Creative Loafing Tampa — April 24, 2025

SEEING OFF SCREEN

TAMPA BAY DRAG PERFORMERS WORTH

VEGAN VFRENDLY VEEGAAN N F FR ENNDDLLY Y

PUBLISHER James Howard EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ray Roa

Editorial

MANAGING EDITOR Selene San Felice

FILM & TV CRITIC John W. Allman

IN-HOUSE WITCH Caroline DeBruhl

CONTRIBUTORS Josh Bradley, Kyla Fields, McKenna Schuler, Chelsea Zukowski

PHOTOGRAPHERS Dave Decker

POLITICAL CARTOONIST Bob Whitmore

SPRING INTERN Grace Stoler (apply for fall by emailing clips and a resume to rroa@cltampa.com)

Creative Services

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Jack Spatafora

ILLUSTRATORS Dan Perkins, Cory Robinson

Advertising

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Anthony Carbone

Events and Marketing

MARKETING, PROMOTIONS AND EVENTS DIRECTOR Leigh Wilson

MARKETING, PROMOTIONS AND EVENTS COORDINATOR Kristin Bowman

Circulation

CIRCULATION MANAGER Ted Modesta

Chava Communications Group

FOUNDER, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Michael Wagner

CO-FOUNDER, CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

Cassandra Yardeni Wagner

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Graham Jarrett

VP OF OPERATIONS Hollie Mahadeo

DIRECTOR OF AGENCY SERVICES

Kelsey Molina

SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR Meradith Garcia

ART DIRECTOR David Loyola

DIGITAL OPERATIONS COORDINATOR

Jaime Monzon

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EDITORIAL POLICY — Creative Loafing Tampa Bay is a publication covering public issues, the arts and entertainment. In our pages appear views from across the political and social spectrum. They do not necessarily represent the views of the publisher.

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SATURDAY APRIL 26th • 11AM-3PM

Food Samplings

presented

Additional Experiences:

Be the first to sample Channelside Brewing’s Strawberry Tangerine Beer-mosa brew

Bloody Mary Battle

by Mutiny Vodka

Heat on ICE

Photos by Dave Decker

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Tampa’s Department of Homeland Security office last Saturday in support of two residents they say were kidnapped by ICE.

Families of Frengel Reyes, 24, and Luis Marcano Silva, 26, said they were wrongly deported to an El Salvadorian prison in February. Protesters in Cypress Point Park outside the Tampa ICE office held signs with their photos saying “Bring Them Home.” The protest was part of several local rallies and hundreds of nationwide events for 50501—”50 states, 50 protests, 1 movement.” Tampa joined St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Zephyrhills, Sarasota and Spring Hill in events organized by PSL Tampa Bay, Pinellas DSA and ANSWER Suncoast.

PSL Tampa Bay organizer Leo Gonzalez told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay they haven’t had an update on Reyes and Silva’s wellbeing in over a month. “The last time they spoke to their families was on March 15, a day before they were deported,” Gonzalez added.

Protesters also held signs and spoke out against the Trump and his DOGE department head Elon Musk, as well as in support of Palestine.

Similar protests are likely to pop up again in Tampa Bay for 50501’s next national day of action on Thursday, May 1. See more photos via cltampa.com/slideshows.—Selene San Felice

do this

Tampa Bay's best things to do from April 24 - May 01

Most people don’t need an excuse to bring their dog along for whatever’s going on, and here’s a chance to bring them to the bar—and then some. There’ll be lots of shopping at Seminole Heights’ furball central, Health Mutt (everything is 20% off, and there are crazy bonus wag bags if you spend $150). Its neighboring brewery, Common Dialect, will also pour all day as part of a no-cover, supervised, popup dog park for any humans 21-and-up (pooches must be vaccinated, neutered, friendly and socialized). And if you don’t have a dog, you better believe there will be adoptable besties on site.

Pet Fest: Saturday, April 26. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. No cover. Health Mutt, 5023 N Florida Ave., Tampa. tampahealthmutt.com—Ray Roa

The children yearn for the mines

The Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) just leveled up. The eight-story tall, 10,000-squarefoot dome screen that opened this month makes Saunders Planetarium the country’s second largest. The Digital Dome Theatre’s 8K image technology is sharper, brighter, and more immersive, according to the museum, than its previous 2017-era tech. It now seats more than 300, whereas its previous theater sat 46. Another treat for all the iPad kids: MOSI has added Minecraft Mania to its program lineup for April and May. Kids can build coding skills and gaming strategies in individual, small group and fullteam challenges.

Minecraft Mania: Saturdays through May 10. 1 p.m.-3 p.m. $15-$20. MOSI Education Center, 4801 E Fowler Ave, Tampa. MOSI. org—Selene San Felice

Fuck that oatmeal you’ve been eating every morning. Creative Loafing Tampa Bay’s annual celebration of Tampa Bay’s best indulgent breakfast-lunch combo offerings is back. Everglazed Chicken & Donuts, Oystercatchers, and Latitude 28 are just a few of the restaurants sampling bites, with more restaurants being added to the lineup. Some of Tampa Bay’s best bartenders will also compete for the coveted title of Best Bloody Mary. Portions of the proceeds will benefit Current Initiatives of Tampa Bay, a nonprofit dedicated to community empowerment through programs like the Laundry Project, Hope for Homes Project, and Affordable Christmas initiatives. The VIP option includes entry at 11 a.m. (one hour before general admission), plus passed appetizers and first go at the photo opportunities.

Brunched: Saturday, April 26. Noon-3 p.m. $45 & up. Le Meridien Hotel, 601 N Florida Ave, Tampa. brunchedtampabay.com—Selene San Felice

Bestie fest

NICK CARDELLO

Hakuna frittata

CITYOFSTPETE/FLICKR

Page age

Indie bookstores are in a new gilded age, and the local shops are the center of attention on Indie Bookstore Day, which happens on the last Saturday of April. There are a bunch of ‘em in the Bay area (see more on p. 41) and many celebrate the holiday this weekend. Tombolo Books (St. Pete) welcomes Rob Sanders, author of a new picture book “Book Comes Home: A Banned Book’s Journey!,” while Tampa gets in on the action with the Oxford Exchange next Thursday, May 1 with more than 60 local authors. Most exciting is the first annual Tarpon Springs Book Festival happening Saturday on Court Street. The Gilded Page has gathered close to a dozen locallybased authors are headed to sponge town where readers can soak up talks from the likes of Sarah Penner (“London Seance Society,” “The Amalfi Curse”), Craig Pittman (“Welcome To Florida”), Eliza Knight (“Can’t We Be Friends,” pictured) and more. Get more information on all these events by finding this post on cltampa.com/arts.

2025 Tarpon Springs

Book Festival: Saturday, April 26. 10 a.m. No cover. Court Street in downtown Tarpon Springs. thegildedpagebookstore.com—Ray Roa

A surreally good time

It’s easy to feel under the influence while walking through St. Pete’s Dalí museum, and now the venue is giving patrons a chance to catch a literal buzz while strolling the galleries. Los Vinos de Dalí is a three-hour evening where the museum lets ticketholders stay past closing and sample wine and food all while enjoying full access to the museum—including “The Subversive Eye” exhibit—while enjoying live music and the Dalí Dome. There’s also a Vine & Spirits Vault where ticketholders can win wine and booze, or participate in a live auction. Promotional material says, “Proceeds directly benefit the Museum’s nonprofit mission to preserve and share the works of Salvador Dalí while offering cultural experiences that educate, inspire and enrich our community and beyond.”

Los Vinos de Dalí: Saturday, April 26. 7 p.m.-10 p.m. $160-180. The Dalí Museum, 1 Dali Blvd, St. Petersburg. thedali.org—Ray Roa

Fired up

As trans youth are attacked state and nationwide, some in St. Pete are taking (clay) matters into their own hands. Dakota-Joan Parkinson, one of the best ceramists of the Bay, has spent the last year at the Morean Center for Clay teaching 60 trans and gender nonconforming youth to connect their bodies with ancient forms like clay figurines and cave paintings. The classes were free as part of a partnership between Creative Pinellas and the National Endowment for the Arts. For the exhibition of “trans/clay/ body,” visitors are invited to make clay offerings to a kiln altar in the gallery, as the student artists did before their pieces were fired.

trans/clay/body: Runs through April 27. Wednesdays-Saturdays 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sundays noon– 4 p.m. No cover. Morean Center for Clay, 420 22nd St. S, St. Petersburg. moreanartscenter.org—Selene San Felice

KNIGHT

WHERE TAMPA COMES TO

Doge whistle

Hillsborough

County calls on citizens to work with DeSantis government e ciency team.

By Selene San Felice

Hillsborough County opened applications this month for its new DOGE Liaison Committee to work with the state in examining its operational efficiency.

Gov. Ron Desantis created Florida’s “EOG DOGE” team via executive order last month, according to WFTV, adding that the team “sent letters to local governments asking them to disclose information about their financial health.” The effort is modeled after the office created by President Donald Trump and headed by Elon Musk—now known for slashing government jobs around the country, and then having to walk back its actions.

Now Hillsborough County wants citizens to help with Florida’s DOGE copycat. “This committee serves as an advisory role to the Board and County Administrator in its participation with the EOG DOGE Team,” Hillsborough’s application page says.

The county approved the formation of the committee last Wednesday, looking for a group of business and financial operations experts to advise the Board and County Administrator in collaborating with the state DOGE office.

Five unpaid positions are open for candidates with at least one of the following professional credentials listed by the county: accountant, economist, finance, certified auditor, IT and human resources.

Candidates must live and be registered to vote in Hillsborough County, and cannot serve on another county board unless approved by the Board of County Commissioners. Applications close May 2. Selections will be voted on by the County Commission, which is weighted 5-2 in Republicans’ favor.

