Surfer Blood returns to Tampa for final week of Crowbar concerts
Surfer Blood’s slacker beach-rock soundtracked the come up for an entire generation of music fans, and many of them grew up in venues like Crowbar, too. As the famed room approaches its final show next Friday, the West Palm Beach outfit headlines one hell of a rock bill. Brother Cephus—led by actual brothers Gabe and…
Florida Museum of Photographic Arts turns 25 years old and offers free admission on Saturday
The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts (FMoPA) turns 25 years old this weekend, and everyone is invited to celebrate. And FMoPA means everyone. Admission to the museum—located on 7th Avenue in Ybor City—is free for one day only, Saturday, July 25. Since its founding FMoPA has exhibited nationally and internationally known photographic artists. The party…
Union objects to Trump administration move to privatize security at Tampa International Airport
Officials with the union representing transportation security officers at more than 400 U.S. airports are criticizing the decision by the Trump administration and officials with Tampa International Airport to privatize security operations there next year. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) notified the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Monday that the agency intends to launch…
In fight to stay on Florida ballot, governor candidate admits to voting in D.C., threatens to imprison opponents
During a Leon County hearing to decide whether gubernatorial candidate James Fishback should be booted from the ballot, Fishback threatened to imprison the lieutenant governor’s senior adviser, one of his supporters challenged the staffer to a courthouse fight, and Fishback acknowledged voting and buying a home in Washington, D.C. It was a theatrical, nearly eight-hour…
Author Hayley Fleming brings ‘healing’ debut romcom ‘Thighs Wide Shut’ to St. Pete next month
Romance novels usually evoke terms like “spicy,” “steamy,” “cute” and “Is it bestiality if it’s not a real animal?” But rarely is the term “healing” tossed around, even for a booming genre. But that’s the word author Hayley Fleming uses to describe writing her debut romance novel, “Thighs Wide Shut.” In an essay for People…
Drag performers debut campy film series in Tampa next week
Camp is the new cool, as Sapphic Sun writer Evelyn Long declared in the queer newspaper’s June issue. And while the irreverent countercultural movement reached mainstream success with the likes of Chappell Roan and RuPaul’s Drag Race, it’s also being coopted and diluted. “Trump supporters are commending one another for ‘serving cunt,’” Long writes. “How…
Tampa rock band Florist set to kick off the last week of concerts at Crowbar
It has begun. Crowbar, Ybor City’s go-to rock club for the last 20 years, closes next Friday, and Florist kicks the final week off in loud fashion. “All gas and no brakes,” Mike Amador, drummer for the homegrown hard-rock band, told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay about the show, promising a dance party along with big…
After nearly 35 years, Tampa’s Kim Bros. Korean market closes this weekend
After roughly 35 years, Tampa Korean market Kim Bros. will close its doors after this weekend—but it’s not the end of its story. Jin Cha, one of the owners, and the woman responsible for making the killer kimchi so many have come to love, told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that while the lease is up…
Cynthia Nixon to officiate lesbian weddings in St. Pete for Bride Pride
The star will officiate Bride Pride, an “all-girl” wedding and renewal ceremony, happening Feb. 21 to cap off Winter Pride St. Pete. The ceremony will attempt to set a Guinness World Record for the “World’s Largest All-Girl Wedding and Renewal Ceremony,” organizers said in a press release.
