American Stage’s latest tops list of holiday theater in Tampa Bay
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Tampa Bay's best things to do from December 11 - 17
Street treats
Will it be in the delightfully chilly-50s or depressingly lukewarm-80s for this year’s Hot Chocolate Run? It’s still too early to say, but the chocolate at the finish line will still be sweet either way. Tampa is one of 17 cities nationwide to host this race sponsored by Sketchers, with 5K, 10K and 15K options all starting and ending at the Cotanchobee Fort Brooke Park. If running (or paying to) doesn’t sound like fun, it’s free to cheer on athletes along the route, which goes over the Platt Street bridge and along the always scenic Bayshore Boulevard. The Hot Chocolate Expo is also free and open to the public the day before at the Florida State Fairgrounds.
Sketchers Hot Chocolate Run: Sunday, Dec. 14. $59-$79. Cotanchobee Fort Brooke Park, 601 Water St., Tampa. hotchocolate15k.com—Selene San Felice
Peas, peas, peas
ArtisTree Gardens (stylized “ArtisTREE”) is teaming up with Keel Farms for a sustainable meal to celebrate the deliciousness of local farming. ArtisTree, founded by musician, beekeeper and gardener-farmer Nick Ewing, curates public and private immersive experiences centered around sustainability and education, with a focus on locally-grown food, wellness and creativity. Its “gardinners” showcase ArtisTree’s zero-waste, regenerative practices within its network of local farmers and at its gardens in Temple Terrace. The next “gardinner” includes pairings with fruity Keel Farms wines at the farm’s Osprey View venue on Lake Thonotosassa. The prix fixe menu includes Peruvian-inspired ceviche made from Florida snapper and grouper and a garden cassoulet with options of lamb and rabbit or pork and chicken. There are also vegan and vegetarian options, along with several fruit and veggie-centric menu items.
Osprey View Gardinner: Thursday, Dec. 11. 6 p.m.-10 p.m. $150-$175. The Osprey View, 11501 Thonotosassa Rd., Thonotosassa. artistreegardens.com—Selene San Felice
C/O NICK EWING
Mad good
The last eleven years for Angry Chair have included two moves, a handful of disgruntled neighbors, thousands of beers poured, and absolutely no Jenga. Co-founder Ryan Dowdle has spent more than a decade leading a brewery known for its cynicism, but he’s still got a soft spot for the people who have kept it going. “After 11 years of Angry Chair, what we’re most proud of isn’t just the beer—it’s the people behind it,” Dowdle told Creative Loafing. “The bartenders who know your drink before you sit down, the brewers who chase ideas that shouldn’t work but somehow do, the kitchen, the cellarmen, and the folks who open, close, scrub, lift, fix, pour, and care. Our staff is the backbone of every pour and every story that’s happened here.” He continued, “We’ve watched strangers become regulars, regulars become family, and wild concepts scribbled in the margins become beers people still talk about. We built a place that’s unapologetic, a little rough around the edges, unafraid to push hard and take risks— and we’re still here, still fighting, still proud. Eleven years later, we owe that to the people who show up: the staff and the community that never stopped choosing us.” For its anniversary, the Southeast Seminole Heights brewery is releasing a special barrel-aged bottle.
Angry Chair Anniversary: Saturday, Dec. 13. 11 a.m.-11 p.m. No cover. Angry Chair Brewing, 4101 N Florida Ave., Tampa. angrychairbrewing.com— Selene San Felice
Reel story
The heart of St. Petersburg, which is now a clearing of asphalt, once had a pulse. A documentary released last February brought that story to local audiences and continues to gain momentum. Homegrown documentary “Razed” will breathe life into the Gas Plant District’s 86 acres once more this year at the James Museum. Directed by Roundhouse Creative’s Andrew Lee and Tara Segall and produced by St. Petersburg historian and former Gas Plant resident Gwendolyn Reese, “Razed” tells the story of the historic Gas Plant District, a historic Black neighborhood that became collateral in the City of St. Petersburg’s pursuit of a major league baseball team. On top of hosting more screenings of the documentary’s director’s cut, the “Razed” team is preparing to share a new version of the film that centers communities that have shared a similar fate with the Gas Plant District.
‘Razed’: Tuesday, Dec. 16. 6-7:30 p.m. $10. The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art, 150 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. gasplantfilm.com—Alisha Duroiser
Oh snow
Just as Ben Wyatt’s failed “Ice Town” haunted him in “Parks and Recreation,” Tampa has its own history of frozen failure. In 1958, an attempted “Snow Show” became melty mayhem in downtown. The eight-day event included covering Franklin Street in icy “snow,” a five-story ski slope, ice skating, the nation’s tallest Christmas tree and a Snow Queen contest. And it literally all went wrong. For the Tampa Bay History Center’s “History as a Joke” series, comedians Johnny B, John J. Murray and Matt Fernandez of “3 Ugly Mugs” join the History Center’s Rodney Kite-Powell to look back and laugh at one of the worst/greatest moments in city history.
“History as a Joke: Snow Show”—Tuesday, Dec. 16. 7-8 p.m. $10. Tampa Bay History Center, 801 Water St., Tampa. tampabayhistorycenter.org—Selene San Felice
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Doctor’s orders
Hillsborough Commission candidate Neil Manimala
talks
transit, compassion, bipartisanship and Wawa.
By Valerie Smith
Dr. Neil Manimala, 35, has watched Valrico grow from orange groves and two-lane roads to an area with nothing but golf courses for greenspace. He learned to drive on the congested stretch of State Road 60 that runs through Brandon. Now, the USF-graduate and urologist wants to join the county commission to address the sprawl and the traffic that has become emblematic of east Hillsborough County.
“I can only do so much as a urologist,”
Manimala told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “People can’t even make it to their appointments, because they missed the bus in south county by a minute. If they’re worried about keeping a roof over their head, they have to decide between that versus making it into surgery the next day.”
The public transit and affordable housing advocate has raised over $100,000 in his bid to unseat Donna Cameron Cepeda, a Republican elected in 2022 who has since voted to reduce affordable housing and lobbied for reduced public transparency of county commission activities. She was also among the commissioners who did not sign a 2024 Tampa Pride proclamation. The two will fight for the District 5 seat in November.
Manimala said he believes in the dignity of every person and that he operates from a place of compassion. “There are issues like traffic, affordable housing and healthcare coverage that ensure citizens are taken care of and aren’t fundamentally partisan issues.”
During CL’s interview, Manimala routinely circled back to public transit. Congestion, he said, could be helped by fewer cars on the road. If the county continues to grow as expected, roads will only get worse unless more people can be transported with less space.
ELECTIONS
2026 General Election
Early voting Oct. 19-Nov. 1; Election Day Tuesday, Nov. 3. Deadline to register to vote: Oct. 5 votehillsborough.gov
CL spoke with Manimala as his wife neared her due date for the birth of his first child. “Right now, if my wife calls me and I need to get to the hospital, I’m not going to be taking HART,” Manimala said. “But my dream is that perhaps in 35 years, when my daughter’s my age, if she ever wants to have kids, maybe she’ll be able to take HART and make it to the hospital.”
County commission decisions have consequences decades down the line, Manimala said, and he wants to think beyond the next budget cycle.
Manimala, a Catholic and a Democrat, said he first learned bipartisanship in church where he worshiped alongside Republicans with whom he shared the common ground of faith. He wants to bring that attitude to the county commission, where he views three of the five Republicans in office as reasonable moderates. “At the end of the day, the fundamental heart of our politics has still got to be kindness, still got to be service. Still got to be putting yourself in the shoes of the other.”
Manimala told CL he wants to collaborate with the other members of the county commission without sacrificing his values. “When you see something wrong in front of you, you have got to speak up about it. Yes, you build consensus, yes, you find ways to compromise, but there’s a certain point where you’ve also gotta be an unequivocal voice to truth and be an unyielding force for justice.”
Manimala is inspired by the work of Phyllis Busansky, a former Hillsborough County Commissioner who he said was “instrumental in advocacy for those on the margins” in Hillsborough County.
In the 1990s, Busansky helped create the Hillsborough County Health Care Plan, which provides health insurance to people who don’t qualify for Medicaid. Manimala got his start in county government as a member of the board that oversees the plan. Her ability to reach across the aisle with compassion is a model of leadership Manimala wants to follow.
Manimala’s parents were farmers in south India before they moved to the United States. He lived in Chicago until he turned four years old, when his parents relocated to Valrico.
When asked his go-to Wawa order, Manimala said he sticks to black coffee. If he’s going to buy food, he’s always preferred to patronize a local
restaurant like the now-defunct Mirro’s Pizza, Lucky Tigre, or Curry Leaves, which he says is the only Indian restaurant his Indian parents are willing to eat at.