Tampa Bay’s Cross-Bay Ferry stops service this week

LOCAL NEWS

Commissioner Harry Cohen, a Democrat, was the only member to vote against it.

“I think there already is a DOGE committee, and it’s called the Board of County Commissioners,” he said during the vote. “We are the ones that make the spending decisions, and in the past, this board has not had any difficulty voting on and making decisions on spending allocations.”

Pinellas County also had a sole Commissioner vote against its DOGE collaboration. Commissioner René Flowers, the Board’s only Democrat, failed to block its resolution “memorializing the process” of the state’s DOGE efforts. Commission Chair Brian Scott will send a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis to initiate a budget and operations review.

Hillsborough’s DOGE Liaison committee will meet monthly and provide written updates for up to a year if Gov. Ron DeSantis’ DOGE team agrees to work together. The committee can extend its conclusion of its work with approval via a majority vote of the Board.

The Cross-Bay Ferry is ending service between Tampa and St. Pete after its vendor rocked the boat with Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties. Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners voted Wednesday to terminate its agreement with HMS Ferries, Inc. The vendor told Hillsborough County in March that it would need to pull the ship used for the Cross-Bay Ferry and replace it with one that would take two hours instead of one to cross the bay.

With no alternative option, HMS agreed to end service on April 30.

The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay it plans to get a new ferry afloat in the fall. The agency said it plans to send a Request for Proposal for a new ferry operator this summer.

Hillsborough County has been sitting on a $5 million federal grant to buy a new boat, which expires soon, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

This was its first season of year-round service for the ferry, which launched in 2019. For the last three years, it ran October through May. The dual-hull catamaran with a capacity of 149 passengers has carried more than 400,000 riders since 2016.

Florida House moves bill forward to allow Tampa Bay Downs to host gambling without horse races

After a Senate committee put the issue on hold, a House panel last week continued moving

forward with a proposal that would eventually allow Florida’s two thoroughbred horse tracks to offer other types of gambling without holding races.

The House Commerce Committee voted 17-9 to approve a wide-ranging gambling bill that includes what is known as “decoupling” for Gulfstream Park in South Florida and Tampa Bay Downs. Under current law, the tracks are required to run races to be able to operate card rooms and, in the case of Gulfstream, slot machines.

Under the bill, however, they would effectively be required to run races for five more years before they could “decouple”—offering the other types of gambling without holding races.

The proposal has drawn fierce opposition from breeders, trainers and other people in the horse industry, who say it would lead to the demise of thoroughbred racing in the state—and

devastate the industry, which is centered in the Ocala area.

Jena Antonucci, a prominent trainer, told the House committee that decoupling would destabilize the industry and be “nothing but a countdown to collapse.”

But Rep. Adam Anderson, a Palm Harbor Republican who has spearheaded the proposal, said parts of the bill such as the minimum five more years of racing would give the industry time to adjust.

Gulfstream supports decoupling. Anderson originally had a stand-alone bill on the issue, but it is now included in the broader gambling measure.

Shortly before the House committee took up the issue Tuesday, the Senate Agriculture, Environment and General Government Appropriations Committee postponed consideration of a decoupling bill (SB 408).—News Service of Florida

GRIFT ARTICLE: Protestor outside a Tampa Tesla dealership on March 29, 2025.

“...we still have a huge environmental problem that’s occurring in real time...”

Clear the air

St. Pete’s Childs Park a ected by Trump environmental justice grant cuts.

By Nada Hassanein/Florida Phoenix

Jabaar Edmond has long advocated for better air quality in his Childs Park neighborhood in St. Petersburg, Florida.

For decades, residents of the predominantly Black neighborhood complained of a persistent gasoline-like odor.

“We had an initiative called ‘Smell something, say something,’” said Edmond, former president of the neighborhood’s association. Residents have long sounded that alarm, blaming the noxious odor on a nearby oil recycling facility.

Last year, the city funded the planting of more than 180 trees across the neighborhood. Trees help battle the urban heat island effect

and filter pollutants, which can mitigate odors and improve air quality. The project was funded by a federal grant from the U.S. Forest Service.

But now, the agency is hindering such efforts, canceling a grant that supports tree-planting in disadvantaged communities.

Communities across the nation are losing federal funds that helped pay for environmental justice efforts designed to mitigate the health effects of pollution and other hazards on historically underserved communities. President Donald Trump’s administration has targeted those initiatives in its drive to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion—or DEI—programs.

“Where it hurts for us is we still have a huge environmental problem that’s occurring in real time that we’re attempting to mitigate,” Edmond said.

Environmental justice refers to equitable access to healthy environments. Federal housing policies and disinvestment in historically segregated communities have been linked to numerous health consequences.

communities that were redlined—a discriminatory practice under which the federal government and banks systematically denied mortgages to residents of minority neighborhoods—have lower life expectancy and more exposure to air pollution and other hazards. Meanwhile, many tribal communities have been the sites of or near mineral mining and oil and gas development.

ENVIRONMENT

Communities of color have been disproportionately exposed to refineries and other sources of pollution. Air pollution is linked to asthma, cardiovascular problems, and lower life expectancy.

Such systematic, disproportionate exposure to industrial pollutants and disinvestment is known as environmental racism. Research shows, for example, that Black Americans living in

The Biden administration awarded grants to help correct those harms, centering environmental justice and climate change across multiple federal agencies. The Justice40 initiative aimed to invest 40% of federal climate, housing, clean energy, and clean water benefits in historically underserved communities.

Now, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin has canceled more

continued on page 21

DIG IN: St. Petersburg’s 2023 Clean Canopy project. CITYOFSTPETE/FLICKR

than 400 environmental justice grants totaling $1.7 billion.

Democrats are accusing EPA of illegally canceling the grants, as many were funded through Biden-era congressionally appropriated funds under the Inflation Reduction Act. EPA canceled the grants as part of sweeping cuts to what the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency task force deem unnecessary spending. In recent weeks, Democrats have demanded Zeldin reverse the cancellations.

The Trump administration has also shut down the EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice, as well as the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity.

State environmental and health departments, regulatory agencies, city and county governments, elementary schools, nonprofits, and tribal communities were among those that received grants. The grant-funded projects had a broad range of missions: They included child lead-poisoning prevention efforts, community air monitoring, tree-planting, and solar energy investments.

“I don’t know how we’ve come to demonize the idea that people deserve to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and have access to environments that are non-polluting,” said Diana Hernandez, associate professor of sociomedical sciences at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. “It’s a big loss, and it’s destabilizing.”

Hernandez, a former member of New York City’s Environmental Justice Advisory Board, researches health, housing, and energy insecurity. Many of her studies focus on communities like the South Bronx, the neighborhood she calls home, where the air is heavy with emissions because multiple highways converge there. Children and adults in the Bronx have higher rates of emergency room visits for asthma than residents of any other New York City borough.

“I grew up in a community of need. It’s officially labeled as an environmental justice community, a disadvantaged community,” she said. “My mom is my next-door neighbor, and so we weekend in the ’hood. We still have our place there.”

The goal of her work has been to elevate the “lived realities of people in communities like the South Bronx.”

“You can’t take care of people if the organizations and agencies that are looking out for their best interests through oversight are gone,” she said

‘A gut punch’

Many grantees, particularly those associated with universities, are hesitant to speak out about what the loss in funds will mean for their projects. “They’re just struggling and trying to figure out, ‘How do we push back in a way that doesn’t put a target on us?’” said Ryan Hathaway, director of environment and climate justice at Lawyers for Good Government.

His organization is leading a pro bono network offering legal advice to hundreds of

groups as well as to state and local agencies whose grants are frozen or canceled. Hathaway previously served under the Biden administration as director for environmental justice and the White House Interagency Council on Environmental Justice.

“It’s still shocking to me to have these interviews,” he said. “We’re talking about whether or not it’s good for children to be able to drink water safely. It just feels like a gut punch.”

Black children, for example, are more likely to have higher average blood lead levels, from exposure to water pumped through lead pipes in older buildings, as well as through lead paint. Lead poisoning can cause irreversible cognitive development damage in children as they rapidly develop.

One of the communities included a historic Black neighborhood near old asbestos factories and at the convergence of freeways and industrial complexes, said Executive Director Jeffrey Robbins. Many residents there struggle with asthma and heart disease, he added.

It’s “sad that we’re at this juncture,” Robbins said. “But we’re going to continue to battle and fight for information and the science behind it, and for the communities that are being impacted.”

ENVIRONMENT

Among the grants targeted for cancellation was a $500,000 award to the nonprofit Childhood Lead Action Project, as well as a $1 million award to Kansas City, Missouri, for soil lead mitigation.

A $14 million grant awarded to Texas A&M University and the Black Belt Unincorporated Wastewater Program aimed to install wastewater

Dr. Lisa Patel, a Bay Area pediatric hospitalist and executive director of the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health, noted that pollution affects babies’ health even before they’re born.

“The children that I worry about the most are the ones that are placed at a disadvantage before they’ve even drawn first breath,” she said. “Fossil fuel pollution crosses the placenta, enters the developing fetus. And so essentially, children are born pre-polluted, and there’s a higher risk of that if you live in these neighborhoods that tend to be systemically divested.”

Patel said that organizations her group’s

treatment systems throughout 17 Alabama counties. In highly documented cases, residents were contracting infections such as hookworm, more commonly associated with developing countries in the global south, amid a lack of proper, expensive septic systems.