Florida Democratic Party votes to oppose property tax amendment
The Florida Democratic Party has voted to formally oppose Amendment 3, the measure designed to expand the homestead exemption for non-school property taxes and set the state on a path towards eliminating those taxes. A statement released by the party Monday said members adopted the position over the weekend amid concern the amendment would remove…
Florida disaster fund spent more on immigration than all 2025 missions combined
The DeSantis administration spent nearly two-thirds of Florida’s emergency fund last fiscal year on fighting illegal immigration, dwarfing spending for severe weather, international rescues, and other emergency missions for which the fund was created. State records show that the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the agency in charge of the so-called “Alligator Alcatraz” and “Deportation Depot”…
Tampa’s ‘Opill Palooza’ will distribute free birth control pills on Sunday
Giving birth can cost tens of thousands of dollars without insurance, and the cost of raising a child to adulthood recently went up 10%. But there are options. Opill has already expanded access to birth control, and anyone with questions about the daily oral contraceptive can probably get them answered this weekend in Tampa. Tampa…
Chicano indie-soul band The Altons book short Florida tour, including stop in St. Petersburg
The average age for members of The Altons can’t be more than 32 years old, but the Los Angeles band’s sound is much older. The quartet, as vocalist and guitarist Bryan Ponce explained to the L.A. Times, is unmistakable product of East L.A. where weekends on the street are often soundtracked by parties blasting anything…
In Tampa City Council race, Candice Cowen already has endorsements from state reps and school board members
Since announcing her run for Tampa City Council last month, Candice Cowen is off to a significant start. The Tampa native running for District 3 leads in campaign donations, with $9,875 as of the last reporting period, as well as earning endorsements from State Rep. Michele Rayner, State Rep. Dianne Hart and Hillsborough County School…
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s improved lion and hyena exhibit opens this week
The stroll through Busch Gardens’ Edge of Africa used to be a surefire way to come face-to-face with lions and hyenas, but the Tampa theme park closed the area before 2025 for renovations to the space first opened in the late-’90s. The improvements are finally done, and representatives for Busch Gardens Tampa Bay said that…
Photos: Tampa activists call for justice after ICE kills two people in a week
Two killings nearly 2,000 miles apart—and one death much closer to home—brought about two dozen protesters to Tampa City Hall last Sunday, just ahead of afternoon thunderstorms. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Maine killed Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero on July 13, less than a week after agents in Houston killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during…
Tampa icon Wright’s Gourmet House will open new locations in Brandon, Wesley Chapel
Two years have passed since longtime South Tampa favorite Wright’s Gourmet House was sold to the Caspers Company, and now the iconic sandwich shop and bakery will bring its popular sandwiches and sheet cakes to the suburbs. According to the Tampa Bay Business Journal, Wrights will open two new 15,000-square-foot locations—one at 328 Brandon Town Center…
Florida’s back-to-school tax ‘holiday’ starts today, here’s what’s included
Unlike in prior years, Best Buy has set up in advance a webpage linking back-to-school deals tied to Florida’s month-long sales tax “holiday” that begins Monday. “Cancel the deal hunt. We’ve got you covered,” the page states with links to laptops, desktops, computer accessories and calculators. Representing the Florida Retail Federation, Amanda Bevis credited lawmakers with making…
Florida property tax proposal could leave counties with $420 million in Medicaid costs, says economists
With a potential cut in property tax revenue looming for Florida’s counties, other costs are on the rise. The state’s top economists this week agreed that Florida’s 67 counties will be on the hook for nearly $420 million of what the state will spend on Medicaid this fiscal year. Miami Dade ($69,356,749,) Broward ($34,672,150), Hillsborough…
‘It’s absolutely within reach’: Pete Buttigieg believes Florida Democrats can win in November
A series of special and local election victories over the past year have boosted Florida Democrats’ confidence they’ll continue that winning streak into the November midterm elections. But with more than 1.5 million more registered Republicans than Democrats in the Sunshine State, it won’t be easy. Pete Buttigieg acknowledges that reality. The former Department of…
A British soccer showdown comes to Tampa next weekend
The game, scheduled for July 25, is part of TEG Sport’s 2026 USA Summer Tour bringing the champions and Premier League to American Fans following the FIFA World Cup.
