‘Tampa Bay Reporter’ news website to celebrate launch with Friday party at Ferg’s
A new news website, Tampa Bay Reporter, went online in late-September and celebrates its official launch with a party in St. Petersburg on Nov. 6, 2026.
‘St. Pete Reads!’ literature festival returns in November and includes authors from across the US
In its fifth year, the St. Pete Reads! Lit Fest returns to Woodson African American Museum on Nov. 7, 2026.
Music from the fringes of Florida’s music scene comes to Dunedin for November ‘Unusual Noise’ festival
On Nov. 7, 2026, the ‘Unusual Noise’ festival, funded by a grant from Creative Pinellas and Visit St. Pete-Clearwater, continues Dunedin Brewery’s tradition of bringing Floridian music from the fringe to live music fans.
DeSantis blames low GOP voter turnout on lack of urgency from COVID-era parents
He said he doesn’t think Republican parents in their 30s and 40s are turning out in the same numbers as they did for his reelection because the urgency isn’t the same when the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic was still fresh.
Polls show Amendment 3 falling short, can Ron DeSantis save it?
Ron DeSantis was in Crystal River Wednesday, ostensibly to announce that his administration was providing an additional $100 million to restore and protect Florida’s water resources across 45 projects. However, he spent nearly half of his press conference making the case once again for Amendment 3, the proposal on the statewide ballot that would cut…
Chad Chronister has been noticeably silent about Amendment 3—he also received more financial support from Florida Realtors than any other Tampa Bay sheriff
Last Monday, over 40 public safety leaders, including local police chiefs and three sheriffs, gathered at the Tampa Firefighters Museum to urge voters to reject Amendment 3. Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister, an elected official who leads the area’s largest law enforcement agency, was noticeably absent. “Amendment 3 slashes and cuts and burns,” said Polk…
Tampa Bay’s Halloween concert lineup includes ‘Zombie Prom,’ emo covers show and more
Peace Cult’s ‘Zombie Prom’ tops a list of Halloween concerts happening from Oct. 30-Nov. 1, 2026 across Tampa Bay.
Finally, masked Alabama surf-rock band Daikaiju is playing Tampa on Halloween
Daikaiju returns to Tampa where it’ll play a special brand of surf-rock on Oct. 31, 2026.
‘Pelican,’ the new skateboarding photo book from Tampa Bay photographer Adam Hadden, is set for release in November
Tampa Bay skateboarder, photographer and videographer Adam Hadden spent more than four years collecting the photos for his new book, ‘Pelican,’ which he completed in partnership with Jimmy Lannon.
Amendment 3 would slash Florida’s health safety net. But no one knows what that will look like
Last year, the Indian River County Hospital District helped pay for 230,000 medical visits, counseling sessions, prenatal checkups and other care for roughly 27,000 people, about 1 in 6 county residents, who otherwise couldn’t afford it. It paid for Meals on Wheels for seniors who can’t drive, dental and mental health care for children, hospice…
‘Promises have been broken’: Hillsborough College changes plan for temporary on-site campus serving students displaced by Rays stadium
At a closed-door meeting with students and faculty on Oct. 27, 2026, Hillsborough College President Ken Atwater details a change in plans for students who were told that they would have a temporary on-site campus while the Tampa Bay Rays built a new stadium.
Emo Night Tampa Halloween concert features bands covering Paramore, Amyl and the Sniffers
The beloved Emo Night Tampa series stages its annual Halloween concert on Oct. 31, 2026, this time featuring. bands covering Paramore and Amyl and the Sniffers.
Meek Mill is playing downtown Tampa’s big ‘Nightmare on Channelside’ Halloween concert
Meek Mill is part of a ‘Nightmare on Channelside’ concert happening in Tampa on Oct. 31, 2026.
Off the wall psych-jazz band Doom Gong plays Tampa brewery concert in November
Doom Gong, a genre-blurring psych-rock and jazz band, plays a Tampa concert on Nov. 5, 2026.
Hillsborough County Fair, complete with a demolition derby, opens November 5
The Hillsborough County Fair, opening in Dover, Florida on Nov. 5, 2026 and running 11 days, includes affordable family activities.
