Alicia Keys’ Broadway musical opens tonight in Tampa
“Hell’s Kitchen,” which opened March 25 at the Straz Center, tells a loosely autobiographical story of Keys’ upbringing in 1990s Manhattan.
Trump’s unpopularity, high gas prices and more, helped Florida Dems flip two seats, says analysts
Florida Democrats had their best election night in years Tuesday, flipping two legislative seats. Analysts and politicians point to the combination of strong candidates, low turnout special elections, rising gas prices compounding existing affordability issues and the ongoing conflict in Iran, which helped offset the registration and financial advantages of Republicans. Also, historically, an…
New Tempus Projects exhibit gets ‘Awkward’ in Ybor City next week
Wilson starts the conversation with large-scale photographs taken in everyday places, then McCarthy steps in with the “response,” painting directly onto the prints.
In Tampa and Mar-a-Lago, Florida Democrats come up big on election night
Florida Democrats flipped two legislative seats Tuesday night in their biggest election night in years. In the only state Senate election on the ballot, Democrat Brian Nathan, a Navy veteran, union organizer, and first-time candidate, shocked Republican state Rep. Josie Tomkow in the Hillsborough County Senate District 14 contest, winning by just 408 votes, taking…
Democrat Brian Nathan wins special election for Hillsborough Senate seat
It’s been 224 days since Jay Collins resigned to become Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Lieutenant Governor. Tonight, voters in Florida’s Senate District 14 finally have a new state senator. Democrat Brian Nathan, a union leader and U.S. Navy Veteran, scratched out a victory over Republican Josie Tomkow in the special election that wrapped tonight, according to…
Pride of Tampa keeps the LGBTQ+ party alive in Ybor this weekend
The inaugural Pride of Tampa festival spans the whole Cuban Club and its parking lot, with vendors, drag performers and entertainment.
This could be the last LGBTQ+ Pride season for Florida’s government officials
Under SB 1134, the governor can remove public officials who fund, promote, or take official action related to DEI—and private citizens can sue local governments for damages.
Florida adds more measles cases
The number of measles cases in Florida climbed to 140 as of March 14, with seven additional cases disclosed to the Florida Department of Health in the last reporting week. Six of the new cases are in Collier County, in people between the ages of 15 and 19. The seventh case involves a Broward County…
Photos: Poison The Well brings comeback tour to Crowbar in Ybor City
Poison The Well brought a new album, Peace In Place, to Ybor City last night, and there was nothing quiet about it. The Florida hardcore band had not released a record in 15 years, and fans seemed well rested last night when Poison The Well brought its comeback to Crowbar in Ybor City, a venue…
No Kings protests are scheduled across Tampa Bay on Saturday
Thanks to a multi-billion-dollar war on Iran, there’s an Epstein-sized hole in the discourse around Donald Trump lately, but that’s sure to be addressed this weekend across the country for yet another “No Kings” day of action. Nearly a year after the first protest against the authoritarian instincts of the president, libs, concerned Republicans, and…
Creative Loafing readers respond to Grady Judd going woke, a Paramore cover concert, and more
Creative Loafing Tampa Bay’s new experiment in bringing feedback from the mailbag, inbox, and even social media continues. Drop us a line. Facebook responses to ‘Some candidates for Hillsborough School Board agree superintendent should not be an elected position’ (WMNF News) There should be strict nomination requirements involved. A certain number of years teaching in…
Here’s all the comedy clubs and venues in Tampa Bay
The world is on fire. But in many ways, it always has been. Comics have been there throughout time, to help us cope. Here’s a list of clubs and venues in the Tampa Bay area that offer comedy. Times subject to change, and please check the venue for specific showtimes and prices. Don’t see your…
‘We’ll see’: DeSantis won’t rule out another run for president
More than two years after his presidential dreams died in freezing cold Iowa, Ron DeSantis apparently hasn’t closed the door on a future run for president. “We’ll see,” DeSantis told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on the Fox News commentator’s new podcast, Hang Out with Sean Hannity, which is scheduled to drop Tuesday. “I mean, I think that in ’24, like…
Photos: Everyone we saw during 98RockFest at Clearwater’s BayCare Sound
Following a break in 2025, last Friday night saw the revival of 98 Rockfest (stylized “98ROCKFEST”). Though its new home of Clearwater’s BayCare Sound is the smallest stage the fest has ever seen, it still delivered a towering-as-usual alt-rock lineup to a nonetheless packed-out-as-ever, age-diverse crowd.