Manimala doesn’t view his limited political experience as an inherent negative. “I have not had some carefully-engineered path into politics,” he told CL. He made the distinction between good experience and bad experience. Some politicians have political experience, Manimala said, but it’s experience maintaining the existing political machine that churns out the same old results. “We need something refreshing, we need something new, and we need to find a way to do things differently.”
Ultimately, Manimala said he wants to make sure the county is looking out for the best interest of everyone, especially marginalized
people. “All of us, in so many ways, have the capacity to look out for our brothers and sisters. Economically, there’s a return on investment for that. … But beyond that, it’s also just the right thing to do,” Manimala said.
Change is possible, Manimala said, and the political stalemates common in Hillsborough’s county commission shouldn’t be a reason to give up on politics: “I don’t think that we can afford to put our hands up and give in to defeatism and cynicism and despair when it comes to this moment.”
Manimala asks people from the community to share their voice and ideas with him. He wants to hear ideas and feedback, not just during the campaign, but after the election too. Reach out to him @VoteManimala on most social media platforms.
POLITICAL MANIMALA: Dr. Neil Manimala has not had a carefully-engineered path into politics.
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Hands off
Driverless
taxi company Waymo eyes expansion to Tampa, and more local news.
By Ray Roa and McKenna Schueler
Tampa might be getting a little bit freakier thanks to driverless taxi company Waymo.
TechCrunch said the Bay area is among three new cities on its radar (Minneapolis and New Orleans are the others). The company—owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet—already has plans to expand to Orlando in early-2026, according to Orlando Weekly.
Tampa city officials told WTSP that Waymo “is coming at no cost to the city and will be funded and implemented by private enterprise,” adding that it could be a year before Tampa residents will actually be able to ride in a driver-free taxi.
Waymo vehicles, powered by artificial intelligence technology, are fully selfdriving, so don’t expect to see a driver or human supervisor behind the steering wheel of one of these suckers. Waymo’s so-called “robotaxis” are already in operation in Atlanta, Austin, Phoenix, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Waymo has received criticism elsewhere for risks to public safety and for its potential to undermine publicly owned and operated transit systems (despite incentives Waymo has offered for people to use both).
Labor unions such as the Teamsters and Transport Workers Union, both of which represent professionals in the trucking and transportation industries, have similarly called out Waymo for threatening their members’ jobs.
“New Yorkers be warned, Waymo will turn pedestrians into cannon fodder and will block streets for emergency responders,” said Transport Workers Union president John Samuelsen in a recent statement on Waymo’s expansion to New York City. “Waymo isn’t ready for NYC’s streets and the end goal is to replace rideshare drivers, taxi drivers, and transit workers with robots.”
know how to yield, they could kill people,” said Abby O’Brien, a Teamster and paramedic for a local ambulance company.
Waymo for its part has pushed back on critical assessments of its safety and its potential impact on the transportation workforce.
“Transportation is a team sport, and we believe autonomous vehicles, professional drivers, and the wider ecosystem will thrive together as we increase transportation options for everyone,”
Waymo spokesperson Ethan Teicher told Axios in a statement. Driving and trucking is one of the most common occupations among young men without a college degree, a 2024 analysis from the Pew Research Center found.
However, as of last month, the company is once again under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration over reports that its vehicles may not be complying with traffic safety rules around stopped school buses. A Waymo spokesperson told news service Reuters that they had “already developed and implemented improvements related to stopping for school buses and will land additional software updates in our next software release.”
An independent analysis of federal crash data by the Substack publication Understanding AI found that, from February to August of this year, most of the 41 crashes that reportedly involved Waymo’s robotaxis weren’t the fault
Hurtak brought up the news that the administration is moving forward with a plan to sell Tampa Police Headquarters. What was conveyed to council members in a call this week was the expected selling price is $36 million. No details seemed to be shared beyond that.
Most of council seemed caught off guard by the move. Hurtak started the discussion by saying “Personally I’m disappointed that we weren’t asked.”
“Is Big Blue even paid for?” Asked Council member Guido Maniscalco.
Council Chair Alan Clendenin framed the issue differently in that it’s within the admin’s rights to issue the Request for Proposal (RFP) and that council would have final approval over any contract. Council member Luis Viera remarked “once the contract comes through to us, there’s a different level of scrutiny applied.”
Ultimately council motioned to request staff appear at the Jan. 22, 2026 council meeting for a discussion on the future of TPD headquarters and the building they currently operate out of.
Ironically, Tampa City Council approved unanimously on consent a $800,000 contract with a consultant to create a Facilities Management Master Plan which included “planning for the replacement of outdated structures” and to “assist in prioritizing funding for critical infrastructure replacements and upgrades, ensuring that all recommended capital projects are consistent with the City’s strategic goals and financial constraints.”
Waymo, just one of several companies that have rolled out autonomous vehicles, has faced protests from drivers for companies like Uber and Lyft in cities such as in Seattle, where Waymo has also looked to expand.
A Teamsters local in Boston last month joined a labor coalition in support of a city ordinance there that would regulate and study the potential impact of autonomous vehicles. “I regularly transport patients to Boston hospitals, and if robotaxis block us, freeze in place, or don’t
As far as safety, Waymo has faced its fair share of concerns—even recalling some 1,200 of its vehicles last year after “minor collisions”—yet has continued to defend the safety and integrity of its software. The company recently released the results of an independent safety audit that determined Waymo’s procedures for determining the safety of their vehicles met industry standards.
A probe by the federal government, launched last May to investigate a “series of minor collisions and unexpected behavior” from Waymo vehicles, concluded this past July with federal safety regulators reportedly opting not to take any further action.
of Waymo’s software itself, but rather actions by other drivers or—as The Atlantic put it— “seemingly an act of God.”
Waymo has argued that its robotaxis are actually safer than vehicles with human drivers, stating their “Driver” (unlike actual humans) is “always alert, follows speed limits, promotes seat belt use, and operates some of the safest vehicles on the road.”
Tampa Monitor: Plan to sell downtown police headquarters is moving forward
As the Dec. 4 Tampa City Council meeting entered its 10th hour, council member Lynn
The terms of the contract are through the completion of construction, though construction of what isn’t defined. Fire and police stations fall under Facilities Management’s purview.— Michael Bishop/Tampa Monitor
This post first appeared on The Tampa Monitor and is used under the Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Tampa Monitor is also part of the Tampa Bay Journalism Project TBJP, a nascent Creative Loafing Tampa Bay effort supported by grants and a coalition of donors who make specific contributions via the Alternative Newsweekly Foundation. If you are a non-paywalled Bay area publication interested in TBJP, please email rroa@ctampa.com. Support The Tampa Monitor by making a donation or buying Michael Bishop a coffee.
WAY-NO: Waymo is under investigation over its vehicles.
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Big rig
Tampa Rep. Fentrice Driskell calls Trump plan to redraw congressional map ‘illegal’.
By Mitch Perry/Florida Phoenix
President Donald Trump’s unprecedented plan to redraw state congressional maps to preserve the GOP’s narrow majority in the House ahead of the 2026 election has hit some bumps, but Republicans appear confident they can flip several Democratic seats in Florida, where the first steps in that process began last week.
A select House committee on congressional redistricting convened last Thursday in Tallahassee. It’s the first legislative meeting on the issue since Gov. Ron DeSantis said in July that it would be “appropriate to do a redistricting” in the middle of the decade. He followed up on that in August, saying that he and Attorney General James Uthmeier supported an update to the 2020 Decennial Census.
“We don’t have the numbers to stop this, but we haven’t seen what’s going to happen in the Senate yet and, interestingly, more and more we’re watching our state Senate become a backstop to guard against some of the more dangerous whims of the legislation that we see coming out from the House.”
Senate Republicans, who hold a 26-11 advantage over Democrats in that chamber, haven’t said much about the idea of congressional redistricting since the governor’s comments over the summer.
ELECTIONS
DeSantis said Florida had been “shortchanged in the reapportionment stemming from the last census” in 2020, although no new update to that census has taken place.
Florida House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell slammed the proposal on Dec. 1, saying the only reason it is happening is because Trump wants to “rig” next year’s midterm elections because “he wants to stop Americans from holding his administration accountable for their bad decisions.”
‘Swamp-like cynical behavior’
“Any attempt to draw new maps in Florida right now is a direct response to the president’s pressure to stack the deck before the midterms, and that is illegal in Florida,” Driskell said on a Zoom press conference for Florida reporters.
“The Fair Districts amendments to the Florida Constitution outlaw drawing maps to benefit one party over another. Redistricting decides who represents us in our government. A process that must serve the people, not politicians. This isn’t something that the people asked for. This is just the swamp-like cynical behavior that people hate about politics.”