CleanAIRE NC, which works to address air pollution across North Carolina, was slated to install 40 air monitors across four low-income white, Black, and Hispanic communities in north Mecklenburg County. But about two weeks ago, the group’s $500,000 grant was terminated. The team had used less than half of the funds, and planned to train “air keepers” to track and monitor air quality.

research has helped are “trying to find ways to ensure that kids can have a healthy start.”

“And that’s the money that’s being taken away,” she said.

Some states have their own environmental justice agencies or laws and have filed motions to challenge the Trump administration’s direction. Others are continuing to lean on their own agency strategies amid the chaos.

The Massachusetts Department of Health, for example, was awarded a $191,000 grant for an asthma control project, another grant targeted for elimination.

In response to an interview request, an official with the state Executive Office of Energy

and Environmental Affairs said in a statement that the agency will “continue to invest in communities facing environmental challenges and extreme weather events.”

“We’re dedicated to promoting environmental justice and equity by breaking down barriers and creating economic opportunities for communities hit hard by pollution and climate change,” wrote Maria Belen Power, the office’s undersecretary of environmental justice and equity.

Massachusetts, New Jersey, and several other states filed a motion to defend a federal chemical accident safety rule. The attorneys general say the rule is a crucial tool to protect vulnerable communities near chemical manufacturing plants.

Continuing efforts

In 2020, New Jersey enacted a landmark lawrequiring the state to evaluate environmental and public health impacts of facilities on overburdened communities. The law mandates permit denials if the facilities cannot avoid disproportionate impacts on the surrounding communities already deemed overburdened by industry. The state also uses an environmental public health and environmental justice tracking tool.

“Our [environmental justice] law and our rules are being appealed before our intermediate appellate court right now. There are some industry players who are concerned that it will scare away business,” Shawn LaTourette, New Jersey’s commissioner of environmental protection, told Stateline. But LaTourette said the state is not pausing its environmental justice efforts in the meantime.

Meanwhile, Hathaway’s group, Lawyers for Good Government, is hearing from many organizations with unfinished efforts.

“Be it EV charging station infrastructure or improving bus idling in the cities,” Hathaway said. “There’s just so many programs that help neighborhoods be better places to live that states and communities were counting on.”

Abigail Fleming, associate director of the University of Miami’s Environmental Justice Clinic at the School of Law, said many groups the clinic works with have had their federal grants frozen, including grants toward air monitoring in Miami-Dade County and cleaner water. “There was so much excitement about some of the future of these projects and what they could conquer,” Fleming said.

For Edmond, the St. Petersburg resident, that momentum isn’t over. “We need to do it with or without the federal dollars,” he said. Stateline reporter Nada Hassanein can be reached at nhassanein@stateline.org.Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com.

PLANET B: Jabaar Edmond says his community will need to get clean air with or without the federal dollars.

Taste the Sunshine:

Blind copy

Emails to Tampa Sen. Jay Collins show governor’s o ce’s push for child labor rollbacks.

By McKenna Schueler

Less than one year after approving a state law that loosened child labor restrictions for minors 16 and older, records show the Florida governor’s office pushed for additional rollbacks behind the scenes that could allow employers to schedule workers as young as 14 to work an unlimited number of hours per week, including overnight shifts.

Emails first obtained by Orlando Weekly through a public records request show that staffers within the Executive Office of the Governor emailed draft legislation to two Republican lawmakers this year who later filed the proposal (HB 1225/SB 918) for consideration during the state 2025 legislative session.

The draft language emailed to bill sponsors, Sen. Jay Collins (R-Tampa) and Rep. Monique Miller (R-Brevard), is nearly identical to legislation that’s currently advancing in the legislature, although not without pushback from some of their Republican colleagues.

The push to weaken child labor law, mirroring similar efforts in other GOP-controlled states, comes at the same time that lawmakers are also considering a proposal that would allow Florida employers to pay young, inexperienced workers less than minimum wage.

“As discussed, please see the Employment of Minors bill language attached and the sectionby-section breakdown for easy reference,” wrote Mary Clare Futch, deputy director of legislative affairs for the governor’s office, in a Feb. 10 email to Sen. Collins.

“Thank you for your willingness to champion this great policy!” she added. The mission of the governor’s legislative affairs office, according to its website, is to “advocate and secure passage of the Governor’s legislative priorities.”

Neither Futch, the governor’s office, nor any other EOG staffer named in emails obtained by Orlando Weekly responded to a request for comment for this story. Metadata on the draft legislation shows the document was first created in November.

Collins, the Tampa Republican sponsoring the proposal in the Florida Senate, is a U.S. Army combat veteran and self-described “big fan” of DeSantis. Miller, the House sponsor, is a freshman lawmaker and self-described conservative “activist” affiliated with Moms for Liberty — a parental rights group that has allied with DeSantis on issues ranging from censorship in classrooms to the removal of LGBTQ+ and racerelated books from school libraries.

“I think every family needs to make that decision for what’s best for them, instead of having the government tell them what’s best,” Miller declared, in defense of her sponsored child

labor-related bill during a hearing last week. Sen. Collins similarly describe the proposal as a way to “stand up for parental rights.”

Child labor to replace immigrants

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a former presidential hopeful who’s declared himself a champion of the parental rights movement, hasn’t exactly stayed silent on the issue of child labor himself. Last month, he made national headlines for publicly pitching teenagers as a replacement for “dirt cheap labor” provided by immigrant workers.

“What’s wrong with expecting our young people to be working part-time now? That’s how it used to be when I was growing up,” DeSantis lamented during a forum in Sarasota featuring President Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan. “Why do we say we need to import foreigners, even import them illegally, when teenagers used to work at these resorts? College students should be able to do this stuff.”

Foreign-born workers make up nearly one-third of Florida’s workforce, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, and are

particularly concentrated in hospitality, agriculture and construction jobs. Trade groups for both the hospitality and construction industries, altogether representing thousands of employers throughout the state, notably lobbied last year for child labor rollbacks amid ongoing labor shortages exacerbated by a 2023 state law cracking down on undocumented immigrants.

Such rollbacks, quietly signed into law by DeSantis last March, included allowing minors 16 and older to be scheduled for more than six days a week during the school year and allowing them to work jobs on construction sites previously deemed too dangerous for minors under state law.

“Florida students that are not sure about their career path deserve the opportunity to explore the construction industry and trades in a meaningful way,” argued Rusty Payton, a chief lobbyist for the Florida Home Builders Association, at the time.

Despite DeSantis’ comments last month about college students being “able to do this stuff,” legislation pitched by his staff doesn’t address college-age workers. The proposal

instead seeks to lift restrictions on the number of hours that minors 16 and 17 years old can work during the school year, thereby allowing them to work unlimited hours and without meal breaks that are currently mandated for them under state law.

Minors aged 14 and 15 who are homeschooled, enrolled in virtual school, or who have obtained a high-school diploma would also be exempted from employment time restrictions, under the proposal. Minors employed by their parents, or in private homes (as babysitters, for instance) are also exempted.

According to background information DeSantis’ staff emailed to Collins and Miller in February, it’s the governor’s position that last year’s changes to child labor law “did not go far enough.”

“HB 49 passed the Florida Legislature on March 8, 2024. It made moderate changes to Florida law regarding hours worked by minors aged 16 and 17 years of age. While these changes will aid in making it easier for minors of this age group to obtain employment, HB 49 did not

continued on page 29

OBEY YOUR MASTER: Tampa-based State Sen. Jay Collins

go far enough to relieve the burdens of employment for this group,” the document, containing background information, reads.

Additional talking points fed to Collins and Miller (who have since parroted these publicly) emphasize that additional reforms will “align Florida law with Federal law,” provide young workers “with more flexibility in working,” and allow families “to decide what is in the best interest of their child.”

The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, a federal law that set a floor on child labor standards, only restricts work hours for minors under 16. Sixteen and 17-year-olds, under the FLSA, aren’t covered by similar restrictions on how many hours they can work, or other protections, like seven-day workweeks. Child welfare advocates in Florida pushed for state lawmakers to strengthen the state’s own child labor rules decades ago.

“I think we need to let kids be kids,” admitted Republican Sen. Joe Gruters, during the first committee stop for Collins’ bill last month.

Florida House speaker Daniel Perez, also a Republican, has similarly appeared reluctant to lift more child labor restrictions.

“Personally … my greatest concern with that is having children work late hours or early hours on a school day,” said Perez, according to joint reporting from the Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times. “I don’t ever want to take that away from our young children, or really any children for that matter.”

WORK IT: Sen. Kristen Arrington thinks DBPR’s waiver system is fine as is.

Critics of Florida’s proposed child labor rollbacks

The proposal originally authored by the governor’s office has faced opposition from progressive student activists, teachers, organized labor and immigrant rights groups that have testified against it. Opponents have cited concerns over young workers’ increased risk for exploitation on the job, amid the state’s failure to establish an agency responsible for preventing wage theft or addressing workplace health and safety issues.

LABOR

Metadata on documents from DeSantis staffers shows that talking points for the child labor legislation were authored by a public policy director within the Governor’s office and the chief of staff for the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), the state agency responsible for enforcing child labor regulations.

The DBPR, an agency that budgets just 10 positions for child labor compliance and spends less than $1 million annually on actual enforcement activity, also grants waivers under current law for parents who wish their child to be exempted from certain child labor restrictions.

“I think the waiver program works as it is,” said Sen. Kristen Arrington, D-Kissimmee, during discussion of the bill last month. “We didn’t hear anyone testify and say they had an issue getting a waiver. I haven’t ever heard anything from constituents, even from my four years serving in the House.”

The House version, sponsored by Miller, has since been revised to prevent 16- and 17-yearolds from working overnight shifts, while also allowing 13-year-olds to begin working during the summer if they turn 14 later that same year.

DeSantis’s office did not respond to a request for comment on whether they support Miller’s amendments to their requested legislation.