TLC, Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue are headed to Tampa this fall
It’s time to hang on the passenger’s side of your best friend’s ride—especially if ‘90s R&B girl groups are on rotation in your playlist. Today, TLC, Salt-N-Pepa and En Vogue announced the “It’s Iconic” tour (stylized all-caps), which includes a stop in Tampa this fall. No bustas allowed. Included in the performance lineup are classics…
Interview: Sebastian Bach is still living loud, and he’s bringing his birthday concert to St. Pete
Some rock stars spend their late-50s apologizing for the ’80s. Sebastian Bach is spending his 58th birthday screaming his way through St. Petersburg. On his actual birthday, April 3, Bach brings his Party Never Ends Tour to Ferg’s Pavillion, a fitting venue for a singer who has never been particularly interested in subtlety, restraint, or…
Young The Giant brings new album to Tampa this summer
Whether you sat out or got soaked at Young The Giant’s Gasparilla Music Festival rain set two years ago, here’s your chance for redemption. This morning, the California alt-rock outfit announced that a trio of Florida shows would be added to its upcoming summer tour, with the first one taking place in Tampa. The 42-date…
Tampa Police Department wants taxpayers to pay $2 million for new guns and a robot dog
The Tampa Police Department is hoping to trade one K9 for another with a request this week to donate a German Shepherd named “Odus” to the Newton County Sheriff’s Office in Newton County, Missouri while requesting $213,257.14 for the “unmanned robot dog” Spot. Spot is the name for the German Shepherd-sized Boston Dynamics “agile mobile…
Wu-Tang Clan announces one more farewell tour, with stop in Tampa
Last year, legendary hip-hop crew Wu-Tang Clan embarked on what they claimed would be its final farewell tour. But as they say “cash rules everything around me,” so it appears Staten Island’s finest will bring da’ ruckus one more time. Announced this morning, the “Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber Tour” will come to Tampa’s MidFlorida…
Keya Tama, famous for murals across the globe, brings canvas and tapestry works to Tampa this weekend
Some artists go to art school. Keya Tama had a different education. The now 28-year-old was born into paint jams and skate culture, raised in Cape Town, South Africa, by two teenage graffiti writers, Faith XLVII and Tyler B. Murphy. Tama grew up painting alongside his muralist mother and fine-artist-turned-tattooist father, making it almost inevitable…
Review: Tampa’s Jobsite Theater may have netted a spring blockbuster with ‘The Shark Is Broken’
Steven Spielberg’s mega-popular 1975 shark flick “Jaws” is considered the film industry’s first summer blockbuster. “The Shark Is Broken,” the 2019 play by Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon now playing at Jobsite Theater, is a behind-the-scenes look at the movie’s infamously fraught production—and if the stuffed-to-the-gills crowd at last Saturday’s matinee is any indication, the…
Some candidates for Hillsborough School Board agree superintendent should not be an elected position
Candidates running for the Hillsborough County School Board gathered at the political forum Tampa Tiger Bay Club Friday. Candidates running for Districts 2 and 6 seats discussed issues such as book removals, safety, and teacher pay. They were also asked about their stance on making the Hillsborough superintendent an elected position rather than appointed by…
Michelin-star restaurateur Johnny Tung plans to open ‘Tokyo Swim Club’ rooftop lounge in Ybor City
Tampa is getting a new rooftop hangout, in the same building that’s now home to recently-relocated hospitality staple. Orlando Michelin-starred restaurateur Johnny Tung has plans to open Tokyo Swim Club on the rooftop of Ybor City’s Casa Gomez building, where Tampa restaurant scene staple Mise en Place has moved into the ground floor. That’s according…
New owner of The Bricks in Ybor City shares plans for the restaurant and venue’s future
After buying the property in January, the new owner of The Bricks has shared plans to keep the Ybor City staple open and invest in updating the concept. As previously reported by Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, records from the Hillsborough County Tax Collector show that the deed for the property at 1327 E 7th Ave.…
Gun lobby praises Florida AG over push for ‘nondangerous’ felon gun ownership
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is elaborating on his newly espoused legal opinion that Florida’s ban on felons possessing firearms violates the Second Amendment when it comes to those who have committed nonviolent felony offenses. In a supplemental brief filed Wednesday night, Uthmeier urges the state’s First District Court of Appeal to reverse the conviction…
Tampa Bay’s best live music happening March 20-26
Tampa Bay’s live music weekend has arrived, and it’s pretty gay thanks to a Miss Paramore benefit show in Ybor City on Sunday, and the Tampa Gay Men’s Chorus spring gala on Saturday. There’s more rock, rap, Dunedin’s bring Spring Beer Jam with Oteil Burbridge, and so much more, too. This listing of the best…
Country-Americana king Jim Lauderdale returns to Tampa on Thursday
He brings the Game Changers to the Skipperdome on Thursday.