“I’d like to see some data on the magnitude of people in the state of Florida who might be here illegally who have been part of the calculation on re-districting,” Pinellas County Republican state Sen. Nick DiCeglie told the Phoenix last month.
“I think that we should have redistricting based on United States citizens, and we’ll see how that plays out here, if possible. It’s always good to focus on U.S. citizens and see exactly what needs to be done to accomplish that.”
Senate President Ben Albritton hasn’t made any comments about redistricting, and no committee that would oversee the issue has been formed yet in that chamber.
Driskell said she has taken solace from the fact that several Republicans in Indiana have spoken critically of congressional redistricting in their state. However, after pressure from the White House, Indiana House Republicans Dec. 1 proposed a redrawing that would let their party control all nine House seats (Democrats hold two of the state’s nine seats).
“This is just the swamp-like cynical behavior that people hate about politics.”
The first congressional redistricting took place in Texas earlier this year. That came after Trump said during the summer that Republicans were “entitled to five more seats” in the Lone Star State.
Florida’s Fair District amendments prohibit line-drawing that intentionally favors or disfavors a political party or incumbent.
With the Democrats in superminority status in both chambers of the Legislature, Driskell acknowledged her party can’t stop GOP members but said she is putting some hope in the Senate rejecting the move.
A federal court blocked Texas last month from using its new map, ruling that it is likely an unconstitutional racial gerrymander, and ordered the state to use its previous map in the 2026 election. The new map is now back in place, at least temporarily, after Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito granted the state’s request to pause that federal court’s ruling.
Tampa Bay-area Democratic U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor says Tallahassee Republicans should be focused on lowering Floridians’ property
insurance and electricity bills, not redistricting. “I think it’s a waste of time and money,” she told the Phoenix last week.
Florida Republicans represent 20 of the state’s 28 congressional districts.
Ahead of the committee meeting last Thursday, a group of voting and civil rights organizations calling themselves the “No Partisan
Maps” coalition are scheduled to hold a protest in front of the Capitol.
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.
OUTNUMBERED: Florida House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell on Nov. 7, 2023.
SARAH GRAY/STATE OF FLORIDA
PRECEDENTS: Tampa activists marking the 50th anniversary of ‘Roe v. Wade’ on Jan. 22, 2023.
Another sign
Anti-abortion activists allowed to leaflet within Clearwater clinic’s driveway.
By Liv Caputo/Florida Phoenix
Anti-abortion activists have the right to hand leaflets to women in the driveway of a Clearwater abortion clinic, a federal appeals court ruled last Thursday.
In a 2-to-1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit tossed a trial judge’s decision preventing the Florida Preborn Rescue organization from entering within five feet of the Bread and Roses Women’s Health Center’s driveway.
Instead, the lower court must pause the Clearwater ordinance preventing the group—and any other pedestrians—from entering the center’s “buffer zone”—a 38-foot stretch of public sidewalk, 28 feet of which cross the clinic’s driveway.
feet—burdens substantially more speech than necessary to achieve the government’s asserted interests,” it continues.
“We think it likely that Clearwater’s buffer zone does so.”
LOCAL NEWS
“The Ordinance seriously burdens Florida Preborn’s speech … by restricting the sidewalk counselors’ ability to distribute leaflets to patients as they arrive at the clinic,” the majority opinion reads.
“The controlling question is whether the challenged buffer zone—be it five, 10, or 35
Although abortion-related topics have divided the nation for decades, the conversation reached a fever-pitch in 2022 when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. This turned abortion regulation over to the states, sparking dramatically different pro-choice or anti-abortion laws from state to state. Since then, states like New Jersey, Colorado, and Kentucky have all seen their “buffer zone” ordinances contested.
What happened?
The case centers on a 2023 city ordinance passed to prevent anti-abortion protesters impeding vehicles’ and patients’ access to the clinic.
According to the Clearwater Police Department—which backed the ordinance— it received 73 calls in one year from the clinic
to handle “continuing and recently escalating confrontation.”
The ordinance banned all pedestrians from crossing within five feet of the clinic’s driveway, exempting emergency services and clinic staff escorting women into the building, as part of a buffer zone.
Florida Preborn Rescue soon after asked a federal district judge for a preliminary injunction, alleging a free-speech violation and noting that its ability to hand out leaflets and have “close, personal conversations” had been dramatically chilled.
U.S. District Judge Mary Scriven denied their request that October.
Now, as ordered by the appellate court, Scriven will have to dissolve the buffer zone while litigation continues on the underlying merits of the case.
‘Herculean efforts’
The appellate decision was not unanimous. Judge Nancy Abudu, a Joe Biden appointee, disagreed with judges Kevin Newsom and Britt Grant, both appointed by Trump.
“The First Amendment does not demand that patients at a medical facility undertake Herculean efforts to escape the cacophony of political [messages],” she wrote, citing federal precedent. “The right to be let alone is one of
the most comprehensive of rights and the right most valued by civilized men.”
Abudu argued that FPR can still speak with patients driving into the clinic because their counselors are just five feet away from the driveway.
“It is diffcult to even visualize how a distance of five feet seriously burdens FPR’s ability to leaflet and otherwise communicate with those entering the clinic,” she added, arguing patients interested in speaking with FPR could always walk over and accept a leaflet.
This conflicts with Newsom and Grant’s reading of the ordinance.
Because the measure bans all pedestrians except for clinic staff and emergency management, they said, this technically means patients intrigued by FPR’s message wouldn’t be allowed to walk through the buffer zone to accept a leaflet.
Moreover, they argued, that the ordinance is unnecessary and over-burdensome because Florida already has a statute preventing the obstruction of traffic ways.
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.
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After nearly eight years away, Ceviche is back in Tampa. The tapas bar and restaurant closed in June 2018 and reopened in Downtown St. Petersburg in 2021. But Tampa fans of Ceviche’s pollo al ajillo, paella and Spanish wines will soon be able to get them on their side of the Bay again. Caledon Concepts, which also runs Rococo Steak in St. Petersburg, announced its new Ceviche location will open in the Summer of 2026 at International Plaza and Bay Street. Local architect Brian Wolfe will redesign the former Alma Restaurant & Bar space inside and out with a large open bar area and indoor and outdoor patio seating, per its announcement. For its new menu, the restaurant’s executive chef, Horasio Salgado, will continue importing ingredients from Spain and tying family recipes into his tapas. And Spanish and international wines will still be the focus of its wine list. For more information and updates, follow Ceviche on Facebook and Instagram (@CevicheTapas) or visit ceviche.com.
Kurt’s Place closes in Tampa LGBTQ+ bar Kurt’s Place closed in Tampa last month. After less than four months in the former City Side Lounge location at 3703 Henderson Blvd., owner Kurt King shuttered the bar, per Watermark. City Side Lounge served Tampa Bay’s queer community for more than 30 years before closing in February. King previously owned four Tampa Bay Hamburger Mary’s. Co-owners Hunter Vance and Michael Wilson left before Kurt’s closure, Watermark reports. A notice from the building’s landlord, BuchmanItaliano Partnership, demanding rent on Nov. 18, was posted to Kurt’s Place’s Facebook page, then later deleted.“Sometimes I feel like we’re our own worst enemies … being part of the LGBTQ community,” King told Watermark. “We never fight and help each other when we need to and that’s the only thing I ever wanted, to give us our rights we deserved.
Category 36 Taphouse & Kitchen reopens in St. Pete Beach
After eight years on Gulf Boulevard., Category 36 Taphouse & Kitchen has a new location. The pizza and bar food spot was closed for nine months after damage from last year’s hurricanes, per ILoveTheBurg. Last month marked
its debut at 348 Corey Ave., including its first Thanksgiving open in the new spot. Category 36 is known for its massive sausage strombolis, along with pizza and other bar fare like wings and sandwiches. It’s also open for breakfast and coffee starting at 10 a.m. on Sundays, including a breakfast stromboli. Its grand opening celebration is Dec. 13, from 11 a.m.-5 p.m., with live music and food specials.
Isu Sushi premieres in downtown St. Pete Japanese-Peruvian restaurant Fortu welcomed its “little sister,” sushi spot Isu (stylized all caps) in the space below its 97 Central Ave.
location last month. Its izakaya-style (Japanese small plates) menu also features Peruvian flavors, with items like steak and egg maki and wagyu gyozas served with sweet plantain. Isu is offering a 10-item New Year’s Eve dinner including osetra, king crab, A5 Wagyu, fresh sashimi and Basque cheesecake for $155 per person, with a saki pairing for an extra $80. Reservations can be made on OpenTable. For updates and more information, follow @isu.downtown on Instagram or visit isurestaurants.com
Kunafa Cafe opens in Temple Terrace Kunafa King, aka Bilal Sader, has been slinging the sweet, gooey dessert as a vendor around Tampa Bay, and now he’s got a humble palace in Temple Terrace. Kunafa Cafe, which opened last month at 11506 N 56th St., is run by Sader and his Palestinian-Jordanian family. The shop offers the Middle Eastern dessert along
with coffee from its espresso bar and a pastry counter, including fresh croissants, Dubai chocolate cake, Ferrero Rocher cheesecake, Biscoff cheesecake, tiramisu, macarons and more. For updates, follow @kunafacafe.tampa and @kunafaking1 on Instagram.