“It’s being said, it’s about the parents and choice, but where in the bill does it say parental rights have to be secured before employers can overwork these teens?” noted Alexis Tsoukalas, a policy analyst for the progressive Florida Policy Institute.

Some critics have also brought up connections between child labor rollbacks enacted last year and the Foundation for Government Accountability, a billionaire-funded think tank and Project 2025 contributor that drafted one of last year’s child labor proposals and has historically worked in lockstep with DeSantis to advance certain anti-DEI and anti-worker policies. The group, headquartered in Naples, Florida, has similarly pushed for child labor rollbacks in other GOP-controlled states.

“As you decide whether or not to vote to remove child legal protections in Florida, you should also know that the billionaire funder and CEO of this think tank [FGA] pushing this bill served in the governor’s transition committee and was appointed to Florida’s government efficiency task force by the governor,” said Yenisbel Vilorio, with Six Action Fund, speaking to a panel of lawmakers in the Florida House.

“I ask our Florida state elected officials to do the right thing and not support a bill being pushed by billionaires across the country.”

This story first appeared at our sibling publication Orlando Weekly.

9th & 10th

HAPPY HOUR AT AMSO

Monday - Friday, 4pm-7pm

Saturday 3pm-6pm

$4, $5 & $6 Liquor, Beer & Wine

$8 Hand-Cra ed Cocktails

“From the sourcing to the execution, great care is taken with every step.”

RESTAURANTS RECIPES DINING GUIDES

Changing tides

Safety Harbor restaurant among new additions to Michelin Guide.

By Kyla Fields

For its fourth year in the Sunshine State, the prestigious Michelin guide hosted its Florida awards ceremony, this time at Orlando’s Four Seasons Resort. At roughly 7 p.m. last Thursday night, after an hour of appetizers, handshakes and photo opportunities with tourism boards, the global dining guide started to dish out Michelin stars, Bib Gourmands, and special designations to an eagerly-awaiting crowd of chefs, restaurateurs and reporters.

In Tampa Bay, no new stars were born—but there were bright spots, including previouslystarred Tampa restaurants maintaining their status.

In 2023 and 2024, five Tampa restaurants earned a Michelin star: contemporary Italian eatery Rocca, small-scale omakase spots Kosen and Koya, Scandinavian tasting concept Ebbe and the Tampa Edition’s high-end restaurant Lilac. All those concepts retained their stars.

According to the guide, a star is awarded to “restaurants using top quality ingredients, where dishes with distinct flavours are prepared to a consistently high standard.”

For the first time since the guide’s 2022 arrival in the Florida, restaurants in Pinellas County are eligible to win awards. Unfortunately, no restaurants in Pinellas County snagged any stars or Bib Gourmands during the guide’s inaugural foray across the bridge. Pinellas did have a lot to celebrate, however.

The guide put five of the county’s restaurants on its recommended list, meaning that inspectors think a chef is using quality ingredients for well cooked dishes. “...simply a good meal,” Michael Ellis, International Director of the Michelin (stylized in all-caps) Guide books, explained.

Tides Market—located at 305 Main St.— is the lone Safety Harbor restaurant to earn the designation, and joins St. Pete hotspots IL Ritorno, Sushi Sho Rexley and pan-Asian steakhouse Fortu who also got nods from the guide. Michelin inspectors, who’ve been dining anonymously in Pinellas for months since Visit St. Pete-Clearwater entered into a $90,000-a-year, two-year contract with the guide, lauded the bustling seafood market and full-service restaurant founded by wife-andhusband Mary Kate and Jon Walker.

“From the sourcing to the execution, great care is taken with every step. The menu is large and shows off a Southern edge (fried green tomatoes and pimento cheese pop up throughout).

Kick things off with oysters Bienville, a plate of broiled oysters topped with butter breadcrumbs, house andouille, shrimp, and parmesan, then tuck in to a Po’boy,” they wrote. “You can order one with shrimp or the classic oyster, but one stuffed with fried grouper bites is a worthy order. They’re open all day and offer brunch on the weekends.”

In the Michelin Guide, a “designation” primarily refers to restaurants recognized for their quality, but not necessarily for earning a Michelin star or Bib Gourmand.

The Michelin guide dishes out three levels of ranking when it comes to Florida restaurants: stars—which range from one to three—the secondary Bib Gourmand that recognizes

“establishments that serve good food at moderate prices” and the addition to a localized guide that lists recommended restaurants in a designated area.

Tampa restaurants that currently boast a Bib Gourmand include Gorkhali Kitchen, Streetlight Taco, Rooster & the Till and Psomi, which all maintained their status this year.

Two months ago, the Michelin guide added four new restaurants to Tampa’s “recommended” category, including Big Ray’s Fish Camp, Chef Ebbe Vollmer’s new concept Fisk, Mad Dogs & Englishmen and Cousin Vinny’s sandwich shop— although none of these eateries were bumped up to a Bib.

Cocktail Program, Best Sommelier, Young Chef Award and the Michelin Service Award—with Tampa’s own Tyler Wolfe snagging the cocktail award for Ponte.

And for the second year in a row, the guide showcased its Michelin Green star—given to restaurants that “demonstrate a strong commitment to sustainable gastronomy”; Miami’s Entrenos and Stubborn Seed took that special award home in 2025.

FOOD NEWS

Other Tampa establishments that are recommended by the Michelin guide range from casual sandwich shops like the beloved Supernatural Food & Wine to local institutions like Bern’s Steak House, Columbia and Mise En Place and Water Street hotspots like Predalina and The Pearl.

In addition to dishing out stars and Bib Gourmands at last week’s event, the guide also announced its annual awards of Exceptional

Orlando’s Sorekara also joined Miami’s L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon as one of two restaurants in Florida that boast a two-star status.

While the international dining guide has been around for well over a century, Michelin’s relationship with the Sunshine State is only four years old. Tourism boards in Miami, Orlando, Tampa and now Pinellas County, Greater Fort Lauderdale and The Palm Beaches engage in transactional contracts that bring Michelin’s inspectors to their respective areas.

In Orlando last week, international director of Michelin Gwendal Poullennec said in a pre-recorded video that he hopes that the guide eventually expands to the entirety of Florida.

KIERA ANDREWS

SOMETHING IN THE WATER: Jon & Mary Kate Walker at The Tides.

Fine Food & Cocktails

LOCAL ART

THEATER ART CULTURE

Outside the box

Meet

the Tampa Bay artists pushing the boundaries of drag.

By Selene San Felice

Tampa drag queen Jewels Sparkles made the Bay proud last week when she placed second in the season 17 finale of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” But if you’re only watching drag on TV, it’s time to think outside the box. There’s tons of drag talent in Tampa Bay, including performers considered too fringe by some to compete on “Drag Race.” When you’re done reading about a few of our favorites, grab some cash and get to know them at a show.

Beard necessities

Adriana Sparkle spent last Sunday running back and forth between three gigs in St. Pete, a standard weekend night as one of the area’s most popular drag queens. She’s had tons of opportunities over the last eight years—performing and being photographed alongside “Drag Race” stars, bringing talent to St. Pete as Cocktail’s entertainment director, and even having an award-winning sushi roll named after her.

Part of what makes her iconic is also what makes her controversial—her beard.

Sparkle styles and dyes her beard with the same precision she puts toward the rest of her drag, making it look like a beard is just as necessary to any queen’s look as lashes or lipstick. But the brilliant bristle goes against old school drag’s standard of “female impersonation.” That’s what made her hesitate to start doing drag in 2017. And it’s what lost her a lot of gigs.

“I’ve had a lot of ‘no’s,” Sparkles told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “There’s a couple clubs in Tampa who literally said, ‘Over my dead body. We don’t do that bearded shit.’”

She kept the beard though, and continued honing her look and performances.

“No matter what style you’re doing, you can elevate it to the highest degree if you really try,” she said. “That’s kind of what has put me a cut above the rest. Beard or no beard. I spend way more money on my drag than any other queen in this town. I invest in the art.”

That got her a lot of yeses, including from MariJean Hotel and Cocktail bar owner David Fischer. He chose Sparkle as his entertainment director before Cocktail opened in 2021, and she’s since helped make it one of Tampa Bay’s most popular LGBTQ bars.

Even now that “RuPaul’s Drag Race” has relaxed its standards for drag, a bearded queen

has never competed in the U.S. franchise (though several have been cast in international seasons including U.K. season four winner Danny Beard). But Sparkle isn’t intimidated. She already impressed RuPaul in an encounter at DragCon in 2019.

“She was walking and she turned to double back at me. And then she mouthed to me, ‘You’re gorgeous,’ and I’ll hold that with me forever,” Sparkle said. “I feel extremely confident the minute she lays eyes on me, she’s gonna be like, ‘Oh my god, that was that bitch.’”

Fearce competition

Jelitza Fearce grew up thinking drag was wrong. Raised with minister parents in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Fearce was a closeted teenager in 2004 when she went to an underage night at a local gay bar. She met a friend there who persuaded her to try on drag and everything changed.

“Baby, I thought I was real. I thought I was America’s Next Top Model,” she said. “I used drag as a gateway to come out of the closet, really. Drag gave me the strength to say that I’m gay.”

Jonathan’s new life as an out gay man began, and so did Jelitza’s career as a pageant queen. A week after trying on drag, she won her first competition. She moved to Florida in 2007 and soon after met her drag mother, “Drag Race” star Alexis Mateo. She has since won three national drag titles and is currently reigning as Miss Florida at Large.

“My passion has been pageants because I’m a natural competitor,” she said. “I compete for my goal and I put myself in another pageant. Why? Because when I got started there was no ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race.’”

