Tampa Bay’s best food & drink events this week, including the Mighty Fine-Late Start Brewing anniversary party
Mighty Fine and Late Start Brewing in Tampa, Florida celebrate joint second anniversaries this weekend; the party is part of this roundup of Tampa Bay’s best food & drink events happening Oct. 8-15.
New restaurant from Food Network star Ray Lampe coming to Clearwater Beach
Ray Lampe, also known as “Dr. BBQ,” is back. After selling the real estate that was home to St. Pete’s Dr. BBQ and Burnt Ends Tiki Bar in 2022, the Food Network star is back behind the grill, this time in Clearwater Beach at his latest concept Squiki Tiki with Dr. BBQ. Located within the…
Tampa Bay’s best new concerts, including Hans Zimmer, Lindsey Stirling, and more
Hans Zimmer has been the driving force behind scores that’ve defined cinema for at least three generations of moviegoers. His concerts have brought that music—think “The Lion King,” “The Rock,” “The Dark Knight,” “Dune” and so many more—but the 69-year-old wants a new tour coming to Tampa to have a different vibe. “I want fans…
V Modern Italian, led by Michelin-starred chef, opens in North Hyde Park
Tampa residents can start booking reservations at a new restaurant, V Modern Italian, on Thursday, Oct. 8
After backlash, GOP withdraw endorsement of Florida Republican accused of child sex abuse
The Republican Party of Palm Beach County has purged ousted Clerk of the Court Mike Caruso, who’s been charged with five felony counts of child molestation, from its list of candidates to support in the midterm elections. Gov. Ron DeSantis, who removed Caruso from office despite him being a close ally, said Tuesday that the…
DeSantis issues State of Emergency for Florida Panhandle as Isaias forms
Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 25 counties in the Panhandle on Tuesday evening, in preparation Tropical Storm Isaias off the coast of Mexico that could hit the U.S. later in the week. The system was known as Tropical Depression Nine at the time DeSantis issued the declaration, but it developed into…
Tampa Bay area author Amaris Castillo grew up in her parents’ bodega, and that’s probably why she was so nice to me
Tampa music critic Gabe Echazabal reflects on his first encounters with ‘Bodega Stories’ author Amaris Castillo.
Tropical Storm Isaias forms in the Gulf, expected to strengthen to hurricane and impact Florida, say officials
Tropical Storm Isaias formed early Wednesday morning in the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to strengthen into a Category 3 hurricane by Thursday, says forecasters with the National Hurricane Center. According to the NHC’s 5 a.m. advisory report, the eye of Isaias is about 285 miles west of Progreso, Mexico moving east-northeast at 8…
Tampa Bay’s community radio station, WMNF, is providing free air time to candidates
Tampa’s 47-year-old community radio station, WMNF, continues its long tradition of providing candidates—not their surrogates—free air time.
Tampa’s Democratic Socialists are canvassing, then going to a soccer game this weekend
The Tampa Democratic Socialists of America (TDSA) aren’t just knocking on doors this month. After a morning canvassing session on Oct. 10 supporting Ashley Herrmann’s run for the Florida House seat for District 69, the local chapter is heading to Ybor City kava bar Spookeasy for drinks before steering the crew to watch the city’s…
Tell me about your new obsession with the idea of having group sex
Tampa Bay area-based advice columnists offer thoughts on a Dan Savage reader who’s become possessed by the idea of group sex.
‘I just need a little push’: Rene’s Mexican Kitchen raising funds after fire damages VM Ybor restaurant
Rene Valenzuela is Tampa’s own phoenix; the 55-year-old chef has risen from the ashes before, and is asking for help to do it again. The V.M. Ybor location of Rene’s Mexican Kitchen was heavily damaged in a fire last Wednesday, Sept. 30. Valenzuela has created a GoFundMe page to support reopening efforts. Valenzuela started Rene’s…
Florida officials bust massive sea life poaching operation stretching from Tampa Bay to Big Bend
State officials announced criminal charges Monday against 10 individuals in an alleged poaching conspiracy involving overfishing of reef fish including grouper, redfish, and snapper, plus protected sea turtles, including hatchlings. The arrests followed an investigation that began in 2022, when a party to the alleged scheme approached an undercover officer, Attorney General James Uthmeier said…
Photos: At University of South Florida’s Tampa campus, Angie Nixon rallies the Bulls
Florida Rep. Angie Nixon brought her campaign to be Florida’s next U.S. Senator to the University of South Florida in Tampa, where she kicked off a student town hall series.