Miguelitos closes in Tampa
Miguelitos Taqueria & Tequila closed suddenly last month. A sign posted on the door of the South Tampa spot at 2702 W Kennedy Blvd. just before Thanksgiving thanked patrons for a decade of support. “After 10 years of serving our community, the current economic conditions have made it impossible for us to continue operating here,” owners Patricia and Miguel Rodriguez wrote. They encouraged customers to visit the original Miguel’s Mexican Seafood & Grill a few blocks away at 3035 W Kennedy. That location has been open since 1992.
IT’S SAFFR-ON: Ceviche opens at International Mall in 2026.
“Our little theater is nothing if not resilient.”
Past is
present St. Pete City Theatre wraps centennial by dialing it back to 1940.
By David Warner
For the finale of its 100th anniversary season, St. Petersburg City Theatre—one of the oldest continuously operating community theaters in Florida—is dipping back into its past.
On Dec. 22,1940, the company performed “A Christmas Carol” on WSUN, the radio station that was situated on what is now the St. Pete Pier. For the 2025 production, Board President Stefanie Lehmann wrote an adaptation that re-creates that radio broadcast for the stage.
Radio adaptations of holiday favorites have become a staple of late. TampaRep staged an excellent “It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play” in 2024, and the company hopes to make magic at the mics again this year with Jim Sorensen’s adaptation of “A Christmas Carol” which, like SPCT’s, will be set in a radio station in the 1940s.
At both Tampa Repertory Theatre and SPCT, the radio actors will step up to the mics to play the Dickens characters, and there’ll be live sound
effects and faux ads with made-up jingles. But where the six-member cast at TampaRep will play what Sorensen calls “exaggerated versions of themselves,” the 16 actors at SPCT (full disclosure: I’m one of them) are portraying people who were part of the troupe at the time of that WSUN broadcast 85 years ago.
“The ‘40s sections are all based on real people,” Lehmann told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, “and in most cases on real stories or quotes that I found in our archives.”
Lehmann’s mother, long-time SPCT board member Stacie Lehmann, organized the theater’s massive repository of newspaper articles and documents during the pandemic. When Stefanie looked through them, she stumbled upon items related to the 1940 “Christmas Carol” radio show performance.
“Particularly during the war years, a lot happened very quickly at our theater between 1940-1943,” said Lehmann, “but I needed to fold events from across those months into a single
Christmas Eve broadcast. I landed on December 1942 because it seemed to be the collision point of a lot of these inspiring stories.”
At the top of the 1942 show as imagined in Lehmann’s script, company members carry on props for the sound man, look over their scripts, and trade news about the war. I play Captain Patrick Walters, a British expatriate who’s directing the broadcast. I learned from Lehmann’s research that Walters was a Royal Marines veteran who moved to Florida in the ‘30s, where he was hired to lead what was then called the St. Petersburg Little Theater. (The theater changed its name from “Little” to “City” in 2010.)
THEATER
and, says Kennedy, “a local fashion icon.” The script has McNeely arrive for “Christmas Carol” decked out in full Dickensian garb—even though it’s a radio show. Kennedy, who did the costumes for “Sister Act” earlier this year, says, “It is most fitting that my debut line on this stage is ‘Theater begins in the cloakroom!’” Her two sons—Clark, 10, and Clifton, 9—are also in the cast, and appeared in SPCT’s 2023 adaptation of “Carol.” (The theater has done at least 12 in-person adaptations of the Dickens story over its 100 years.)
‘A Christmas Carol’ Select nights Dec. 12-21. $10-$23 St. Petersburg City Theatre. 4025 31st St. S, St. Petersburg. spcitytheatre.org
Several cast members augmented Lehmann’s findings with their own.
Local theater favorite Velda Gauthier discovered that Cafe Clementine at the Museum of Fine Arts was named after her character, Clementine Japour, who co-owned a popular boutique on Beach Drive and served as the Little Theater’s president at one time. Clem’s turns at the mic include the role of a saucy charwoman.
Erin Kennedy plays Japour’s sister, Beth McNeely, who was co-owner of the boutique
Bill DeYoung, arts reporter for the St. Pete Catalyst, plays Frank Joyner, the company member assigned to play Scrooge. Joyner’s wife, Frances, played by Laura Banks, suggests that Walters typecast him as the “squeezing, grasping” miser, but by all accounts Frank was generous in his support of the Little Theater both on and offstage, as was she. DeYoung came to “Carol” equipped with experience as an actor in local theater and a repertory company in Savannah, Georgia. He also brought his own well of background knowledge continued on page 39
HUMBUZZED: SPCT’s 2025 ‘A Christmas Carol’ cast.
DAVID WARNER
about SPCT; he played the Ghost of Christmas Present in 2017 and wrote a comprehensive history of the theater for the Catalyst in 2021. As is often true with community theaters in which everyone involved is a volunteer, there’s a “come one, come all” vibe at SPCT, an ethos which has guided the Little Theater movement since its inception in the 1920s. Accordingly, there’s a wide variety of experience, theatrical and otherwise, in the cast and crew of “Carol.”
Banks, who moved to Gulfport from New York City only about a year ago, has done improv with Whoopi Goldberg in L.A., performed a one-woman Off-Broadway show, and appeared in “Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan.”
Don Speirs, a retired military veteran, plays WSUN program director George Bartlett, who voices Bob Cratchit and old Fezziwig. He learned from an online biography that Bartlett wrote for the St. Petersburg Times for several years; another cast member unearthed the info that Bartlett was also an accomplished painter and a professional banjo player. This is only
Speirs’ second appearance with SPCT, but he’s been acting for five decades, from touring in musicals to a three-year stint as the Seattle Seahawks’ Santa Claus.
Richard Isaacs, a young IT retiree, plays Tom Howell, a Seabee on medical leave who takes the role of Young Scrooge; a Louisville native, he’s been involved in community theater for 30 years, and has done two previous shows with SPCT. Mike Nower, the director, is a retired CFO; he and his wife, Sara, spend half the year in Gulfport and half in the UK, where they both are active in community theater. He played Scrooge in SPCT’s 2016 “Carol,” but this production will be his first time directing for the theater’s mainstage. His wife, Sara, plays a WSUN employee and the narrator of “Carol”; she’s been seen in starring roles at The Off-Central. (Both try valiantly to correct our not-always spot-on English accents.)
THEATER
stage. That’s the case, too, with Samantha Lee, a veterinary technician who’s playing company member Betty Voorhees and the Ghost of Christmas Past. Others are longtime denizens. Stan Gurvitz, a self-described “handyman on the cusp of retirement,” plays company member Howard Weston and grizzled Old Joe and has been doing shows at SPCT for 10 years, including five productions of “Christmas Carol.” Stage manager Donna McCall-Thibodeau, a customer retention agent for USPS, has the record in our group, it seems; she’s been doing shows at SPCT since 1986.
Many of the company members remark on the family feeling at the theater.
ensure the theater’s survival through a series of recent crises: a financial shortfall in 2017, the pandemic in 2020, and last year’s two devastating hurricanes, one of which blew the theater’s new roof off just after it had been installed.
The Little Theater was fraught with cares in 1942, too. Wartime pressures loom in Lehmann’s script. Gas rationing is on the horizon, threatening to reduce audience attendance just as the company is about to move into a new building. As we learn later in the broadcast, at least one company member has lost his life on the battlefield.
But, as Captain Walters states, “Our little theater is nothing if not resilient.”
True then, and true now.
Some in the cast, like Banks, Kennedy and myself, are first-timers on the SPCT
Lehmann, 34, is a case in point. The associate general manager for performance and campus operations at NYC’s Lincoln Center, she started working remotely from Florida during COVID and has continued to do so ever since. She and her mother were among the many SPCT members who banded together to
“This Christmas Eve 1942 felt like a moment where the community could come together and take a moment to stop and breathe together, to reflect on the past years’ victories and losses, and to reaffirm their values and purpose as they look toward the future,” said Lehmann. “As we enter this next century, I hope we do much the same.”