Like Sparkle, Fearce hasn’t always been represented by the reality show. Lots of plus size queens have competed and done well, but none has taken the crown. For now. “A big bitch hasn’t won ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ because I haven’t made it yet!” she said.

Whether she makes the show or not, Fearce wants Tampa Bay drag fans to show up in person.

“Support your local drag queen because they were here before any mainstream drag went out, and we’re going to be here after,” she said. “We cannot expect other people to do good by us if we don’t do good by us. We have to start at home.”

Dirty magic

Queens aren’t the only performers ruling the drag scene. Drag king Apollo Infinity is known for his dark glamour acts influenced by comics and video games. Like Fearce, Infinity found drag as a way to come out as trans. Even after transitioning, his passion for performing has only grown. “I continued to do the art because I felt like it was important that I could be that beacon of hope for other people that maybe were in my situation,” he said.

That beacon is by no means wholesome. His most well known act is dressing as Mickey Mouse and pulling a rainbow out of Ron DeSantis’s ass. With his production company, Devil’s Den, Infinity lets other underrepresented niche artists flourish onstage.

“There’s so many different pieces of like queer history that are alternatives, such as, like Club Kids and the ballroom scene, where all these marginalized communities built something together,” he said. “It’s important for me to create those types of spaces.”

Kings and nonbinary performers have done well on shows like “Dragula,” but Infinity is aiming higher: to be “RuPaul’s Drag Race”s first king.

“There will be a renaissance at some point for drag king, and I think it’s going to be sooner than later,” he added.

Bringing sixxy back

Sixx Black’s art can’t be contained by the binaries of queen or king. They love being a drag…thing. And audiences love them for it.

Black grew up in Pensacola and became obsessed with makeup artistry from watching his mom get ready for her bartending job.

“She would always drop, like, the most sickening mugs you can think of for special events,” Black said. “I was always sneaking through her makeup and seeing what I can do with eyeliner, and like, what fun shapes and things I could just draw onto my face.”

They were headed to college for theater when COVID hit. But the shutdowns actually helped launch his career. After watching “Dragula”, Black crafted a horror persona inspired by Nikki Sixx from Mötley Crüe and started performing at Southern Nights’ open stages.

Creating Sixx and getting onstage has helped them battle social anxiety a lot of people struggle with post-pandemic. “Being able to put on this character really helps me get out of that shell,” they added. Just as much as Black loves gorgeous makeup, he loves a bloody mess.

“I knew Sixx wasn’t a cartwheeling diva,” Black said. “I will still look pretty, but I will, like, bite the head off a bat. Or staple dollar bills to me.”

More than shock value, Black’s horror acts come from showing people the beauty in not being the norm. “I know that there’s somebody out there who feels just like me, who doesn’t know what groove they fall into…And really, it’s all a lie,” Black said. “There’s no grooves or anything for you to fall into. Just be yourself.”

MOVIES

HEY KITTY GIRL: Adriana Sparkle caught RuPaul’s eye.

SATURDAY, MAY 10 | 2-3 PM HOW TO WEAR A KIMONO KIMONO STYLING & TRADITIONAL JAPANESE DRESS WITH SATOMI HIRANO

SATURDAY, MAY 24 | 2-3 PM MARLY MUSIC PRESENTS WEAVING THROUGH TIME: CROSS-CULTURAL DIALOGUES IN MODERN JAPANESE MUSIC

Want to be More Flexible in Movement and Reduce Pain?

Reasons We Lack Flexibility

• Inactivity reduces flexibility.

• Repetitive muscle overuse in sports like tennis, golf, and running also decreases flexibility.

• Accidents, injuries, or surgery can lead to loss of mobility.

Why Stretching?

• Stretching helps to enhance mobility and range of motion, speed up recovery, and improve posture and circulation.

• Top athletes regularly incorporate stretching into their lives.

• Stretching improves your general wellbeing.

Shelf love: Indie bookstores in Tampa Bay

There are few experiences more serotoninboosting than stepping into a bookstore, breathing in the crisp scent of untouched paper or cozy used paperbacks, and picking out a new read to take home. Find the extended version of this listing at cltampa. com/arts.—Chelsea Zukowski

Back in the Day Books Go-to spot for Dunedin locals offers a curated selection of new and used books and bookish gifts like t-shirts, bookmarks, mugs and socks. 355 Main St., Dunedin. @BackintheDayBooks on Facebook

Black English Bookstore City

Councilwoman Gwen Henderson opened this indie bookshop with a focus on works by Black authors. The selection in Tampa Heights is 98% African American or Blackauthored books with more than half written for children. 401 E Oak Ave., Tampa. @blackenglishbookstore on Instagram

Book Corner Tampa Bay A more than 30 years staple and a go-to spot for those wanting to hunt for vintage and collectible books. 728 W Lumsden Rd., Brandon. bookcornertampabay.com

The Book Rescuers Does what the name implies—rescues books and other mixed media and direct them to new homes. They get new and pre-loved inventory from local shops and libraries as well as donated personal collections. 8325 Ulmerton Rd., Largo. werescuebooks.com

The Book Shack The family-owned shop has been around for over 30 years and continues to stock new inventory every day. Most of its pre-loved books are 75-90% off the original cover price. 14145 7th St., Dade City. mybookshack.com

Book Swap This hidden gem of a bookstore off the busy highway has a large collection of used books and a knowledge staff ready to offer recommendations. As the name implies, it’s also a good local spot to sell and trade. 32840 U.S. Hwy-19 N, Palm Harbor. @bookswappalmharbor on Facebook

Book + Bottle The trendy shop in downtown St. Pete is a bookstore with wine pairings and a wine store where you can also buy books.17 6th St. N, St. Petersburg. bookandbottlestpete.com

Bookends: Literature and Libations

While they anxiously await permit approvals to open in a historic Ybor bungalow, Bookends is busy connecting with the Tampa community through a mobile bookstore. 2208 E 2nd Ave., Ybor City. @ bookendsybor on Instagram

The Gilded Page The cozy-cool small bookshop in downtown Tarpon Springs boasts both classics and the newest popular releases. 123 E Court St., Tarpon Springs. thegildedpagebookstore.com

Mojo Books and Records The largest indie new and used bookstore in the city, Mojo is known just as much for its book restocks as it is for its solid collection of records for sale and cafe. 2554 E Fowler Ave., Tampa. mojotampa.com

Oxford Exchange The luxurious, European-style bistro and bookshop is a destination for both locals and visitors. The shop also frequently hosts book clubs and author events. 420 W Kennedy Blvd., Tampa. oxfordexchange.com

The Paperback Exchange There’s always new inventory posted to social media, and the store’s trade-in program offers up to 50% off used books. The owners are also knowledgeable and supportive of diverse, inclusive reads and efforts to provide safe spaces for the LGBTQ community. 6412 Ridge Rd., Port Richey. paperbackexchangebookstore.com

Portkey Books Possibly the smallest local bookshop in the area, Portkey is a oneowner, one-employee store with a big heart and love for the Safety Harbor community. 404 Main St., Safety Harbor. portkeybooks. com

Steamy Lit The women-owned, South Florida-based Steamy Lit collective expanded north with its first Tampa location. The romance-only bookstore is focused on showcasing authors of color, queer and nonbinary writers and exploring and celebrating sexuality and self-love. 2832 S MacDill Ave. Unit C, Tampa. steamylit.com

The Story Garden When Megan Kotsko left teaching after nearly two decades to raise her son she never imagined one of her longtime dreams would come true. The Story Garden, the area’s first children’s bookstore, opened this year. With new windows, fresh coats of paint—navy blue outside, pale peachy pink inside—and an interior space filled with fresh bookshelves, books and cozy reading spaces, The Story Garden is informed by what Kotsko learned as a kindergarten and first-grade teacher— knowing how to connect with kids and presenting stories to them in an appealing way. 832 14th St. N, St. Petersburg. stpetestorygarden.com

Tombolo Books A community-focused bookstore if there ever was one, Tombolo has become the go-to space for Florida authors to show off their new works and connect with readers. 2153 1st Ave. S, St. Petersburg. tombolobooks.com

Wilson’s Book World The oldest bookstore still open in St. Petersburg, Wilson’s is known for its vast, always growing collection of used books for sale. It’s in a smaller shop now, but there’s always something interesting to be found in the stacks. 535 16th St. N, St. Petersburg. wilsonsbookworld.com

Friday, April 25, 2025

Doors at 8:00 PM, Show at 9:00 PM

Sunny Side South on Seventh @ Crowbar 1812 N 17th St Tampa

$12.49 for Tickets crowbarybor.com/calendar/#/events

Saturday, April 26, 2025 • 5:00 PM - 12:00 AM

TribeFest @ 1920 Ybor

1920 East 7th Avenue Tampa

Tickets start at $25 bit.ly/TribeFestYbor

Saturday, April 26, 2025 • 5:00 PM - 12:00 AM

Reggae Asana w/ Maharri Mystik @ 1920 Ybor

1920 East 7th Avenue Tampa

Tickets start at $25 bit.ly/4iuzRVp

Sunday, April 27, 2025 • 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Chicken Yoga with Yoga Loft Tampa and Ybor Misfits @ Hotel Haya 1412 East 7th Avenue Tampa

$12 General Admission bit.ly/ChickenYogaApril

Sunday, April 27, 2025 • 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Books & Brews @ Ybor City Coffee and Tea Co 1907 North 19th Street Tampa

