Florida Democrats once again call on Gov. DeSantis to suspend state’s gas tax
Florida Democrats are again calling for Gov. Ron DeSantis to suspend the state’s gas tax to ease elevated fuel prices caused by ongoing war with Iran. This time it’s not just because of the effect on household budgets, but what it may do to the state’s vaunted tourism industry. “We need to make it easier…
Florida spent $92 million on toilets at immigration sites: ‘We’ve saved taxpayers money,’ says DeSantis
As Florida prepares to wind down the so-called “Alligator Alcatraz” lockup amid high costs and claims that it’s now obsolete, Gov. Ron DeSantis reflected Wednesday on the remote facility’s nine-month run. “We’ve saved taxpayers money,” he told onlookers at an unrelated Brevard County press conference. “We’ve saved taxpayers from medical care and schooling [of undocumented…
Florida officials look to pause sloth imports after 55 deaths linked to failed Orlando attraction
State wildlife officials intend to temporarily halt the importation of sloths into Florida as they reevaluate current permit rules for such exotic animals. The move is in response to the deaths of 55 sloths from South America, which were tied to a scuttled Sloth World attraction in Orlando. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Executive…
Florida lawmakers are divided over education spending, USF Sarasota-Manatee transfer
Budget negotiations over education funding kicked off Tuesday, but the House and Senate remain at odds over major issues, including funding for universities and K-12 schools. The House presented an $8.9 billion plan for the state’s 14 public universities, about $106 million short of the Senate’s preferred budget. Much of the difference stems from the…
The Clearwater home of late jazz legend Chick Corea is now for sale
An estate that belonged to Tampa Bay’s most award-winning and influential musician of all time is now for sale in Clearwater. Located at 2124 Laurence Dr., the home was purchased by fusion jazz pianist and composer Armando “Chick” Corea in 1997 for $825,000. The home’s previous owner was John M. Donovan, the former CEO of…
Florida has spent $460 million on immigration enforcement so far, records show
The Florida Division of Emergency Management spent another $45.3 million for immigration enforcement-related costs, bringing the total for the year to nearly $460 million. According to Transparency Florida, a government accountability website through the executive office of the governor, FDEM filed a budget amendment May 6 notifying the Legislature it was spending $45.3 million out…
Florida Gov. DeSantis signs ‘nearest nickel’ bill
An effort to help businesses handle the end of the penny and a trio of education bills were among nine from the 2026 regular session signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday. The penny bill (SB 1074) allows businesses to round up or down to the nearest nickel in cash transactions. “With this framework, Florida…
Tampa’s historic Arthur Milam mansion on Davis Islands is now on the market
A historic home built for prominent Tampa developer and politician Arthur Yager Milam is now for sale on Davis Islands. Completed in 1926, the Mediterranean Revival estate sits at 301 Caspian St., and was designed for Milam by Franklin O. Adams, who has been referred to by Tampa Bay History Center director Rodney Kite-Powell as…
The List
Visual Arts/Openings 531 Central Fine Arts, 531 Central Ave., St. Petersburg (727-822-2787). Next Stop: St. Petersburg; The City in the 21st Century, along with a group show by the gallery's resident artists, are both featured during Taste of the Arts, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Saturday, May 12. Get a glimpse of the possible future…
CULINARY EVENTS
FOOD Mary Ann or Ginger Vegetarian chef Debby DeGraaff votes for ginger, and shows you how to use it in preparing simple and delicious dishes in this free class, 10-11 a.m. Thursday, May 10, at Nature's Harvest Market, 1021 N. MacDill Ave., Tampa. 813-873-7428. Eat Yourself Healthy Chef Bret and nutritionist/dietician Kristen Hope team up…
Public Life
Estuary Meeting On Tuesday, May 15, 4 p.m., The Tampa Bay Estuary Program's Manatee Awareness Coalition meets to discuss issues pertaining to the Florida manatee, such as improving on-the-water enforcement of environmental and boating regulations and opportunities to establish local manatee protection zones. TBEP has sponsored scientific research into the bay's problems and secured more…
Summer 2001: Sequels Galore
No need to look down at your shoes to see what sort of funky mess you've just stepped in. That overpowering smell is simply the fragrance of the season. Call it Multiplex Summer — a scent as inevitable and unavoidable as the next Adam Sandler movie (which, happily, we won't have to contend with until…
Train Wreck
Topping the news, does Ed Turanchik want to be Tampa's mayor? And, watch for the proposed history museum to go down in flames, as commissioners give the nod to fire stations over elitist corporate welfare. Also in the headlines: We'll hear about how we're likely to choke on dirty air in the county, thanks to…
Planet Picks