Three Michelin-adjacent restaurants coming to Tampa Bay, Southern Brewing says goodbye, and more local food news
OPENINGS/CLOSINGS Lumbre, the latest restaurant from local Michelin-starred group, opens in Tampa this week A new modern Spanish concept from the folks that brought you Michelin-starred Rocca, Michelin-recognized Bar Terroir, and Michelin Bib Gourmand Streetlight Taco, is opening this week in the North Hyde Park area. Lumbre, the latest concept from local hospitality group Tastes Pretty…
Tampa Bay’s first Cook Out officially opens today near USF
Popular North Carolina-based fast food chain Cook Out has opened its first Tampa Bay location in Temple Terrace. Located at 5501 E Fowler Ave., the new Cook Out outpost soft-opened Thursday, but officially celebrates its grand-opening today, July 17, in the roughly 3,272 square-foot building formerly home to a Boston Market. Cook Out’s menu centers…
Cat Power tops list of Tampa Bay’s best live music happening July 17-23
Tampa Bay’s live music weekend kicks off in Ybor City tonight, with the return of Cat Power. Two decades after its release, with four records in between it, Cat Power’s 2006 LP The Greatest still reigns the hearts and minds of fans. Named Rolling Stone’s sixth best album of that year (and the 26th best…
Non-Florida students will pay higher public university tuition this year
University of Central Florida trustees approved raising the out-of-state fee imposed on non-resident students by 15% Thursday, following suit of universities across the state. Last year, the State University System Board of Governors gave universities permission to raise out-of-state tuition fees by 10% for the 2025-2026 school year and another 15% for the 2026-2027 school…
Tampa General Hospital signs on to RFK Jr.’s ‘Make Hospital Food Healthier’ pledge
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins came to Tampa General Hospital Thursday to celebrate hospital officials signing on to the Trump administration’s new dietary initiative, the ‘Make Hospital Food Healthier’ pledge, designed to improve hospital food. “It’s really incredible that we’ve been…
Pinellas County celebrates 727 Day with deals and events all next week
Restaurants, bars, shops and local attractions celebrate the 727 area code with over 100 exclusive deals over three days. Discounts on food and drinks, special pricing on tours, reduced museum admission, staycations, spa treatments and more are available through Visit St. Pete-Clearwater’s free mobile passport.
After health scare and UK festival cancellation, Lionel Richie plays Tampa on Wednesday
Lionel Richie was supposed to co-headline the U.K.’s Heritage Live festival next month, but the show’s been nixed after low ticket sales. Hell, American fans were probably worried about getting to see the 77-year-old R&B icon after he postponed two shows due to health scares. The “Endless Love” singer hasn’t said what sidelined him, but…
Florida experimental pop trio LMH plays Clearwater on Saturday
Separately, Steven Head, Eric Lanham and Nick Mendez have always found themselves at the forefront of Florida’s most interesting, rule-bending, experimental pop projects, be it Heavy Mirrors, Moon Jelly or Acoqui (Head), Soda Gong (Lanham), or Nodal and Key Tides (Mendez). Together, they mine dubby, textured bass and rhythms under the LMH moniker. Joining the…
Mr. Nice Guy records founder Jesse Perez plays St. Pete this weekend
The Serious Soul camp always leans heavy into house, but this weekend invites some Miami bass and hip-hop into the mix thanks to Jesse Perez. The founder of Mr. Nice Guy records famous for his pulsating, MPC-driven breakout song “What You Say About My Momma” has remixed many including Dom Dolla, Duke Dumont and even…
Photos: Everyone we saw getting loaded and lectured at the third annual Drunk Tampa History party
History is supposed to be fun, and no one may understand that more than Manny Leto. In its third year, Drunk Tampa History once again sold-out at Shuffle where natives and newbies packed the bar and shuffleboard area for a kind-of-unhinged, and totally transparent look back at the city’s 139-year history. There was beer, bourbon,…
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Jobsite Theater puts on ‘American Idiot’ through Aug. 9 [photos]
Jobsite Theater stages “American Idiot,” the musical, just in time for America’s 250th anniversary and the resurgence of Y2K fashion, a housing crisis and another war in the Middle East. The pop-punk musical, which premiered at the Straz Center yesterday and runs through August 9, explores the faults of post 9/11 America through a critical…
Florida State Rep. Angie Nixon will contest charges for protesting at DeSantis’ office
Rather than pay a fine, state Rep. Angie Nixon is contesting the trespassing charges brought from her sit-in protest outside DeSantis’ office in the Capitol in May when the Republican-controlled Legislature redrew the state’s congressional map. “This is the weaponization of a justice system to punish political pushback,” Nixon told reporters outside the Leon County Courthouse on…