Free to the public bit.ly/43YPyAk

Saturday, May 3, 2025 • 5:00 PM - 11:00 PM

Cinco de Mayo Tacos, Tequila Fiesta & Bar Crawl @ Centro Cantina

1600 East 8th Avenue #A200 Tampa

Tickets start at $15 bit.ly/3Gki5qA

Saturday, May 3, 2025 • 10:00 PM - 2:45 AM

KSHMR @ The Ritz Ybor

1503 E. 7th Ave – Tampa

Tickets start at $30 bit.ly/kshmr0503

Tuesday, May 6, 2025 • 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Coffee & Referrals @ The Attic Cafe 1920 East 7th Avenue Tampa

$20 GA, $25 at the Door

Thursday, May 15, 2025 • 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM

Ybor Chamber After Hours @ Barriehouse Brewing 1403 E. 5th Ave Tampa

Free for Member, $10 for non-members bit.ly/42JRlar

Saturday, May 17, 2025

Doors at 6:00 PM, Show at 7:00 PM

Eagles Revival Band @ 1920 Ybor

1920 East 7th Avenue, Tampa

Tickets start at $10 bit.ly/1920Eagles

Casa Ybor

Casa Ybor offers unique retail spaces, office spaces, and apartment homes for rent or lease in both newly constructed and lovingly restored historic buildings throughout the vibrant National Historic Landmark District of Ybor City near Downtown Tampa, Florida. casaybor.com La Union Community, connection, and culture come together at La Unión Apartments, where Tampa’s rich history and vibrant future unite. Inspired by the historic social hall once on this site, our Ybor City apartments honor that legacy by fostering bonds among residents, the neighborhood, and the area’s deep-rooted heritage. bit.ly/LaUnionYbor

By Josh Bradley & Ray Roa C CL Recommends

THU 24

C The Handlers The Handlers practice with vintage NASCAR on the TV screen, and it’s not a schtick. Southern to the core, the band—started by Nashville songwriter Riley “Rowdy” Anglen and Tampa’s own JJ Revell—plays loud, catchy country-kissed rock and roll driven by the loud drums of Aaron “Bucky” Buckingham, then complemented by guitars from Connor Udvardy (who techs for Cole Swindell), and Orlando ace John Dorney. The gang plays a weekender that kicks off in Tampa and wraps in Sarasota. (Crowbar, Ybor City)

FRI 25

C Breakaway Music Festival: Fisher w/Knock2/Louis The Child/Isoxo/Celo/ more Last year, Tampa’s version of the independent, traveling EDM festival packed out one of RayJay’s parking lots, bringing in the likes of Zedd and Illenium. This weekend’s party is the third stop of this year’s 12-market run and will see main stage performances from Mersiv (who plays a post-show party at The Ritz Ybor the same night) and Louis The Child, which blew our minds and drew in one of the largest crowds of the weekend at last year’s Gasparilla Music Festival. (Raymond James Stadium Grounds, Tampa)

C Lost In St. Pete: Zeta w/Cardiel/ OnlyOneTwo/Big DeUSA/ABR/American Hollow/Bloody Knucklehedz/Caught Fire/Charli Funk/more On a large scale, there’s not a lot of hard-nosed, DIY St. Pete left to hold onto. Lost In St. Pete is a deviation from that. The festival has long been the culmination of efforts from gritty promoters driven to bring live music lovers face-to-face with loud, mostly homegrown acts. After a year off, the weekend returns (with new nonprofit status) in a scaled-back format that still takes over four stages at two venues over a couple days. “Our mission has never changed - helping to provide platforms for diverse local subcultures, artists, and causes,” organizers wrote. “Now more than ever, it’s important that we come together and support one another.” Highlights on the schedule include hardcore hero Walled City, Tampa rapper Nico Sweet, punk trio Hijas de la Muerte, producer Johnny Champagne, and more. (Pinellas Ale Works and Cage Brewing, St. Petersburg)

C The Ross Strauser Jazz Orchestra: Going to The Sun Fans of big band are in for a treat care of Ross Strauser. The University of South Florida music instructor brings an 18-piece jazz orchestra to Ybor City for the world premiere of a 15-movement suite where he’s flanked by some of the

most talented players in the scene—including James Suggs, Jack Wilkins, Simon Lasky, and James Wall. Jazz fans might as well camp out at HCC, too, since Tampa Jazz Club has jazz guitarist Jack Wilkins (Director of the Jazz Studies Program at USF) for a Sunday matinee. (Mainstage Theatre at Hillsborough Community College, Ybor City)

C Tiny.Blips This weekend is especially heady at Dunedin Brewery. Famous for hosting out-of-the-box acts, with the venue and its neighboring Moon Tower space kicking things off Friday with a set by South Florida producer of lo-fi, future-soul, Tiny.Blips. The whimsy continues with the psych-rock stylings of Art DiFuria’s Photon project, which headlines a show on Saturday and then sticks around to play opener for Brock Butler and Adam Perry of Perpetual Groove. (Moon Tower at Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin)

SAT 26

Busch Gardens Food & Wine Festival: Blackberry Smoke This is the kind of good ol’ Southern rock that makes you want to drink Jack Daniels, smoke cigarettes, and burn a Confederate flag. The Atlanta band has been around since the early aughts and has already achieved what every Southern band hopes for—opening for Lynyrd Skynyrd. Now, they follow acts like Flo Rida, Soulja Boy, Village People and Plain White T’s as a Busch Gardens Food and Wine Festival 2025 headliner. (Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Tampa)

C Pat Travers Band The 71-year-old Canadian guitar icon has been cited by Metallica’s Kirk Hammett as one of the alltime greatest to ever wield a six-stringed axe. Travers hasn’t been to the studio for his own creations in a few years (though he did collaborate on tour and in the studio with Cactus, featuring members of Vanilla Fudge, last year), but his current, two-piece repertoire will perform a headlining, one-off career retrospective this weekend. The gig has been sold-out for ages, so good luck getting in. (Safety Harbor Art and Music Center, Safety Harbor)

C New World 30th Birthday Anniversary Weekend: Pusha Preme w/Will Quinlan & The Bastard Souls/ Carson Cox & The Dark Mercies/The George/Burke Bros./Tribal Style/Geri X/ Urbane Cowboys If you told attendees of the 2017 New World blowout in Ybor City (the original room’s last show at 1313 E 8th Ave.) about a 30th anniversary party for the venue, you’d probably be told through tears to piss off. But eight years down the line, the property just west of Busch Gardens is hosting that exact, weekend-long shindig featuring the current wave of the music scene’s best and brightest names, with a little help from Have Gun, Will Travel’s Burke Brothers, and Will Quinlan, all of whom were there on that final night in Ybor all those years ago. (Music Hall at New World Brewery, Tampa)

THU APRIL 24–THU MAY 01

C Tampa Bay Black Heritage Music Fest: Morris Day and The Time w/ Boney James/Jeff Bradshaw and Friends/Eric Darius/more Tampa Bay’s weekend-long celebration of Black culture is going gray—well, silver at least. For its 25th anniversary, Tampa Bay Black Heritage Music Fest welcomes a synth-pop lord who got memed into infamy thanks to Dave Chappelle (Morris Day), Grammynominated producer, singer-songwriter and rapper Eric Roberson (aka Erro), smooth jazz stars Boney James and Eric Darius, and more as part of a packed, two-day lineup. (Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, Tampa)

SUN 27

C Wilco Ahead of a few dates on Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival tour this summer, Jeff Tweedy and company are debuting a new, “an evening with” format in Florida. Wilco—which is about to issue a deluxe version of its 2011 album The Whole Love—describes the show as two sets, no opener, and an intermission. Its shows typically feature different cuts from just about every one of its albums and releases every night, so a gander at setlist.fm won’t do you any good. (Duke Energy Center at Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg)

WED 30

C Etran De L’aïr w/Rich Ruth Of course Sahel Sounds is based out of Portland. The recording project and vinyl record label is hyperfocused on the Sahel, a zone between the Sahara Desert and the tropical savannas that stretch between Senegal and Somalia. Nigeria’s Etran de L’Aïr released a new LP on the imprint last fall, and 100% Sahara Guitar finds the legends of Agadez making desert blues that are a little less freewheeling or proggy than Mdou Moctar or Tinariwen. Instead, the quartet puts to tape bright,

almost choral, desert blues that’s rooted in the tradition of its home country, too. Minimalist avant savant Rich Ruth opens. (Bayboro Brewing, St. Petersburg)

THU 01

C Amigo The Devil w/Tele Novella The hubbub in local booking tea this month has been this show from folkish metal-billy songwriter Amigo The Devil. Originally booked for Floridian Social, it was moved to Orpheum 32 miles away. Leadfoot Promotions immediately started to coordinate transportation for anyone who would have trouble getting across the bridge, but that didn’t stop a vocal minority from griping about the drive. Meanwhile, the former talent buyer at Floridian explained why his old employer was now focused on special events rentals and weddings. “It was clearly communicated it was no longer going to be a concert venue,” Shawn Kyle wrote. “Also that as the programming and concerts that had previously happened were no longer valued or part of the plan, I was told that my calendar holds and contracts for promoter shows would not be counted upon to be honored.” Now the show is all ages and happening at a staple of the Bay area music scene. (Orpheum, Tampa)

C Remi Wolf w/Dana and Alden Touring her acclaimed second studio album, Big Ideas , Wolf brings her pop party to town and demands one thing from her audiences: “Let your freak flag fly.” “Just go crazy with the outfit and show up ready to kind of just like, shake out all of the demons,” she said in a recent interview with Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “I want everybody to have fun and to really let themselves be free for like two hours.” Read more at cltampa.com/music. (The BayCare Sound, Clearwater)—Selene San Felice

See the full version of this listing at cltampa. com/music.

The Handlers

JEREMY MYERS

CHOPS JAM SESSION

LOW COUNTRY BOIL

Maybe he’ll go fi shing while he’s in town, but Tampa is finally going to get a taste of BTS this summer. Jin, a member of the K-pop boy band, announced his first-ever solo world tour today, and there are just eight American dates—including two in the Bay area.