DeSantis signs Florida’s 20th death warrant of 2026, a new record
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed his second death warrant within a week, putting the state in position to exceed its modern-era record for executions in a single year set in 2025. DeSantis on Monday signed a warrant for Jesse Guardado, 64, to be executed Nov. 5 at Florida State Prison for the murder of a Walton…
Federal lawsuit says Florida ICE facility is acting as a de facto civil detention center
A federal class action was filed in Miami Friday against the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and top executives at the agencies, alleging they’re using a Miramar field office as a de facto civil detention center. The lawsuit says the agencies are holding people illegally for days, denying them medicine and medical…
Tennessee’s botched execution should ‘force reckoning’ in Florida, says attorney
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a death warrant Thursday, scheduling James Robertson’s execution for Oct. 13, the same day his administration plans to execute William Lee Thompson. They would be the 17th and 18th executions this year and the second time this year that Florida would execute two inmates on the same day. The governor’s warrant…
DeSantis railed against ‘Defund the police.’ Amendment 3 could do just that
For years, Gov. Ron DeSantis has made support for law enforcement a key pillar of his political identity. He has held press conferences in front of lecterns emblazoned with “Florida Supports Law Enforcement,” signed legislation aimed at recruiting and retaining police officers, castigated the “defund the police” movement and accused political opponents of jeopardizing public…
Coco’s lands in Seminole Heights, Taste of the Beaches heads to Pinellas, and more in Tampa Bay food news
OPENINGS/CLOSINGS New restaurant Coco’s In the Heights plans October opening at Tampa’s old Nebraska Mini-Mart On any given weekday morning at 4 a.m., Tampa’s working class queues up at Coco’s Sandwich Shop in Palmetto Beach, often decked out in reflective workwear, to fuel up for the day. A ten-minute drive away, more get in line…
Florida files lawsuit against Pfizer over COVID-19 vaccine marketing
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a lawsuit Thursday against Pfizer Inc., alleging unfair and deceptive marketing of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. The suit, filed in state trial court in St. Lucie County, also names Albert Bourla, the company’s chairman and CEO. It seeks monetary damages for each violation of Florida law plus an injunction against…
JD Vance to Florida U.S. Senate candidate Angie Nixon: ‘Get the hell out of here. You don’t belong in America’
Vice President JD Vance said in Florida Thursday that it was almost “too easy” to attack the candidacies of the two top Democrats running on the statewide ballot next month, David Jolly for governor and Angie Nixon for U.S. Senate. Yet the political reality is that he was in deep-red Polk County having to campaign…
‘Good enough is not enough for the voters’: SPLC joins call for early voting site in South St. Pete’s Childs Park neighborhood
The Southern Poverty Law Center is joining nearly 50 churches and civil rights groups who signed a letter in March asking for early voting in the Childs Park neighborhood of South St. Petersburg.
‘I was inspired by so many people throughout this journey’: St. Pete artist Palehorse discusses his first solo show in 10 years
St. Petersburg artist Chris Parks, aka Palehorse, marks the 20th anniversary of his art career with two shows—’Shapeshifter,’ his first solo in 10 years, and the ‘Practive Dying’ group show—opening Oct. 10 at Morean Arts Center. He discussed his career, and what’s next, on a recent visit to Creative Loafing Tampa Bay’s CLTV studio.
Tampa Bay’s best food & drink events happening October 1-8, including oysters and Café Clementine coming together at MFA St. Pete
MFA St. Pete hosts another installment of its popular ‘Art After Dark’ series on Thursday, Oct. 8, featuring special menu items from Cafe Clementine, plus Lost Coast Oysters and live music. The event tops a new list of Tampa Bay food & drink events happening Oct. 1-8, 2026.
Taste of the Beaches, offering $10 dishes and drinks at Pinellas restaurants, returns this month
Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce’s Taste of the Beach promotion runs at more than 50 locations from Oct. 3-11, offering $10 tickets for food & drink specials.
Tampa Bay’s best things to do October 1-8, including Tampa City Ballet, St. Pete Night Market anniversary, and more
As previously reported, the Tampa City Ballet is set to launch its much-anticipated “La Septima” production, but that’s not the only thing to get into this week. Tampa Bay’s things to do calendar is full once again, and this listing of the best local events and happenings taking place Oct. 1-8 has dozens of options,…
Tampa Bay’s best comedy shows happening October 2026, including Stormy Daniels, Kevin Farley, and Quinton Greene
Stormy Daniels’ gigs in Palm Harbor and Winter Haven are just part of Tampa Bay’s October 2026 live comedy rundown.
