Sticks of Fire
Who runs it: Citizen journalist and JGLB rock band lead singer Tommy Duncan started Sticks of Fire in early 2004 when he realized there were few (if any) blogs about Tampa, just a bunch in Tampa. Duncan remarked at the time that even he, just "some knucklehead with a computer" who has "zero journalistic education," could report on the news in Tampa Bay. He made a big name for himself and the blog when he picked up a story about a 600-foot-tall twin condo tower project before the daily newspapers had it. (The project ended up not being built.)
Why you need it: Duncan now has a dozen regular contributors on everything from life in Tampa Bay to harder news, such as Sierra Club member Mariella Smith's must-read investigations into how government is ignoring growth management and the environment.

Brand Tampa
Who runs it: Marketing consultant Julia Gorzka launched the social networking site Brand Tampa in mid-2008 because she believed it could "be a model in community building, civic engagement, citizen empowerment and mobilization to collaborate from the bottom-up and literally brand our city and region for all the awesomeness each of knows individually, but we don't know collectively."
Why you need it: Brand Tampa is where Tampa Bay's digirati gather to network, share a good restaurant tip or get job advice. The site is small so far (fewer than 750 members), but it is growing and holds promise.

St. Petersblog
Who runs it: The snarksters at St. Petersblog (the Splog, not to be confused with Saint Petersblog 2.0 written by Peter Schorsch) have never revealed their identities and declined to talk with Creative Loafing on several occasions. Its three contributors are known only by their screen names: Casey, topherchris and brightlight, leading to all kinds of speculation, like the rumor that they are actually mainstream media peeps moonlighting in the land of digital attitude.
Why you need it: First and foremost, it's that attitude. Do you think the Splogsters care what you think? "While we're 98.9% certain that you care more about what you think than we do, you're totally free to test that theory by sending us an email," they write. Second, it covers the 'Burg with a critical eye and a sense of humor. Where else are you going to find blog news posts titled "That Dali billboard pisses me off," "Oh Russell Rhodes, you silly bastard" and "Shit to do this weekend"?

Bay Buzz
Who runs it: The St. Petersburg Times started Bay Buzz last year as a spot for its Tampa Bay political reporters to place breaking news, modeling it on the paper's wildly successful Buzz, which covers Florida and national politics.
Why you need it: Sure, daily newspapers have seen cutbacks in staffing, but the Times still has a few dozen reporters whose beats include or touch on politics, so Bay Buzz is the most authoritative spot for news on local politicians. It is geared toward hardcore political junkies and insiders, however, lacking the depth or breadth on issues that most voters look for.

Pushing Rope
Who runs it: Michael Hussey, a dyed-in-the-wool progressive from Tampa who doesn't stand for bullshitters, be they a party or a politician. He has a handful of like-minded contributors, mostly from outside of Tampa Bay, who write about politics with an occasional nod toward music and pop culture.
Why you need it: Hussey and Co. focus on national politics and foreign affairs, but the occasional piece about Tampa Bay and Florida is worth the wait, like his piece when the speaker of the house stepped down, "Ray Sansom: Man of Values."

March on Politics
Who runs it: The Tampa Tribune's political writer William March, a fixture on the local journalism scene for more than two decades.
Why you need it: If you can't take the steady insider-Tallahassee stream of the St. Pete Times' Buzz, March's blog is for you. He covers politics from Washington to the smallest local cities with depth, context and old-fashioned shoe-leather reporting.

re/creating Tampa
Who runs it: David Davisson came to Tampa in 2006 and started his own blog in July 2008, combining his love of food, politics, the environment, film, books and — as he puts it — "all the stuff on the internet that catches my attention." The Seminole Heights resident is a graduate assistant at USF.
Why you need it: A good overview of lots of the good stuff in Tampa Bay, told through the lens of an interesting man with a background in library sciences, so you know he knows how to look stuff up.

Tampa Bay Business Journal
Who runs it: The Tampa Bay Business Journal, a weekly biz tabloid.
Why you need it: The weekly business newspaper has a robust amount of original information, given its relatively small editorial staff (compared with the major dailies). Understanding the business and political news you can find on this site helps you get a deeper understanding of who's really calling the shots in Tampa Bay.

St. Petersburg Times online
Who runs it: The St. Petersburg Times.
Why you need it: Combines the best of the daily newspaper's top-notch journalism with lots of multimedia, even if navigating it gets tougher and tougher every day.