A press release says the tour title, “#Runseokjin_EP.tour” (stylized in callcaps), is a spin-off of the 32-year-old’s variety YouTube series “Run Jin.”

“As the series comes to a close, Jin expressed his desire to continue connecting with fans by meeting them in person. In this way, the title is also a representation of Jin running to meet ARMY (BTS’ official fandom) around the globe through the upcoming tour,” the release added. Other American cities on the tour include Anaheim, Dallas and Newark.

Mr. Worldwide Handsome is famously an anti-celebrity celebrity, who pursues happiness unapologetically through his music and content—despite BTS’ massive global popularity (the band’s net worth stands at $3.6 billion, according to GQ).

In addition to music and content, Jin also plays an employee on a Netflix show”Kian’s Bizarre B&B,” a role where you’d never guess he was part of the biggest group in the world.

Five Eight Friday, May 9. 7 p.m. $16. Crowbar, Ybor City

Whale Feral w/George Pennington Friday, May 9. 8 p.m. $15. Music Hall at New World Brewery, Tampa

TOTS 4 TEACHERS

J Alvarez Sunday, May 18. 11 a.m. $35 & up. Hard Rock Event Center Pool at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tampa

DC The Don (opening for Eem Triplin w/ Melody of a Memory) Saturday, May 31. 8 p.m. $25. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg

Doug Martsch (opening for Modest Mouse) Tuesday, June 10. 7 p.m. Sold out. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg

Doctor P B2B Flux Pavilion Friday, June 13. 10 p.m. $15 & up. The Ritz, Ybor City

The Aquabats! w/Koffi n Kats/Mike V and The Rats Thursday, June 19. 6 p.m.

$26.50 & up. The Ritz, Ybor City

Jazz Is Dead: Adrian Younge (with a 10 piece orchestra) Friday, June 27. 7 p.m.

$25. Bayboro Brewing Co., St. Petersburg

Jessie Reyez w/Raahiim Tuesday, July 15. 7 p.m. $55 (resale only) & up. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg

Pablo Cruise w/Firefall/Pure Prairie League Thursday, July 17. 7 p.m. $38.75 & up. Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater

Big on loving yourself, Jin’s solo song “Epiphany” preaches a message of loving yourself, while others like “Super

showcase his love of fishing.

Information regarding tickets to see Jin of BTS play Amalie Arena in Tampa on Saturday-Sunday, July 26-27 was supposed to be released on Tuesday, April 22, after our press deadline. See Josh Bradley’s weekly roundup of new concerts coming to Tampa Bay below.—Ray Roa

3rd Annual Clearwater Smooth Jazz Jam: Dave Koz w/Brian McKnight/ Peabo Bryson/Jonathan Butler/more Friday-Saturday, July 18-19. 7 p.m. $63.75 & up. Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater

Maye Friday, July 18. 7 p.m. $20. Crowbar, Ybor City

Mystery Skulls Wednesday, Aug. 20. 7 p.m. $20 & up. Crowbar, Ybor City

Little Big Town w/Carter Faith Friday, Aug. 22. 7 p.m. $31 & up. MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa

Kolohe Kai Saturday, Aug. 23. 7 p.m. $35 & up. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg

Reversal of Man w/Gillian Carter/ Thrull/Yield To None Sunday, Aug. 31. 5 p.m. $25. Crowbar, Ybor City

Franz Ferdinand Tuesday, Sept. 23. 8 p.m. $35 & up. The Ritz, Ybor City

The Legendary Pink Dots w/The Orbit Service Wednesday, Oct. 15. 7 p.m. $20. Music Hall at New World Brewery, Tampa

Cole Swindell w/Priscilla Block/Greylan James Saturday, Oct. 25. 7 p.m. $39.50 & up. The BayCare Sound, Clearwater

The Mars Volta Saturday, Nov. 1. 7 p.m. $54. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg

Tuna”

APRIL 25

DOGS IN A PILE Jannus Live

APRIL 27

THE DEAD SOUTH Jannus Live

MAY 14 ASKING ALEXANDRIA The Ritz Ybor

MAY 21

CHASE SHAKUR The Crowbar

MAY 24

JOE KAY

The Orpheum

MAY 30 REVEREND HORTON HEAT Jannus Live

JUNE 17

LIL POPPA The Ritz Ybor

MAY 14 THE DAMNED Jannus Live AUG. 12, 2025 NOV. 1, 2025 Jannus Live

Wage war

By Caroline DeBruhl

Dear Oracle, I don’t know why I’m still at my job. What started out as traveling for a few days a month has turned to weekly out-ofstate or international travel, sometimes for weeks at a time. A shakeup at the top has left me performing more work without additional pay and curtailed my expertise in the fi eld into becoming a glorifi ed sales rep. I am paid very well, but I’m never home, I’m always exhausted, and I think my physical health is deteriorating. They have laid off so many people already and I wish they would just lay me off too! I’ve started a second job that is FAR more relaxing, and I could transition to it full time, but it would be about 25% of my current salary, and given these times… I don’t know what to do. Can the cards advise? Burnt out Beyond Belief

Cards: Nine of Swords (reversed), Ten of Wands, Knight of Wands (reversed), The Chariot (reversed), Queen of Pentacles

Dear BBB, before I get to the cards, some general advice: if there’s a good chance that you’ll get laid off and/or fi red, and that includes some sort of severance, wait it out. Anything that will allow you to still collect some money or allow you to fi le for unemployment before you have to dip into your savings is good, in my book. However, if it looks like they’re going to tie you to the mast as the ship sinks, feel free to jump.

I absolutely believe you when you say you’re beyond burnt out. With the Nine of Swords reversed, I think the job has been an anxietyinducing mess that makes you feel trapped, and with the Ten of Wands, I think you’ve been shouldering this burden for a long time. And, judging by your letter, of course it does! The physical act of traveling—even for pleasure—can be exhausting, and to do that weekly, to be out of your home for weeks at a time, ruins any chance of having a routine and sense of normalcy. You don’t get to have much of a work-life balance if your life is halfway around the world.

I do think you need to leave this job, but I think you can. As the Knight of Wands, I think you can take control of your life and passions and see a way through. And with that bulldozing energy of The Chariot, once you know what you want to do, you’ll plow ahead into it.

But some downtime between jobs might be what you need.

I don’t know your financial situation, what your salary or savings look like. But you mentioned this nice, part-time job you have that you could work full time but take a 75% pay cut. However... with minimum wage at $30K a year, that would put your current salary somewhere in the six figures.

And with the hardworking and fi nancially savvy Queen of Pentacles, I do wonder if, with your part-time job and savings, you might actually be able to take some time off and rest.

It might not be possible, but if you sit down and create a workable, living budget that allows you to spend a month or two doing absolutely nothing, I encourage you to take it. I think you need to mentally and physically rest after this job before jumping into the next, and I think that time will allow you to figure out which direction you want to go in. Best of luck, my dear.

Dear Oracle, I know this is the academic equivalent of “Should I try heroin?” but…should I go to grad school?—Early-30s Cliché

Cards: Four of Swords, Five of Wands, Queen of Cups, Ten of Pentacles (all reversed)

Dear 30s, if I had infinite funds, I would be three grad degrees down by now and looking towards a fourth. I’ve always loved learning and grad school is just hanging out with equally obsessive nerds and talkin’ shop. It’s great if you’re following a passion of yours…

a lot of time, and unless you are bequeathed a huge amount of no-strings funding, you usually have to balance it with working a job and having a life. Academia can be cutthroat, bureaucratic to a fault, and, the way the current administration is playing it, in grave peril. But it can also be incredibly rewarding and enriching.

If you go, you’ll experience both. The Five of Wands suggests warring all the time—either against the clock, against the program, against Sally Mae—and being reversed suggests that this struggle may plague you the entire time of your program.

But, as the Queen of Cups, you would fi nd your work fulfi lling and even fall in love with your subject deeply.

Send your questions to oracle@cltampa. com or DM @theyboracle on Instagram

But love isn’t all we need—not for relationships, not for careers, and certainly not for grad school.

Of course, you can always apply and see how you feel if you get in, but if you’re on the fence, perhaps wait an admissions cycle and see.

Which, I’m not sure is the case here. With the ego-removal of the Four of Swords plus the familial legacy of the Ten of Pentacles, I do wonder if this is something you are drawn to on your own or something that, perhaps, a parent may have suggested (or something you thought would impress them.)

Grad school, like parenthood, is something I think you should only go in for if you REALLY want it because it’s so fucking hard. It takes up

I do strongly suggest you devote some time to studying your subject on your own, either with online lectures or reading theory or whatever would let you explore the subject from a different angle. That might be all you need to scratch that itch, or it might cement your decision to study in a more formal setting.

Whatever it is, you have time. (Maybe not in this country, but surely in another.)

See more of Caroline and learn about her work at carolinedebruhl.com.

Quickies

By Dan Savage

How does one find the clitoris? I’m told the clitoris is not hard to find—go north, young man—but if one tries to find it and one fails, one should pull over (or pull out) and ask for directions.

If someone tells you to “do whatever you want,” should you? Someone who says that and means it is eventually going to say it to the wrong person and get hurt; they’re a danger to themselves. Someone who hears that and takes it as license to do whatever they want is a danger to others. So, a decent person—by definition— wouldn’t do whatever they wanted to someone who told them to do whatever they wanted. And seeing as you’re a reader of mine, I’m hoping you’re a decent person. P.S. People who say “do whatever you want” don’t mean it. What they mean is this: “I’m too embarrassed to ask for what I want, so I want you to guess.” Never guess.