Tampa Bay’s best live music happening October 1-8
Rocktober has arrived, and across the Tampa Bay area, which once again, is blessed with a stellar live music calendar this week. Post Physique’s Diáspora night takes over The Bends on Saturday, while jazz trio La Lucha plays a handful of shows over the next seven days in support of a new album, Tides. Tours…
The last time DeSantis suspended the gas tax was in October 2022, a month before he was up for re-election
State Sen. Tina Polsky, a Democrat from Boca Raton who is exiting the Legislature in November, has revived a remote call for the state to suspend its gas tax. “Florida can’t control every factor that drives gas prices — global oil markets, refinery capacity, geopolitical shocks. But Florida can control the taxes it charges at…
Rising pop hero Caroline Kingsbury to give St. Pete the ‘Shock Treatment’ this month
Friends from Caroline Kingsbury’s past in Florida’s Evangelical church may be shocked to see the throngs of fans devoted to her special brand of pop music, and that’s kind of the point. A 2025 EP, Shock Treatment, is a joyous celebration of queer life that doesn’t dance around the pressures and realities for folks living…
Florida Dept. of Education looks to restrict religious head coverings for employees
The Florida Department of Education is considering a new dress code policy for employees that puts restrictions on religious head coverings, Crocs and short skirts. In a draft sent to employees and obtained by the News Service of Florida, the DOE would require approval for head coverings on a “case-by-case basis for religious or medical…
‘Tides’ incoming when La Lucha plays St. Pete Pier’s Hispanic Heritage concert on Sunday
Tampa Bay area jazz trio La Lucha has a busy week ahead, including this no-cover St. Pete Pier concert happening Oct. 4 as part of the city’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations.
Pinellas County sheriff defends license plate readers after announcing arrests of two officers accused of abusing license plate readers
Local law enforcement agencies in Florida were required to remove Flock-style license plate readers on state-owned land and right-of-ways on Wednesday. Those actions were required after Gov. Ron DeSantis expressed concern about data privacy and misuse of that technology last month. That led the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to issue a memorandum revoking existing…
Tampa Rep. Fentrice Driskell calls for IRS investigation into Hope Florida scandal
Top Democrats in the Florida House are demanding the Internal Revenue Service open an investigation into whether the Hope Florida Foundation and two social welfare organizations that received money from it properly reported the funds to the IRS and, moreover, whether any of the organizations have to pay taxes on the funds. House Democratic Leader…
Tampa Bay songwriter, guitarist, Anthony Santaniello, showcases solo Antro Banks project this weekend
Tampa Bay area songwriter Anthony Santaniello brings his solo project Antro Banks to a local showcase happening at Bayboro Brewing in St. Petersburg on Oct. 3.
Ahead of Indie Night Live, Rohna plays free concert at Saturday’s Tampa Bay Lightning home opener
Rohna, is a fast-rising Tampa indie-rock band but plays to a new audience this weekend when it plays pre-and-postgame for the Tampa Bay Lightning home opener at Benchmark International Arena.
Americana darling Caamp brings punchy new LP to St. Pete this weekend
Ohio Americana band Caamp plays a headlining show in St. Petersburg. Whitney opens at Mahaffey Theater.
New photography exhibit frames University of Tampa in stunning new light
There’s not a local gem that shines quite like the University of Tampa. Now known as UTampa, the former Tampa Bay hotel’s minarets are the definition of iconic and could very well be a mascot for the city. A new collection of photography by Tampa’s own Amy Martz captures what feels like every square inch…
Tampa artist Cory Robinson to make it rain at new ‘Cats & Dogs’ exhibition
Since the summer of 2020, Cory Robinson’s cartoons have had a home in Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. Marked by fresh, bright colors and usually featuring wide-eyed animals often saying off the wall shit, there’s no denying when the former skateboarder’s hand drawn illustrations, paintings and murals are in front of you. For this new solo…
Believers can track Bigfoot and the Florida Skunk Ape at the Safety Harbor Library this fall
Members of the Mid Florida Bigfoot Research Group come to Safety Harbor Public Library on Oct. 10, to share their findings with believers and nonbelievers alike.
Pinellas deputy charged after allegedly searching license plate reader database 300 times for woman he arrested
Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said one of his deputies used an automated license plate reader (ALPR) database around 300 times searching for a romantic interest.
