‘Bit of an overreach’: Florida Gov. DeSantis vetos bill limiting e-bike speeds
Gov. Ron DeSantis has vetoed a speed limit for electric bicycles, a measure that passed the House and Senate unanimously, calling it an “overreach.” The bill would have capped e-bikes’ speed at 10 miles per hour within 50 feet of a pedestrian on ways shared with pedestrians. “Do we really want to have policing of…
Howell Key, an off-the-grid private island in Florida, is back on the market with a $5 million price cut
One of Florida’s rare private islands is back on the market in the Florida Keys, but this time with a significant price cut. Howell Key, which is about a mile offshore from the 25-mile mark in Summerland Key, hit the market this week with a new asking price of $16.9 million. The nearly 10-acre private island…
Everyone who stepped into the photo booth at Tampa’s Meet The Chef’s 2026
While last week saw chef’s from around Pinellas County converge at the Birchwood in St. Pete for Meet The Chef’s, last night it was Tampa’s turn. The Vault in downtown Tampa played host to this yea’s Meet the Chef’s Tampa event, where hundreds of guests and dozens of chefs served and sampled some of the…
Photos: Tampa’s 2026 Meet the Chefs at The Vault
On Thursday night, a drove of people lined up outside The Vault, wrapping around the prestigious building that once served as the Exchange National Bank to embark on the culinary odyssey that is Tampa Bay’s annual Meet The Chefs event. This year, 14 chefs thoughtfully crafted bites for the mini food crawl that absolutely crushed.…
DeSantis signs bill renaming Florida roads and airport after Trump, Charlie Kirk
Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed three bills late Thursday, his first rejection of legislation passed this year, and signed 15 others. Among the bills he signed into law was a measure (HB 33) to name part of State Road 985 in Miami-Dade County after slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, and to name part of State Road…
Crossword junkies unite for a good cause in St. Pete next week
What if, by working on a crossword puzzle, you could help people who are literally at a loss for words? At the fourth annual Word Play on July 1, you can do just that. The Best of the Bay-winning gala benefits Voices of Hope for Aphasia, whose programs support people with language disorders due to…
‘Catch of the Day’ marine-chic ceramic exhibit closing in St. Pete
Sardinecore is so hot right now. Maybe it’s the constant threat of recession, our obsession with protein, or the vague fantasy of a Mediterranean vacation. Ceramicist Nina Samuels explores the commodification of nature in her exhibit, “Catch of the Day,” turning the Morean Center for Clay into a fish market. For Samuels—who moved to the…
New political committee ‘Stop Unfair Tax Shifts’ takes aim at Florida’s property tax cut amendment
Three weeks after the Florida Legislature placed a proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would increase the state’s homestead property tax exemption, a political committee has launched a campaign opposing the measure. Stop Unfair Tax Shifts is chaired by former Leon County Commissioner Bryan Desloge. The committee has unveiled its website, VoteNoOnAmendment3.com, where it…
Bodega Bus arrives in downtown Tampa, Edison Food + Drink Lab takes a break, and more local food news
There’s still time to enjoy Tampa Bay Restaurant Month, with special prix-fixe menus at nearly 60 restaurants and cafes across Pinellas and Hillsborough counties through June 30.
Downtown Tampa’s Bodega Bus is open, now serving chopped cheese, smashburgers, hot dogs and more
Chopped cheese has finally arrived in downtown Tampa. Bodega Bus, the new late night mini-mart and smoke shop with vape, hookah and legal hemp products, has soft-opened at 505 N Franklin St. and is serving a limited menu that includes chopped cheese, smashburgers, chicken and steak over rice, and loaded hot dogs. The halal beef…
The 5 best things to do in Tampa Bay if you’re a ‘former’ Nazi
Were you a self-described Nazi just a few months ago? Are you currently in town for two non-consecutive shows and locked into a binding contract that can only be canceled if there’s a level 5 terrorist threat? Sounds like you might have a day off or two. Well, don’t confine yourself to a stuffy backroom…
Despite being plagued with financial, humanitarian and legal issues, DeSantis hails Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ as a success
‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ the state-run Everglades immigration lockup, is closed, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday, hailing the facility as a success for state and federal partnerships and the Trump administration’s crackdown on undocumented immigration. It lasted just under a year. Joined by Border Czar Tom Homan and Florida Immigration Enforcement Director Anthony Coker, DeSantis claimed the…
Hillsborough County Democratic Black Caucus holds ‘Meet The Candidates’ forum in July
Early voting in the 2026 primary election kicks off in less than 40 days, and the Hillsborough County Democratic Black Caucus wants the public to Meet the Candidates during a July forum in the College Hill Belmont-Heights neighborhood. The forum happens Thursday, July 9 inside two community rooms at the C. Blythe Andrews Jr. Public…
Tampa Bay’s best live music happening June 25-July 9
Tampa Bay’s live music weekend kicks off tonight during “Heightened Senses” in Tampa Heights with a set by producer Bauxmonk, who’s joined by Orlando jazz band Golden Flower and harpist-multi-instrumentalist Seth Adam Lynn inside the Wave & See gallery. A “Divinity” art show with more than a dozen artists is on tap. That show is…
Oracle of Ybor: Is moving back to the city I once loved a mistake?
You asked me if you could move and if you should. If you’re looking to live in a place that’s best for your soul, then yes, you should. But if it were that simple, you would have left long ago.
Tampa Bay theater shows explore America’s fundamental freedoms this summer
If MAGA’s notion of sesquicentennial patriotism is all about UFC matches and rah-rah birthday bashes, many local theaters have a different idea. Three Tampa Bay companies are observing America 250 this summer with plays that raise key questions about the country’s founding principles.
Jazz composer Simon Lasky used his Palladium fellowship money on new work being showcased this week
Since 2021, St. Petersburg’s Palladium Theater has doled out cash as part of a “Creative Fellowship” program for homegrown artists. Pianist and composer Simon Lasky got support last year, and in response, he created new works meant for New York musicians including saxophonist Lucas Pino, trumpeter Dave Smith, drummer Jimmy MacBride, and bassist Peter Slavov.…
Tampa’s Edison Food + Drink Lab closes temporarily
Edison Food + Drink Lab is closing for the summer, the restaurant announced this week. “After 14 years of creating, serving and welcoming you, we are taking a summer break to refresh and dream up something extraordinary,” the Monday post reads. “Thank you for every adventurous bite, every craft cocktail, every moment you trusted us…
SeptemberIsTheOnlyTimeIDontThinkOfYou brings screamo rival to Tampa on Wednesday
The screamo revival is real, and it comes to the skatepark thanks to SeptemberIsTheOnlyTimeIDontThinkOfYou whose 2026 LP, Scars Like Kimberly, includes art reminiscent of early Poison The Well CD-Rs and a sound that certainly harkens to the golden age of ear-splitting emo. Another space bar-averse band, DepartMeFromBearIsland, supports along with homegrown favorite Flowers For Emily…