Instruct me on what I need to know about trying tantric sex with my boyfriend. There’s only one thing I can tell you about tantric sex: You’ll have to ask someone else, as I don’t know the first thing about it.

I’ve been with my partner for eight months now. I’m a quite small woman and seem to be even smaller down there, which means there’s much I can do in the bedroom without getting hurt. We have tried different positions but more than half cause me to bleed or be so that we’re left with maybe three positions that work. I can see he gets frustrated with being limited. Is there any way to make myself slightly bigger to give him more room to have fun? Most straight couples experiment with different positions before landing on a few that work for them—positions and angles of penetration that work best for their bodies during PIV— and those positions become their go-to/default positions. There are lots of ways two people can enjoy each other prior to having PIV in a position that is pleasurable for both partners; two people can also enjoy each other (and get each other off) without having penetrative sex. If your boyfriend is pushing you to have PIV sex in positions that are painful for you, he’s a selfish asshole and you should DTMFA. Should a woman “prep” every time before doing anything anal—even just a plug? A woman who can’t tolerate even a chance of mess should “prep” (read: douche) before anal; if someone is into anal but squeamish about mess, he should ask his female partner to prep and show his gratitude for the effort with something other than his dick. As for butt plugs: since they don’t go in and out during sex, they don’t require prep. If you’re concerned about what a plug might look like when it comes out, head to the bathroom once the fun is over and remove it on your own.

I went to HUMP! 2025 Part 1. I want to know more about the mud pit used in one of the films! Is that wrestling pit open to the public? What kind of mud is that? Why is it so hot? “The magical muck in our pit is pure kaolin clay, which we buy in bulk from ceramic supply stores,” said MuddyBuck, co-creator and co-star of “Pit of Pleasure,” one of the more than 20 brand new HUMP! films now touring the country. “It’s skin-safe, silky smooth, and creates that perfect viscous consistency that lets bodies slide against each other in the most delicious ways.” While the mud pit featured in “Pit of Pleasure” isn’t open to the public, the team behind Pit of Pleasure hosts private sessions for vetted folks at their home base. “Anyone interested in joining the Brotherhood of Mudsters can slide into our DMs,” said MuddyBuck. “As for what draws us to mud play, it’s the ultimate body-blurring experience. The boundaries between you and your partner literally melt away as you’re coated in this primordial goo. It’s like sensory deprivation and sensory overload simultaneously —perfect for kinky minds who get off on that liminal space between self and other.” HUMP! 2025 Part is on tour now! Find out when HUMP! is coming to a city near you, watch the trailer, and order tickets at HumpFilmFest.com!

SAVAGE LOVE

Gay anal virgin! A finger is OK, anything bigger just hurts. I really want to get fucked! I don’t want to try poppers! Suggestions please! Get some butt plugs! And dildos! Ranging in size! From a little bigger! Than your finger! To a little bigger! Than your goal dick/dicks! Don’t come unless you’re plugged for the next three months! Create a powerful association between having something in your ass and getting off! Then find a patient, understanding dude who wants to be your dildo! There to get you off! Not there—at least not at first—to get himself off! Is “I’m not sure that’s the vibe” a good way to tell someone that a friendship probably won’t turn sexual? When you say, “I’m not sure that’s the vibe,” the other person should hear, “I’m not sexually attracted to you and nothing sexual is going to happen between us.” But someone in the grip of dickful/clitful thinking can easily misinterpret conditional statements/ phrasings meant to soften the blow. So, when you say, “I’m not sure that’s the vibe,” the other person might here, “I’m not sure RIGHT NOW that’s the vibe BUT THAT COULD CHANGE SO KEEP TRYING.” Likewise, when someone says, “I’m not in the right place for a relationship,” the other person might here, “I’m not in the right place for a relationship BUT I MIGHT BE SOON SO KEEP TRYING.” If you tried to gently let someone know it wasn’t going to happen and it didn’t work… you’ll have to try again, less gently and more bluntly.

“PrEP works best if you take it at the same time every day. You may want to take PrEP before or after a daily activity, like when you eat breakfast, or when you brush your teeth before bed. To help you remember, keep your pill bottle where you will see it.”— PrEP User Guide, NYC Health

What is proper etiquette at a play party when you’re propositioned by a couple and you’re into one of them but not the other? “If a couple is obviously playing together at a party, you should assume that’s the deal on offer,” said Ali Bushell, author of “The Sex Party Handbook.” “When the couple seems to be a package deal, then you need to be OK with accepting both of them, even if you prefer one more than the other. So long as the partners are engaging with you in a way that’s okay for you, accepting the ‘package deal’ may work for you—but if one person is so out of your zone of comfort that you can’t engage with them both, just say, ‘Thank you but no thank you, have fun,” and politely move on.” Ali Bushell is a therapist, author, and public speaker and the host of “The Healers Guild” podcast.

Best advice for your first threesome? Decide what’s on the menu and don’t add anything—don’t reopen negotiations—during the threesome. Make sure your third knows this is your first time, tell them what’s on the menu, and ask them if that sounds good to them. And remember: if things get awkward, it’s better to break for some ice cream and a quick check-in convo than to attempt to power through.

How do I keep my boyfriend satisfied when he is more experienced than me? I have only had sex with him. He said the sex was so bad at first that he almost ended things with me because I’m so inexperienced. It’s hard to act sexy because I don’t feel sexy. What do I do? I think you should take your boyfriend at his word—you’d be better in bed if you were more experienced—and go fuck some nicer guys, some hotter guys, some guys who wanna build you up (and get you off) instead of tearing you down.

My regular hookup continues to paint me. Should I call it quits? Does your regular hookup know you’re bothered? If they know and it keeps happening… that’s on them: they’re not taking reasonable steps to prevent painting or they’re taking those steps and they’re not making a difference or they get off painting your dick. But if they don’t know it bothers you—if you haven’t told them—that’s on you.

How do you find a no-strings-attached JO partner? JO parties are a good place to start! To find out more about JO clubs and the men who attend them—men who are, by definition, looking for no-strings-attached JO partners—listen to my interview with Paul Rosenberg, founder of Rain City Jacks, on the Savage Lovecast.

How can I give my boyfriend a prostate orgasm and convince him to let me try? I’m a woman, he’s a man, and he’s reluctant to let me do this. If your boyfriend is reluctant because he doesn’t enjoy anal stimulation that much—if he doesn’t truly love anal stimulation—you’re not gonna be able to give him a prostate-stim-only orgasm, which even guys who love anal have difficulty achieving. So, you might have to let this go.

Could you help with the timing of eating, anal douching, and sex? I don’t feel sexy when I’m hungry. Douche a couple of hours before play and have something light to eat an hour before play and you’ll be fine.

Is it OK to drink pee for someone’s kink?

Trump hasn’t issued an executive order barring it—but you might not want to wait, as there’s no way of knowing what he might screw up for us next.

My new boyfriend doesn’t talk during sex. I love some verbal communication. How do I ask for it? Not only are we likelier to get the things we want when we ask for them, you’re modeling the very behavior you want to see—you’re communicating with your boyfriend verbally about the verbal communication you want to see from your boyfriend. Ask him! Use your words!

What’s a reliable rimming technique? Go deep or go home.

Does PrEP need to be taken at the same time every day? Let me Google that for you:

I’m a divorced bi woman in a sexual relationship with someone I met less than six months ago. Due to recent life circumstances, I have decided to enjoy casual sexual encounters for the time being. I was completely upfront with this one guy but sensed him getting attached, so I reiterated that I have no intention of being exclusive to him. There’s a woman I’ve seen for many years on a much less frequent but also casual basis. Do I need to disclose this other connection to this man? It would mean disclosing my bisexuality as well You’ve been clear about keeping things casual, but it doesn’t sound like you’ve been clear about the fact that you’ve been fucking someone else over the last six months. I think you should make that clear. If you don’t want to disclose your bisexuality— and barring reasonable fears for your safety, I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to—you can tell him you have other partners without specifying their gender.

Does duct tape work wonders in the bedroom? Bedroom, bathroom, warehouse— if you’re into duct tape, it works wonders in all sorts of places.

Got problems? Yes, you do! Email your question for the column to mailbox@savage.love! Or record your question for the Savage Lovecast at savage.love/askdan! Podcasts, columns and more at Savage.Love

Legal, Public Notices

Notice of Public Sale Notice is hereby given that the undersigned will sell, to satisfy lien of the owner, at public sale by competitive bidding on www.storagetreasures.com. ending

on May 9, 2025 at 10:00 am for units located at Compass Self Storage 1685 Hwy 17 N Eagle Lake Florida 33839. Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at time of sale. All Goods are sold as is and must be removed at the time of purchase.

Compass Self Storage reserves the right to refuse any bid. Sale is subject to adjournment. The personal goods stored therein by the following may include, but are not limited to general household, furniture, boxes, clothes and appliances, unless otherwise noted. Unit 3067 Kentelia Dupree, Unit 3174 Mikaela Brooks. Run dates 4/24/25 and 5/1/25.

Notice of Public Sale Notice is hereby given that the undersigned will sell, to satisfy lien of the owner, at public sale by competitive bidding on www.storagetreasures.com ending on May 9th, 2025 at 10:00 am for units located at: Compass Self Storage 2291 S. Frontage Rd, Plant City, Florida 33563. Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the time of sale. All goods are sold as is and must be removed at the time of purchase.

Compass Self Storage reserves the right to refuse any bid. Sale is subject to adjournment. The personal goods stored therein by the following may include, but are not limited to general household, furniture, boxes, clothes and appliances, unless otherwise noted. Unit 1095 Alysha Williams. Run Dates: 05/01/2025.