Misers & Magi: More Carol-ing at local theaters, plus an adaptation of an O. Henry classic
Tampa Repertory Theatre: ‘A Christmas Carol: A Live Radio Play’
“If it ain’t broke, right?” says TampaRep Managing Artistic Producer Jim Sorensen, who adapted and directs the company’s radio-fied version of the Dickens classic. “The stage setup will feel very familiar to anyone who attended ‘Wonderful Life’ last year: a cozy ‘radio theatre’ vibe, complete with On Air and Applause signs, microphones, a piano and a couple of large foley tables, along with a Christmas tree or two. Emphasis on cozy. We’ve expanded our foley repertoire this year, combing through the script to find almost any mentioned sound, and we’ve even acquired a waterphone. Trust me that, even if you don’t know what it is now, you’ll LOVE it.”
The cast is led by Michael Gregory as Scrooge, who shone as the curmudgeonly Mr. Potter in “Wonderful Life.” Cameron Kubly, last year’s George Bailey, plays Scrooge’s nephew and the Ghost of Christmas Present. Other cast members include Alix Faulhaber (who co-starred memorably with Sorensen in The OffCentral’s “Bakersfield Mist” earlier this season), Keith Batchelor Jr., Max Carley, and Sydney Leary. The music and most of the sound effects will be handled by Juan Rodriguez, the Best of the Bay-winning music director for the TampaRep musicals “Next to Normal” and “The Bridges of Madison County.”
“I chose my favorite parts of the story,” says Sorensen. “None of the other adaptations I’m familiar with include all the specific passages that we’ll be using.” A veteran of eight separate productions in five different versions of “Carol,” he knows whereof he adapts.
“It’s definitely ‘A Christmas Carol’—a ghost story with snarky Dickens humor and the beautiful story of redemption.”
Select nights through Dec. 23. $15-$55. Shimberg Playhouse at David A. Straz Center For the Performing Arts, 1010 N Macinnes Pl. Tampa. strazcenter.org
freeFall Theatre: ‘A Christmas Carol in Concert 25’ After doing a fully staged musical adaptation of “A Christmas Carol” for several years, freeFall Theatre shifted to an outdoor concert version during the pandemic in 2020. They brought that version back for a limited engagement in 2024— indoors—and that was such a hit (Cathy Salustri of “The Gabber” called it “stupendous”) that they brought it back for a longer run this year.
Featuring original songs by Keith Ferguson and Bruce Greer as well as familiar carols, “A Christmas Carol in Concert 2025” will be performed by four singers—Heather Baird, Eric Davis, Sara DelBeato and Jonathan Harrison. The redoubtable Matthew McGee is the narrator, who plays Scrooge and all the other roles. (Anyone who saw McGee do the American Stage one-man adaptation of “It’s a Wonderful Life” three years ago knows he’s up to the task, or rather the multi-task.)
With musical direction by Michael Raabe and video elements incorporating P.J. Lynch’s famous illustrations for the original novella, this promises to be, in McGee’s words, “so unique and very moving.”
Select nights Dec. 12-24. $25-$55. freeFall Theatre, 6099 Central Ave., St. Petersburg freefalltheatre.com
American Stage: ‘The Magi’ In O. Henry’s 1905 short story “The Gift of the Magi,” a young husband secretly sells his pocket watch to buy his wife a comb and she secretly sells her hair to buy him a watch chain. The worst Secret Santa ever? Or a testament to the generosity inherent in sacrifice? O. Henry saw it as the latter, seeing an echo of the Biblical Magi in the couple’s willingness to give up their most valuable possessions to show their love.
In “The Magi,” Helen R. Murray’s 21st-century update with music and lyrics by Eli Pafumi, the young couple have been touring together for years in a band called, not incidentally, The Magi. What will they sacrifice for love?
“That you will have to see,” says Anthony Gervais, who’s directing the musical for American Stage. “You learn about their relationship, the things they give up for each other emotionally on a daily basis.”
But he allows, “there is a satisfying answer,” one that captures the same spirit as the O. Henry. “It’s a very emotional holiday show that asks some big questions, and the ending is very hopeful.”
Tristan Braboy plays Nix, who wants to settle down. Morgan Tapp plays Jude, who craves the open road. Audiences have already seen both performers in American Stage shows, including “Ring of Fire” and “Hundred Days,” in which Sapp played a fiery fiddle. Like “Days,” the production has a rock-concert vibe, but quieter—just a violin and a guitar and the two singers.
“There are monologues to the audience when the other character can’t hear them,” says Gervais. “Aside from that, the show is more like an intimate concert that goes off the rails.”
“The Magi” will offer patrons a chance to really lean into the intimacy. VIP tickets allow audience members to sit at one of five tables on stage, complete with table-side service. “You’ll really feel like you’re at a cabaret club,” says Gervais. There’ll be general admission seats for the rest of the house, with the hope that folks will fill rows near the stage. “We want to bring everyone as close as we can." Select nights through Dec. 21. $25-$55. American Stage, 163 3rd St. N., St. Petersburg. americanstage.org—David Warner
DO FOR LOVE: Morgan Tapp (L) and Tristan Braboy in ‘The Magi.’
On his own
A man from Wellswood stage manages ‘Les Mis’ on tour.
By Avery Anderson/Tampa Bay Arts Passport
“Les Misérables” doesn’t need an introduction in Tampa—the show has toured through the Straz Center nine times in the past four decades, practically earning “annual tradition” status. But this year’s return comes with a twist: one of the people calling every cue, solving every crisis, and steering this global theater machine actually lives here.
Ken Davis, production stage manager of the North American tour, keeps Wellswood as his home base when he’s not managing— quite literally—everything you see on stage.
Living Inside a modern classic Davis still remembers seeing an early tour in his 20s. “I can remember to this day some of those moments,” he said. “I had every version of the show possible… records, cassettes, then downloads.”
THEATER
With a 40-year global footprint—London, Madrid, Shanghai—Les Mis is what Davis calls a “modern classic.”
‘Les Misérables’ Select nights through Dec. 14. $62.20 & up Morsani Hall at David A. Straz Center for the Performing Arts. 1010 N Macinnes Pl., Tampa. strazcenter.org
“At its simplest, like I always tell people who ask that very question, I manage the stage. It’s actually in the title,” he said. “I’m ultimately responsible for everything that happens on stage both creatively and technically.”
That includes lighting, sound, set, orchestra, performers—all the pieces that make Les Mis feel like Les Mis. “I’ve been likened to an air traffic controller, making sure everybody knows where they’re going safely,” he added.
It’s a big job because Les Mis is a big show. The tour travels with roughly 80 to 85 people: 40–45 cast members, 15 musicians, a crew of 20, management, and even a schoolteacher for the five child actors. Davis laughed as he recalled: “When we’re checking into the hotel, you best just step aside ‘cause [we’ll] run you over.”
The worst audition, the perfect job
Stage management wasn’t Davis’s plan. “I was a performer in high school,” he said. And like many theatre kids, he believed performing was the door into the life he wanted: “I wanted to make people feel like I felt that day that I was like, ‘Oh my god, I don’t know what this is, but I have to be a part of this.’”
But his first college audition was its own plot twist. “I gave the absolute worst audition ever,” he said. “They probably still use it as a way not to audition.”
That door closed. Another opened. “I eventually got into the technical side of things in college and found this avenue of stage management,” he said. “It exercised that creative side… and the other part of me, the organizational, logistical, logical guy.”
From there came decades on Broadway tours—Chicago, Hairspray, Ragtime, The Lion King—years of hotels, airports, and “starving for a minute like most people do.” But one show eluded him. “Les Misérables.”
And performing it in Tampa carries weight. “This is the 10th time it’s coming to Tampa,” he said. “People know it… and probably have heard of some of the songs. Now I get to hear it every night live, which is kind of amazing.”
That legacy shapes his job. “We know that we’re part of that legacy and it’s been entrusted to us,” he said. “Somebody is seeing it for the 10th time and somebody’s seeing it for the first time. They should both get the same experience.”
At every new city, he reminds the cast and crew what’s at stake. “Remember that tonight
somebody is seeing their first Broadway show and somebody’s seeing their last Broadway show, and with that comes some responsibility,” Davis tells the company each night.
The Broadway road… leads to Tampa
For a guy who has spent half his life living out of a suitcase, Davis talks about Tampa with the softness of someone who chooses it.
He grew up visiting Madeira Beach every summer. Busch Gardens was “always a highlight.” Later, he landed here by accident when a former theme-park colleague hired him to work for Norwegian Cruise Line’s secret entertainment facility in Riverview. “Not many people know that. It’s a top little secret facility over there,” he said.
He moved here, stayed here, and—like many touring artists who discover Tampa—fell in love with it. Today, he lives in Wellswood “with all the peacocks.” Between cities, he returns to the Riverwalk, Ybor, Armature Works—places that didn’t exist when he first toured through long ago.
“When I first went to Tampa… the Riverwalk wasn’t there and Armature Works wasn’t there,” he said. “Now… it’s really cool.”
