in Tampa—and it does concerts now, too
Sun-Ray Cinema at the fomer University Mall is hands down the best place to see a movie in Tampa (free popcorn and soda refills, cushy new recliners, Pee-Wee Herman regalia all over the place). And now the place does concerts. The shows will take place in the theater’s lobby, which includes a large corner stage.…
Rogerthomas releases ‘Foreveryung,’ a joyous celebration of rhythm, at St. Pete show
For more than a decade now, Roger Thomas Lanfranchi has been a steady thread woven into so many patches of the Bay area’s indie music scene. The composer, guitarist, producer and drummer is always happy to back Bay area heavyweights like Queen of Ex, and takes a step into the spotlight for this release show.…
Punk Black Tampa hosts its final Crowbar throwdown this weekend
Here’s to hoping that Punk Black Tampa finds a good home after 2026. The Ybor City-centric music festival holds its last throwdown at Crowbar, the legendary venue set to shutter this summer after two decades in the district. The Bay area has long been home to melanated rock and rollers, but it’s righteous to see…
Gasparilla Festival of the Arts is back in Tampa, complete with two days of music
Gasparilla Festival of the Arts is centered around work folks can see, but there’s always been a musical element, too. Tampa Bay’s favorite weatherman, Denis Phillips, is the emcee for a two-day mini music festival that is built this year around local staples of the Americana and rock scene (Have Gun Will Travel, Ashley Smith…
Hillsborough sheriff deputies can now use controversial Axon AI for some reports
Deputies are now allowed to use Axon Draft One AI to generate some preliminary police reports, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday. Critics of the software say that police contractor company Axon designed the tool to prevent anyone—including media, defense attorneys and civil liberties organizations—from telling exactly which parts of a report were composed by…
Trump administration won’t pay for Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ construction costs
A $608 million federal reimbursement that Florida’s been counting on to pay for the so-called “Alligator Alcatraz” lockup won’t cover construction costs — if the money comes through at all, Justice Department lawyers have declared. Instead, any potential dollars would only fund “operational costs,” not “construction or facility modification,” the DOJ said in a new…
It’s your last chance to sign up for the City of Tampa’s e-bike voucher program
There’s a little more time to apply for an eBike voucher from the City of Tampa. Tampa residents can still sign up to receive up to $3,000 toward the purchase of a new eBike through the city’s lottery-based program. Last month, the City of Tampa’s parking division reopened the initiative, which provides financial assistance for…
Florida Department of Health moves to cut thousands from AIDS drug program
The Florida Department of Health issued emergency rules Wednesday that will block thousands of Floridians from accessing their HIV medication. Starting Sunday, the state will cut its subsidies for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP), and funds will only be available for people at or below 130% of the federal poverty level, a drop from…
Charlie Kirk Day approved by Florida House
After a contentious debate, the Republican-controlled House voted along party lines Wednesday on bills that designates a road in Miami-Dade County and a day annually after slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Republicans claimed Kirk was “effective” in teaching people how to civilly engage others. Democrats said Kirk repeatedly expressed racist and misogynist views. Marco Island…
Ron DeSantis isn’t quite full
The governor’s time in office is coming to an end. Like any guy who knows he’s about to get kicked out of a Golden Corral, Ron DeSantis is spending his final minutes traveling the state in an attempt to get as full as humanly possible. Since January, the governor has been rolling out a short…
Tampa’s River O’Green festival returns on March 14
Tampa will once again dye the Hillsborough River green in March for the 14th annual River O’Green festival. The event at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park happens Saturday, March 14, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. and includes live entertainment from Irish songwriter Shane Beirne, plus a pet costume contest. New to Tampa’s annual St. Patrick’s Day weekend…
Clearwater’s no-cover Sea-Blues festival returns this weekend
There are so many stories baked into the lineup of Clearwater Sea-Blues Festival, and one belongs to Milovan Dudic. Better known as Power Jimi, the guitarist is in the lineup with Mike Davis’ band, which plays in between headliners this weekend. Dudic has played alongside Yugoslav trio YU Grupa and keyboardist Tihomir “Pop” Asanović, known…
Op-ed: the The ‘Parents Over Platforms Act’ sounds good until you read what it actually does
When Equal Ground talks to families across Florida about the issues that matter to them, we hear a lot about economic security, healthcare access, and education. Lately, we’re also hearing something new: parents want help keeping their kids safe online, but they need solutions that actually work for their lives. This isn’t a Republican issue…
Nueva Cantina opening fourth location in Palm Harbor
The restaurant at 35903 US Highway 19 N is slated for the summer, making it the fourth Nueva Cantina since the brand’s relaunch.
A revamped Thelma and the Sleaze return to Tampa this weekend
If they’re not getting thrown onstage, bras stay at home for this one. And there better not be a shaved armpit in sight. Led by singer, guitarist and songwriter Lauren “LG” Gilbert, Thelma and the Sleaze, a self-described “DIY queer lady southern rock band,” has had a rotating cast since 2010 that now includes drummer…
Photos: Descendents, Frank Turner and Nobro rock St. Pete
Milo Aukerman went into the crowd last Tuesday at Jannus Live where he was warmly received by fans who’ve grown used to seeing the Descendents frontman bring the band to town. The crowd was plenty hot, too, after opening sets by the U.K’s prince of punk, Frank Turner, and Canadian superstar-in-the-making, Nobro.
Reunion for Masquerade’s legendary late-’90s hip-hop night happens Friday in Tampa
For seven years in Ybor City, there wasn’t a weekly hip-hop party better attended than the one with DJ Fader at the helm. Inside Masquerade from 1996-2003, the Bay area scene staple played KRS-One, Nas, Big L, and Black Moon alongside more mainstream artists—and some critics had the audacity to tell him that Tampa wouldn’t…
Florida Strawberry Festival’s 11 days of concerts kicks off Thursday in Plant City
Plant City’s 11-days of live music and strawberries kicks off Thursday with a trio of concerts capped off by legendary county trio Alabama. The Florida Strawberry Festival concert lineup skews towards country (Jamey Johnson and Riley Green are among this weekend’s headliners), but veers towards pop (Lauren Daigle) golden oldies (Bill Haley Jr.), R&B (Brian…
Detroit’s DJ Holographic to play techno and disco in St. Pete on Friday
Over Memorial Day weekend, Detroit’s DJ Holographic plays a hometown set at the Motor City’s iconic Movement Festival. For now, the producer born Ariel Corley is on the road and headed to St. Pete, just a year after releasing her debut LP, House In The Dark. Connected deeply to Detroit’s techno roots, the 35-year-old brings…