Tampa activists will hold ICE protest this Sunday in Ybor City
The Bay area, especially Tampa, was built on the backs of immigrants. And politicians love to talk about them. On the campaign trail, Republicans talk about deporting them, regardless of whether they’ve violated a criminal statute. Some Democrats toe the line, trying to convince moderates that they believe in borders while also pandering to progressives.…
It’s a good weekend to try one of Tampa Bay’s many ghost tours
There’s no shortage of haunted places across the Tampa Bay area. Here are five you can visit before Halloween.
Ybor City Live Nation venue vote delayed, but developers are cleared to relocate casita and grand oak tree
Tampa’s Barrio Latino Commission delayed a final vote on a controversial proposal for a music venue at its Oct. 27, 2026 meeting, but also approved the relocation of a grand oak and casita that stand in the way.
St. Pete’s iconic Coney Island Sandwich Shop has been closed for years, now it’s available for lease
After first opening in 1926, the Barlas family permanently closed Coney Island Sandwich Shop in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. Since then, there have been a couple attempts to re-open the iconic restaurant, but now the Barlas family is ready to become landlords and give someone else a shot.
Tampa Bay’s best things to do, October 29-November 5, including a cypress swamp talk with NatGeo photographer Mac Stone
National Geographic photographer Mac Stone will discuss a new book (‘Cypress: The Last Old-Growth Swamps’) at the Tampa Bay History Center on Nov. 4, 2026. The event is part of this listing of Tampa Bay’s best things to do, October 29-November 5, 2026.
Seminole Heights BBQ spot Wicked Oak will be on Guy Fieri’s ‘Diner, Drive-ins and Dives’ next week
Wicked Oak Barbeque is getting the Guy Fieri treatment. The popular Seminole Heights spot, located at 6607 N Florida Ave., announced on social media yesterday that it will be featured on Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.” “We’ve been keeping a bit of a secret y’all. Wicked Oak is going to be featured on Diners,…
Florida AG sues property risk-assessment company, claims it markets ‘fear to advance a climate activism agenda’
Florida has sued a company that issues climate change assessments of property risks including flooding that the state alleges are deceptive, deviate from the federal flood insurance assessments, and are depressing home sales. First Street Technology Inc., the complaint filed Friday alleges, posts “alarmist” risk data and “is marketing fear to advance a climate activism…
Photos: The Linda Lindas play Tampa Orpheum
The Linda Lindas, a Los Angeles punk band, made a Tampa debut during an Oct. 25. 2026 concert at Orpheum.
There’s no cover at this Plant City farm where fields of marigolds are in bloom for Festival de Cempasúchil
Plant City’s Sanchez Farms Santa Maria Tepos Farms hosts the Festival de Cempasúchil daily through Nov. 2, 2026.
Creative Loafing voting guide 2026: Electing David Jolly is 100 times better than living through more DeSantis-flavored government
Progressive Democrats might all be holding their noses voting for David Jolly (who didn’t quit the Republican Party until 2018 and waited until last year to put another capital D on his name), but the fact is that the stench coming from the governor’s Cabinet is putrid. Up and down the ticket, Florida deserves new…
Over 2.8 million votes cast in Florida’s general election so far
The first weekend of early voting being available in every Florida county pushed the number of votes cast for the Nov. 3 election towards 2.8 million, more than 20 percent of the turnout in the prior midterm election in 2022. While most counties started offering the in-person option at the start of last week, it…
Fundraiser for Rene’s will include free food and beer from Tampa favorites like Mise en Place, Streetlight Tacos and more
Last month, popular V.M. taco spot Rene’s Mexican Kitchen was heavily damaged in a fire due to issues with a circuit breaker, and since then the community has been rallying to help owner Rene Valenzuela get back to business. On Friday, Nov. 6 Spaddy’s Coffee Co. in Seminole Heights will host a massive fundraiser for…
The best new concerts coming to Tampa Bay, including Andy Grammer, The Casualties, Cold Steel and more
Taste of Pinellas just announced two parts of its lineup coming to Tropicana Field this spring, but Andy Grammy and Old Dominion are just part of this new roundup of new concert announcements coming to Tampa Bay. Punk elder The Casualties is also on the way back, along with one of Tampa’s finest new hardcore…
It’s a race to the top of the trash heap in the NFC South