St. Pete, especially, gets him dreaming. “I love St. Pete,” he said. “A little bungalow in St. Pete might be the dream retirement house.”
But more than anything, Tampa’s geography—and its vibe—makes it easy to exhale. “You can fly to Miami in an hour,” he said. “The beach is close by. Getting to Orlando… eventually it is just one big city between Orlando and Tampa.”
And he loves that we sometimes forget how good we have it. “Sometimes we’re like, ‘Oh, it’s Saturday. What should I do?’… I’m like, over the bridge there are places people dream of going their whole lives.”
Why now, why here
When Les Misérables returns to Morsani Hall Dec. 10–14, it isn’t just another stop on a world tour. It’s a homecoming for the guy who runs the entire operation—and a chance for Tampa to meet the person who makes the magic feel seamless.
This post first appeared at tbartspassport. com, which is part of the Tampa Bay Journalism Project (TBJP), a nascent Creative Loafing Tampa Bay effort supported by grants and a coalition of donors who make specific contributions via the Alternative Newsweekly Foundation. If you are a non-paywalled Bay area publication interested in TBJP, please email rroa@ctampa. com. Support TB Arts Passport by subscribing to its free newsletter or becoming a paying Arts Passport Member.
IF YOU BUILD IT: Christian Mark Gibbs as Enjolras and company in ‘Les Misérables.’
December 31, 2025
9:00 p.m. - 12:30 a.m. | 21+ Only Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg Open Bar
Get lit: Tampa Bay’s best holiday lights
Just because it won’t snow (hopefully) this holiday season doesn’t mean Tampa Bay won’t get festive. There will be millions of twinkly lights, but all displays are equal. Here are a few of the better spots to get into the holiday spirit this season.—Riley Benson & Selene San Felice
Celebration of Lights at The Concourse
This event is only occurring on select dates throughout November and December, so be sure to check the website for details. Featuring a walk-through Christmas light display and a chance to meet Santa in the North Pole. A $3 train ride runs from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. Through Dec. 27. 11919 Alric Pottberg Rd., Shady Hills celebrationoflightsfl.com
Chick-fil-A light display An iconic Tampa tradition, the Chick-fil-A on Waters Avenue has displayed millions of Christmas lights every year for over two decades. It honestly doesn’t feel like Christmas until you experience the drive-thru and grab a lil’ spicy chicken sandwich on the way out. Through Jan. 5 6299 W Waters Ave., Tampa. @CFAWaters on Facebook
Christmas in the Wild at ZooTampa ZooTampa is once again hosting “Christmas in the Wild” on select dates, so be sure to check the website to see the calendar. Daily admission ($38.95 & up) includes holiday light shows, animal sculptures throughout the parks and three brand new exhibits, “The Realm of the Nutcracker,” “Mrs. Claus Storytime” and “The Forest of Fantasy.” Select nights through Dec. 30. 1101 W Sligh Ave., Tampa. zootampa.org
Christmas Lane at Florida Strawberry Festival Grounds This massive winter wonderland includes a “Great Light Maze,” live entertainment and rides. Get your picture taken with Santa by a professional photographer ($15 & up), grab some fair food and enjoy some local music. Tickets are $12 for adults 13 and older, $10 for kids 4-12 and free for children three and younger. Through Dec. 4 (select nights) from 6 p.m.-10 p.m. 2508 W Oak Ave., Plant City. christmaslane.com
Christmas Town at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Busch Gardens will be fully-dazzled with millions of lights, tons of Christmas-themed events, seasonal treats and booze, holiday shows, character encounters and more, says the park. Classic favorites are returning, like Santa’s North Pole Experience, Rudolph’s Winter Wonderland, the Holly Jolly Express, Elmo’s Christmas Wish show, Christmas on Ice, and a nightly Holiday in the Sky fireworks experience. This year, the park is adding a few new additions, including a gingerbread cookie decorating station, new Christmas Town craft cocktails, and nightly rides along the Skyride, which will be decked out with twinkly lights. Christmas Town festivities are free with park admission. Through Jan. 5. 10165 McKinley Dr., Tampa. buschgardens.com
Festival of Lights and Santa’s Village at Hillsborough County Fairgrounds This annual family favorite event features a nearly
two-mile long continuous drive through holiday lights, followed by Santa’s village at the end, including rides, an inflatable snow tube, festive lights and holiday treats, as well as live music on select nights and a new “Santa’s Winter Woodland” attraction. Prices start at $25 per car for just the drive-thru, and $30 per car when the village is open, with season passes available for purchase. Nov. 27-Dec. 28. 215 Sydney Washer Rd., Dover. hillsboroughcountyfair.com
Friends of the Riverwalk: Holiday Spectacular Watch holiday lights and displays float through the Hillsborough River with synchronized music, at the Riverwalk. Some floats and attractions include a 30-foot-tall Christmas tree, a 22-foot pirate ship, trees throughout Water Works Park lit up and a holiday selfie station. Through Jan. 2. Tampa Riverwalk. thetampariverwalk.com
Holiday Lights & Carnival Rides in Largo Central Park From 5 p.m.-10 p.m. every night this season, walk through over two million LED holiday lights, and enjoy activities like a Ferris wheel and carousel, a campfire and food. Park admission is free, with rides costing $6 each. Food and beverages are available for purchase throughout the park. Through Jan. 4. 101 Central Park Dr., Largo. playlargo.com
Holiday Lights in the Gardens at Florida Botanical Gardens The botanical gardens will be illuminated with over 1 million LED lights, lasers and lighted figures to walk through and explore every night from 5:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. A donation of $10 per person is suggested. Through Jan. 3. 12520 Ulmerton Rd., Largo. flbgfoundation.org
Holidays at Legoland Legoland is celebrating the holiday season and all attendees can join the fun with dance parties, writing letters to the North Pole, competing in Santa’s toy-building competition and checking out the park’s Christmas tree, made of over 300,000 LEGOs. Dec. 6, 13, 20, and Dec. 24-31. 1 Legoland Way, Winter Haven. legoland.com
The Lights of Lake Park Estates Neighbors along this 3.2-mile route have been decorating their homes to raise money for Suncoast Hospice (and to outdo each other) every year since 1993. There’s no cost to see it, but donations are collected. Through Dec. 31. 100th Ave. N, Largo. lightsoflakepark.com
North Pole Express at the Florida Railroad Museum Tom Hanks won’t be the conductor, but families can still have a magical night on the railroad. This 35-minute train ride goes from Parrish to The North Pole, where for about 90 minutes, kids can experience “snow” with a foam sprayer, get photos with Santa, see model trains galore, make s’mores and get tuckered out in the bounce house—which they’ll need to do to burn off the sugar from unlimited cookies and hot cocoa. And, of course, there’s tons of lights. Tickets start at $41.25 and vary by
class, date and time. Many are already sold out, so reserve them online ASAP if you plan to go. Select nights through Dec. 22. 12210 83rd St. E Parrish. frrm.org
Oakdale Christmas Light Display
Oakdale is still recovering from last year’s Hurricane Milton, as is Redington Beach, which canceled its yearly display. This free event previously featured a halfacre Christmas light display, 70-foot-tall Christmas tree, railroad, carnival rides and animated displays. The event has been confirmed for this year, but no official dates have been announced. At the time of this writing, the event website says the neighborhood is preparing “to showcase our much smaller, yet just as beautiful Christmas display.” 2719 Oakdale St. S, St. Petersburg. christmasdisplay.org
Pirate Water Taxi River of Lights The Pirate Taxi will be cruising around, providing views of holiday decorations along the water in downtown Tampa. For this year’s 45-minute cruise, guests can expect plenty of holiday displays, storytelling, an elf host, beer and wine for purchase, and a snow flurry finale. Tickets start at $25 for kids and $35 for adults, and children will receive a holiday gift during the ride. Through Jan. 4. 333 S Franklin St., Tampa. piratewatertaxi.com
Snow Place Like Tarpon Springs Tarpon Springs hosts a Christmas celebration with an illuminated boat parade at 8 p.m., a tree lighting
at 6 p.m. and festivities for the whole family, like falling snow, a snow slide, an outdoor movie and more. Friday, Dec. 12. 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Downtown Tarpon Springs. ctsfl.us
Symphony in Lights at The Shops at Wiregrass A no-cover choreographed light show with holiday music and “snow” flurries in the center court of the mall. Shows happen on the hour from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. nightly. Through Dec. 31. 28211 Paseo Dr., Wesley Chapel. theshopsatwiregrass.com