Arkansas’ latest great hardcore export, Zashed, plays Tampa on Tuesday
Evanescence isn’t the only hard-rock band to make Arkansas proud. Little Rock’s Terminal Nation, plus the late-’90s outfits Burned Up Bled Dry and Kill Order come to mind—and now so does Zashed. A 2023 debut, Pride. Progress. Potential., is an ode to the South that does not pull punches about the region’s ugly history, and…
‘Incoherent’: DeSantis slams Florida sheriffs’ demand for citizenship path for illegal migrants
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday bashed Republican sheriffs and police chiefs for planning to urge the Trump administration to create a citizenship path for crime-free undocumented immigrants, calling the move “incoherent” and ill-advised. “This idea that unless you’re an axe murderer you should be allowed to stay, that is not consistent with our laws, and…
Paramore cover concert and drag show in Ybor City benefits LGBTQ youth
Hayley Williams is trying to fight re-sellers on her upcoming solo tour, but many fans of the Paramore frontwoman are still going to have to sit out. This gig at Ybor City gay bar Disco Pony might bring back memories of the good ol’ days. There’ll be official Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party merch,…
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Wiener Dog Derby, Concrete Campfire, and all the best Tampa Bay events [March 19-25]
Have a look at what’s going down the week of March 12-18, and don’t forget, you can always submit to CL’s calendar.
Nah Dogs gets a dog house, the Chattaway closing and more Tampa Bay food news
Here’s what’s going down in Tampa Bay’s food scene this week.
Tampa’s Armature Works will screen the final ‘Twilight Saga’ movie
Guests can spread out on the lawn for a moody, midweek movie night under the stars to relive the nostalgia and cringe.
Wiener dogs race at Pet Day in Clearwater this weekend
Away from the track, guests can meet adoptable animals, stop by a petting zoo with goats and other small animals, and browse local vendors selling treats, prizes and pet-related goods. Free mechanical bull rides and a 360 photo booth are also part of the line-up.
DeSantis signs bill clearing path to block proposed Manatee County cruise port
A plan to build a cruise ship port near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Manatee County that was strongly opposed by local residents may now be blocked based on a bill signed into law on Thursday by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The measure (SB 302) was sponsored by Sen. Ileana Garcia, R-Miami. It was originally filed…
Ringingling student-produced Genesis fashion show sells out in Sarasota
Before the runway lights come up, guests are invited to an outdoor pre-show featuring a photo area, live figure-sketch portrait artists and other interactive elements meant to immerse visitors in the creative spirit behind the production.
As gas prices spike, Florida Gov. DeSantis says there’s no ‘simple fix’
With average gas prices in Florida approaching $4 a gallon, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday there is no “simple fix” the state could enact. Democrats in the state Legislature have asked the governor to temporarily lift the state’s 23.5-cent per gallon tax on gas. However, while appearing at PIER 22 in Bradenton, DeSantis said he’s…
Antonio Brown’s $4 million bankruptcy home is now for sale in Tampa
A Tampa Bay home that once belonged to beleaguered Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown is now on the market in Odessa. Located at 8609 Dolce Vita Ln., the home was first purchased by Brown in 2021 for $2,925,000, about two months after he re-signed with the Bucs for a one-year, $6.25 million contract. Hillsborough County…