Don’t look now, but … the Bucs are only two games out of first place in the NFC South. One of the teams tied for first place is the Carolina Panthers. This is the same team the Bucs just gave an absolute shellacking to on Sunday afternoon during a 43-13 victory. Frankly, the game was…
Oracle of Ybor: I keep getting my heart broken by these dudes, and I don’t know what’s wrong with me
Dear Oracle, This Venus in Retrograde has been brutal for me, and I’m really not OK. I’m looking for a serious relationship and have been for a long time, but I’ve had so many past (and current) partners who don’t want to commit to anything. I keep getting my heart broken by these dudes, and…
Tell me about how your big belly is affecting your performance in bed
Hello, Carly and Claire! I’ve run into what I call a “little big problem” in my marriage. My wife and I have been married for 27 years, and overall we have a very beautiful marriage!! She is truly the light of my life!! OK, Let’s address the elephant in the room… me.!! I’ve gained 114…
Princeton Review ranks St. Pete’s WECX No. 4 college radio station in the US
The student radio station at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg was recently named the fourth best in the country by The Princeton Review. When I visited the small studio on a rainy October afternoon, I was a bit surprised to hear “Daytripper” by The Beatles on the studio monitors. “My parents in general really did…
Tampa is set to get a professional women’s basketball team, but it’s not the city’s first try at bringing pro hoops to town
Earlier this month, the Jacksonville-based women’s professional basketball league Upshot (stylized all-caps) announced that it will be awarding an expansion franchise to the city of Tampa for the 2027 season. The announcement of the yet-unnamed team marks not the arrival, but the return of women’s professional basketball to the city. More than four decades ago,…
Creative Loafing voting guide 2026: Tampa Bay’s Florida State Senators
Creative Loafing Tampa Bay’s 2026 voting guide includes recommendation and endorsements for Hillsborough and Pinellas voters choosing a state senator.
Creative Loafing voting guide 2026: St. Petersburg City Council, mayor, referendums and charter amendments
Creative Loafing Tampa Bay’s 2026 voter guide includes recommendations and endorsements for St. Petersburg’s city council and mayoral races, plus the referendums and charter amendments.
Creative Loafing voting guide 2026: Pinellas state representatives, county commission, and school board
Creative Loafing Tampa Bay’s 2026 voting guide includes recommendations and endorsements for Pinellas state representatives, county commission, and school board.
The Trump-Epstein bookmobile is coming to Tampa Bay next week
President Donald Trump is mentioned in the Epstein Files over 38,000 times, so it makes sense he tried his best to block the release of documents that show him rubbing elbows with the worst sex pests on the planet. To further educate the public on this topic, the Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Memorial…
Creative Loafing voting guide 2026: Hillsborough County Commission, School Board and referendums
Voters in Hillsborough County have a unique opportunity to shape their county government for generations, especially on county commission. Six seats are up for grabs, and there’s a referendum that could increase membership from seven commissioners to nine, with an increase to 11 members once the county has a population of at least 2.5 million;…
New elevated Mexican spot opens in downtown Tampa, St. Pete gets a pinball bar, and more in local food news
OPENINGS/CLOSINGS New pinball bar The Lucky Flipper coming to downtown St. Pete this winter That deaf, dumb and blind kid is probably old enough to enjoy a beer. So if you’re looking to play a “mean pinball” in The Edge District (stylized “EDGE”), then The Lucky Flipper might be your new spot. The new St.…
New pinball bar The Lucky Flipper coming to downtown St. Pete this winter
That deaf, dumb and blind kid is probably old enough to enjoy a beer. So if you’re looking to play a “mean pinball” in The Edge District (stylized “EDGE”), then The Lucky Flipper might be your new spot. The new St. Pete pinball bar will open at 915 Central Ave., within the former 1,600-square-foot venue…
Creative Loafing voting guide 2026: Hillsborough and Pinellas congressional seats
Click here to see CL’s complete 2026 election endorsement guide. U.S. House, District 12 (Hillsborough): Kimberly Overman It was a bit of a surprise to see The Tampa Bay Times recently “recommend” incumbent Republican Gus Bilikrakis over Democrat and former Hillsborough County commissioner Kimberly Overman. In the write-up, the Times referred to Bilikrakis as “effective,”…
Creative Loafing voting guide 2026: Florida’s Constitutional Amendments
Creative Loafing Tampa Bay recommends three “No” votes on the 2026 Florida Constitutional Amendments,