Winter Village at Curtis Hixon Park Featuring an overhead 360-degree Light Show, ice skating, curling and a massive pop-up market, Winter Village has just about everything. Entry to the area is free, but ice skating for 90 minutes will cost $17 per ice skater for all ages. The Winter Village Express, a TECO Line Streetcar taking riders from Winter Village to Ybor City and back, will feature singalongs, holiday trivia and milk and cookies, costing $10 for persons one year and older. Through Jan. 4. 600 N Ashley Dr., Tampa. wintervillagetampa.com
The Wonderland of Lights & America’s Christmas Village This drive-thru event features thousands of holiday lights, as well as food, family activities, and an opportunity to see Santa. Tickets cost $25, and there’s also an “Enchanted Elf” 3D glasses option for $5 more (not including fees). Through Dec. 28. 1052 US-Hwy 92, Auburndale. thewonderlandoflights.com
Friday, December 12, 2025 • 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Feliz Novedades: A Holiday Night Market
@ Hotel Haya
1412 East 7th Avenue
Free to the public bit.ly/FelizNovedades
Sunday, December 14, 2025 • 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
7th Annual Jingle Bell Bazaar at Ybor Holiday Festival @ Centennial Park
1800 East 8th Avenue
Free to the public
bit.ly/JingleBellYbor
Sunday, December 14, 2025 • 3:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Cozy Christmas Bar Crawl - GaYBOR District
Presents @ Showbar Ybor 1613 East 7th Avenue
bit.ly/GayborChristmasCrawl
Sunday, December 14, 2025 • 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Piquiniqui @ Centro Asturiano de Tampa
1913 North Nebraska Avenue
Tickets start at $28.52
bit.ly/PiquiniquiYbor
Thursday, December 18, 2025 • 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Elevated Effervescence: A Billecart-Salmon
Champagne Dinner @ Chateau Cellars Ybor
2009 North 22nd Street
Tickets - $174.04
bit.ly/BillecartYbor
Saturday, December 20, 2025 • 8:00 PM - 2:00 AM
Baddies Stealing XMAS… holiday PAJAMA JAM
@ Centro Lounge & Kitchen
1600 East 8th Avenue
Tickets from $24.92 bit.ly/PajamaJamYbor
Saturday, December 20, 2025 • 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Stories in your Stockings
@ Ybor City Coffee and Tea Co
1907 North 19th Street
Tickets from $17.85
bit.ly/StoriesStockings
Sunday, December 21, 2025 • 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Chicken Yoga with Yoga Loft Tampa and Ybor Misfits @ Hotel Haya
1412 East 7th Avenue
Tickets From $15.74
bit.ly/ChickenYogaYbor
Wednesday, December 31, 2025 • 9:00 PM - 1:00 AM
New Year’s Eve Celebration @ Ybor City Society Wine Bar
1600 East 7th Avenue
Tickets $60.54 bit.ly/nyeYborWineBar
Wednesday, December 31, 2025 • 9:00 PM - 2:00 AM
New Year, New Her - All Girl NYE Party @ 1920 Ybor
1920 E 7th Ave
Tickets start at $35
bit.ly/NewYearNewHer
Krunch Ybor City 1520 E 7th Ave
Restaurants: Where to Live:
Casa Ybor • casaybor.com
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.
La Union • bit.ly/LaUnionYbor
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.
Miles at Ybor • milesatybor.com
Step into the pulse of Tampa’s most vibrant neighborhood at Miles at Ybor, where modern luxury apartments in Tampa blend seamlessly with the rich cultural tapestry of historic Ybor City. These aren’t just furnished apartments in Ybor City – they’re your gateway to an elevated urban lifestyle that celebrates both heritage and innovation.
Addict Pickleball 1701 E 2nd Ave, Tampa
Come visit Addict’s first-ever brand store surrounded by 12 courts and located in the heart of Tampa, Florida - Ybor City. addictpickleball.com
Tempus Projects
1624 E 7th Ave, 2nd Floor, Ybor City
Dedicated to nurturing established and emerging local, national, and international artists through exhibitions, collaborations, residencies, and events. tempus-projects.com
La France 1612 E 7th Ave
Unique vintage clothing store - perfect for finding that unique holiday gift. instagram.com/lafranceybor
THU DECEMBER 11–THU DECEMBER 18
By Ray Roa
THU 11
C Nate Najar’s Jazz Holiday Is it really the holiday season if Nate Najar isn’t at the Palladium leading a gang of the Bay area’s best jazz musicians through a yuletide jam session? This Natemas includes vocals from Brazilian songwriter-guitarist Daniela Soledade along with a band that features Simon Lasky on piano, drummer Eddie Metz, Charlie Silva on bass, plus brass from trumpeter Bruce Harries and woodwinds by Adrian Cunningham handling saxophone, clarinet and flute. And while next year is the 20th anniversary of Najar’s end-of-theyear throwdown, this one marks the last jazz holiday in a room that is set to undergo a massive renovation. “At 19 years—which is very surreal to me—this is likely to be the last Nate Najar’s Jazz Holiday in the original Hough Hall and we are extremely excited to put a bow on the era with the most swinging holiday show we’ve ever played,” Najar told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “The frontline is composed of some of the greatest jazz soloists playing today and we have a brand new all star rhythm section that will swing us into the most grooving holidays ever. “ (Hough Hall at Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)
FRI 12
C Brandy & Monica w/Kelly Rowland/ Keyshia Cole/Jamal Roberts A song like “The Boy Is Mine” might be unlikely in 2025 (what’s the point of conflict over some dude, anyway?). That’s not stopping its creators—R&B queens Brandy Norwood and Arnold—from hitting the road with the
duet 27 years after it climbed to the top of the Billboard 100. Fans young and old don’t have to pick a team anymore, but they should be ready for two separate headlining sets along with shared stage time that includes covers (Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” is in the setlist) and more. Consider getting suited up for the show and get there early for sets by Destiny’s Child’s Kelly Rowland and “Love” hitmaker Keyshia Cole, the latter of whom just headlined the same room last July. (Benchmark International Arena, Tampa)
C Photon w/The Family Funk Dunedin Brewery is where jam-scene supergroups play before everyone finds out about them, and this show is no exception. After staging a two-night stand at the venue in 2022 and again just last April, the proggy, jazz and house music ensemble—featuring pianist Jimmy Dunstan together with Thievery Corporation bassist Dan Africano, Dopapod drummer Neal “Fro” Evans, and guitarist Chris Michetti—is back to play the brewery on Friday and Sunday and the neighboring Moon Tower space on Saturday. (Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin)
Rusko & Subdocta Fifteen years ago at long-shuttered Ybor City club The Amphitheater, Christopher Mercer chugged a liter of Grey Goose (or was it Ketel One?) while delivering an ear-splitting set of dubstep that was then still brand new to most American audiences. Miraculously, the U.K producer better known as Rusko not only survived that night (he was diagnosed with gastric lymphoma two years later), but the evolution of EDM at large. He’s back after a two-year hiatus with a new EP, 1 Man Army, that still wears a lot of the grit from the genre’s earliest days, but is more polished and poppy for modern audiences. (The Ritz, Ybor City)
SAT 13
C Hallucination Before Christmas: Gene Farris w/Josh Wink/Oona Dahl/ Three/Left / Right/Monk/Acuna/Audia/ Brian Busto/Essential Freaks/more The club scene is riddled with kitschy themed “raves,” that could never—even collectively—hold their own against Tampa’s famed “Hallucination Before Christmas” party that’s spent the last three decades bringing Halloween and the holidays together for charity. The 2025 installment of includes nearly 40 artists spread across four rooms, including Boys Noize Records alum Josh Wink (“Higher State of Consciousness”) along with Chicago house legend Gene Farris, Glastonbury and Burning Man alum Left/ Right (stylized in all-caps), plus Hallucination OGs DJ Monk, DJ Three and Oona Dahl. Not content to be just the most balls-to-the-wall audio-visual mindfuck, Hallucination also doubles as one of the heftiest holiday food drives in the Bay area, having collected more than 2,000 pounds of canned goods last year alone. (The Castle, Ybor City)
C Obituary w/Intoxicated/Castrator It’s been 35 years since John Tardy and company released a sophomore album Cause of Death , which has gone on to be known as an absolutely quintessential death metal collection. The Tampa-born band spent the fall overseas with Testament performing most of the album cover-to-cover on the “Thrash of Titans” tour, and there are still rumblings of a new album coming in the next year or two. But for now, expect to indulge in a true local rock history lesson with two gigs at the Mug. (Brass Mug, Tampa)—Josh Bradley
C Antacid Trip album release w/ Ramtha/Phantom Power The metal isn’t the only thing that’s black in the Antacid Trip camp. Tim Ramsland’s trio has a bleak, albeit honest, outlook on the zeitgeist, encapsulated on cuts like “Born To Buy,” where he sings “You are not a capitalist/ You are the capital/You are the product/ You are disposable…”. But there are solutions on the nine-track outing. “Beneath The Harvest Moon” has ideas on what to do with corporate fat cats, and “Systematic Exsanguination” is a refusal to believe that wasting away at work is humanity’s raison d’être. The band celebrates its first full-length, The Hellish Cycle , alongside grindcore quintet Ramtha and Clearwater thrash trio Phantom Power. (Pinellas Ale Works, St. Petersburg)