Thursday 5.10 Free For All The Tampa Museum of Art is in exhibition overdrive these days, currently touting three shows that you can see for free from 5 to 8 p.m. The American Experience: 20th Century Prints from the Berkman Foundation features works on paper; Seattle Sampler displays gorgeous works by 12 studio glass artists;…
They’ve Got Male
One man remembers being 5 years old and crying when his older sister went off to college. Another recalls pumping gas at a Getty station and seeing a blonde walking past in a tube top: "She's got the goods." A man who grew up with four sisters remembers "six million five hundred twenty-eight bobby pins"…
Spins
Bob Marley & the Wailers/Catch a Fire: Deluxe Edition 1973's Catch a Fire was the first step in Bob Marley's rise to international superstardom. It was the group's debut album for England's Island Records, whose owner, Chris Blackwell, saw in Marley an image he could sell to the worldwide rock market. Up to that point,…
Freebie of the Week
Everybody likes monkeys. They're evil, smelly and generally repugnant beasts, but still lots of fun to watch. Why? Because monkeys represent the primal urges that we, as civilized adults, cannot act upon. But what if we could? The result would probably be something close, but not quite, to the polar opposite of the Community Arts…
Books
My Bloody Life: The Making of a Latin King/ By Reymundo Sanchez /Chicago Review Press/$24 This novel traces Puerto Rican gang culture in Chicago over the past few decades, focusing on the life of Lil Loco, a young boy evolving into a sadistic gangster as the result of a tormented childhood, societal pressures and a…
Music Menu
Roy Carrier The father of Zydeco sensation Chubby is himself a popular concert attraction in bayou country; the accordionist is also the owner of a Zydeco club, The Offshore Lounge, in his hometown of Lawtell, La. The concert starts at 6:30 p.m., and admission costs $7 for Cajun Club members, $10 for the rest of…
Letters to the Editor
Mob Mentality Re: "The Mob" by Scott Deitche (April 26-May 2) A 1996 national survey sponsored by the Commission for Social Justice conducted by Princeton-based Response Analysis Corporation found that 74 percent of all Americans believe that most Italian-Americans are in some way associated with organized crime. Yet a recent FBI study found that less…
Soundboard
<font Thursday, May 10 Events Cajun Cafe on the Bayou Roy Carrier & The Night Rockers Dave's Bar & Grille Roger "Hurricane" Wilson Largo Cultural Center Katt Hefner and The All-Star Band New Place Heritage O.P. Orpheum Mercury Program w/Polline/Isobella Bars/Small Stages AJ's Ale House Sal Beloise Alley Cat's Cafe Diane Bahama Mama's ML2 Beach…
Congratulations!
Ben Eason, founder of the Weekly Planet, was named Community Communicator of the Year by the Tampa Educational Cable Consortium (TECC). The award was presented at a May 7 luncheon at the University of Tampa. Eason was cited for the numerous community projects he has started or aided, including Hillsborough Tomorrow, Speak Up Tampa Bay…
A Raw Deal
Splashing around in my kayak makes me hungry as a shark. And like a shark, nothing will satisfy my appetite but very fresh seafood. I want pink shrimps, or a great grouper sandwich, or most especially, any manner of sushi, from great gobs of toro, cool and silky as butter, to yellow fin tuna. Sushi,…
Renaissance Plan
Politicians and citizens can¡¯t agree how to raise it but the birth of a cultural arts will bring new life to downtown Tampa.
Dining Guide
The following is Weekly Planet's reliable guide to restaurants throughout the Bay area. We hope this bite-size reference will serve as a quality source to aid in your dining pleasure. Because of the extensiveness of the listings, we run alternate lists each week. Our critic dines anonymously and all meals are paid for by Weekly…
Society’s Woman
I was sitting around the other night with some friends, when somehow the subject of the Spice Girls came up. What were the chances, I wondered aloud, that any of these prefab pop tomatoes would ever break from their bindings and become full-fledged songwriters, masters of their own destinies? There were a few bets laid…
Web Site of the Week
Creepy Siteshttp://www.creepysites.com If you want to be a little bit freaked out, Creepysites.com is your Internet one-stop shopping point. Click right up and cruise the bargain basement of odd content from mindsets best described as "slightly disconcerting." OK, maybe "downright wiggy" is a better colloquialism. Not deranged hacked-up body pieces kinda creepy (well, you can…
Outtakes
15 Minutes (R) Robert De Niro and Ed Burns play the pistol-packing good guys on the trail of a pair of mad-dog killers with a mania for videotaping their crimes. Tough, exciting and just off-kilter enough to keep us guessing, 15 Minutes is a thriller that transcends the buddy movie genre and even says a…
Florida AG issues investigative subpoena to NFL over minority hiring rule
Attorney General James Uthmeier isn’t satisfied with the National Football League’s response to his March letter requesting it suspend the “Rooney Rule” requiring teams to interview minority candidates for head coach and other executive and leadership positions. Now, he’s issuing a subpoena to the NFL and maintaining the rule runs afoul of Florida laws against…