Tophouse w/Crowe Boys Last spring, Nashville folk quartet made its Grand Ole Opry debut. This weekend, the guys brings banjo, fiddle, mandolin, and piano along for their first stint under the Skipperdome. Crowe Boys, a duo made up of brothers Ocie and Wes Crowe, brings Made to Wander (an album NPR listed among the best the come out the week of June 9) to the opening slot. (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)
SUN 14
Merry Mosh 2: Fallfiftyfeet w/Clock Out/Gas/Dagger/more Fallfiftyfeet’s May album Counterfeit Recollections is a sprawling metalcore outing for fans of A Day To Remember and Slipknot, and the West Virginia trio is in town to support it. Those who come out to “Merry Mosh” will be supporting reproductive freedom nonprofit Voices of Florida at this six-band show that also includes a holiday market. (Magnanimous Brewing, Tampa)
C Raekwon w/Mobb Deep Months after bringing his Wu-Tang Clan’s farewell tour through town, Raekwon made plans to come back to Tampa Bay. Joining in are surviving members of Mobb Deep, which just played a sold-out show in Ybor City last August. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
TUE 16
C Central Park Jazz Jam: The Nick Peters Quartet Last fall when Rock the Park celebrated 15 years of no-cover concerts, the Tampa Downtown Partnership told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that it was planning a quarterly jazz concert series set for Central Park within the Encore development near the former site of a famed Black Tampa neighborhood commonly referred to as The Scrub. Pianist Nick Peters, a regular at Corner Club’s jazz night in Old Seminole Heights, gets the honors of kicking the no-cover series off inside the city’s historic St. James Church. (African American History Museum at Encore!, Tampa)
THU 18
C Method Man and Redman Raekwon’s not the only Wu-Tang Clan member who can’t quit the road. The iconic rap group staged its last tour ever this year, but Method Mad quickly made plans to rock the casino alongside longtime collaborator Redman. (Hard Rock Event Center at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tampa)
C Whores w/Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol/Meatwound Fourteen years after announcing itself with the Ruiner EP, Atlanta noise-rock favorite Whores still leaves fans with ears ringing. The live shows are just as cathartic, and Christian Lembach continues to bring it to fans even after a gnarly ACL injury in 2017. Lembach & co. are on the road supporting War. . The outing was recorded right here in Tampa at Ryan Boesch’s Candor Recording and landed at No. 15 on Rolling Stone’s list of 2024’s best metal albums, with critic David Fear calling the record the band’s “tightest, toughest, most satisfying album to date.” (Orpheum, Tampa)
See the extended version of this listing via cltampa.com/music.
C CL Recommends
Hallucination Before Christmas
Sarah Weatherboys Biergarten
Glare
Dust off the overalls and wash the tie-dye, because Billy Strings has announced his spring tour dates, including his biggest headlining Tampa Bay show to date.
After three consecutive years of playing April shows inside the Yuengling Center at University of South Florida, the Michigan misfit returns once again, this time doubling his audience with a headlining gig at the home of the Tampa Bay Lighting, Benchmark International Arena. “Over the years, Billy has worked his way into larger venues as his fan base continues to grow along with his impressive production. His shows deliver a full, immersive experience from start to finish,” a rep for Benchmark told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.
A press release from Strings’ camp recently added that, “The spring tour adds to an already landmark year for Strings, whose most recent full-length album, Highway Prayers , is nominated for Best Bluegrass Album at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards.” After release, Prayers debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s all-genre Top Album Sales Chart, the first bluegrass album in 22 years to achieve the distinction.
Sermons Fest: Monae Marleau w/ Jay Browne/Hellz Own/ItsJustMikey/ Perception/Jotta/JC Tha God/BarGod/ DJ Raul The Fool Friday, Dec. 19. 7 p.m. $22.85. Crowbar, Ybor City
Sarah Mootz w/Sofia Camille/ Weatherboys Sunday, Jan. 18. 8 p.m. $7. Biergarten at New World Brewery, Tampa
Glare w/All Under Heaven Tuesday, Jan. 27. 6:30 p.m. $20.22. Crowbar, Ybor City
Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo Thursday, Jan. 29. 8 p.m. $131.15 & up. Hard Rock Event Center at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tampa
The Wombats Thursday, Jan. 29. 8 p.m. $46.61. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg
Joey Valence and Brae Friday, Feb. 13. 9 p.m. $40.69. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg
The Robert Cray Band Tuesday, Feb. 17. 8 p.m. $49 & up. Bilheimer Capitol Theatre, Clearwater
Attack On Titan in Concert Sunday, March 1. 7 p.m. $85.40 & up. Morsani Hall at Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa
Alexsucks Thursday, Mar. 5. 7 p.m. $20.70. Bayboro Brewing Co., St. Petersburg
Billy Ocean Thursday, March 5. 7:30 p.m. $48.75 & up. Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater
Simon Phillips Tuesday, March 10. 7:30 p.m. $30 & up. Central Park Performing Arts Center, Largo
While the 33-year-old’s recordings continue to earn endless praise, it’s the accessibility and range of the artist’s immersive live performances that have pushed Strings’ popularity beyond a niche genre audience and into arena-sized appeal.
Tickets to see Billy Strings perform at Tampa’s Benchmark International Arena on Wednesday, April 8 are on sale now and start at $69.55. See Josh Bradley’s listing of new concerts coming to Tampa Bay below.—J.C. Roddy
Cult Member Saturday, Mar. 14. 7 p.m. $29.67. Crowbar, Ybor City
98RockFest: Three Days Grace w/I Prevail/Sleep Theory/The Funeral Portrait/The Pretty Wild Friday, March 20. 5 p.m. $71.75 & up. The BayCare Sound, Clearwater
flyingfish w/LoveLetter Sunday, Mar. 22. 6 p.m. $24.06. Crowbar, Ybor City
Alan Parsons Live Project Saturday, March 28. 8 p.m. $51.50 & up. The BayCare Sound, Clearwater
Orbit Culture w/Ov Sulfur/Atlas Saturday, March 28. 7 p.m. $40.50. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg
Ayybo Friday, April 3. 10 p.m. $31.15 & up. The Ritz, Ybor City
Allie X Friday, April 10. 7 p.m. $37.40 & up. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg
Goose Friday, April 17. 7 p.m. $38.99 & up. The BayCare Sound, Clearwater
Graham Nash Wednesday & Thursday, April 22 & 23. 7:30 p.m. $88.50 & up. Bilheimer Capitol Theatre, Clearwater
Two Feet Wednesday, April 22. 7 p.m. $47.07 & up. The Ritz, Ybor City
Cancellations/reschedules
Marc Rebillet at The Ritz Ybor, Nov. 15
Rescheduled to Friday, Feb. 20
Happy holigays
By Dan Savage
I’m gay and go to a small liberal arts school. I have a crush on this one guy, but he brought up — unprompted—that he’s Aro/Ace. I really like him. We have great conversations in a lab we have together, and I think he’s super attractive. But every time I’ve tried to extend our friendship outside of the lab by suggesting we study together or go see a movie we both want to see, he seems closed off to the idea. I don’t know what to do. I can just be sad about it, I guess. Or is there a chance he might be attracted to me? I think he enjoys talking to me. And I definitely enjoy being around him.—Anxiously Ruminating On A Crushing Experience
SAVAGE LOVE
answer is “no.” Think of it as a variation on, “It’s not you, it’s me,” something people say when they’re trying to let someone they like down easy. And even if this boy is the kind of aromantic person who wants to have a partner, AROACE, and even if he falls onto the slutty end of the asexual spectrum, the fact that he brought being Aro/ Ace up is good indication that he doesn’t see you as a potential partner… if he’s even interested in having a partner, romantic and/or sexual, which he may not be.
guys in the gym or in the shower (well maybe a quick glance). But secretly listening to the lifters as they grunt and moan in the weight room has become an obsession. It’s done wonders for my weight routine but seems creepy, even though I’m looking at the wall and not at them, and they have no idea I’m getting off on their sounds. I’ve thought about recording on my iPhone to jerk off to later but haven’t. (Too creepy!) Is this harassment or abuse? Should I stop and tune back into the Black Keys at high volume on my earbuds to drown out these hot grunts and moans? And is there a name for this thing of mine?—Making Orgasmic Auditory Noises
discreetly enjoying eye candy has always been one of the perks of going to the gym, discreetly enjoying ear candy doesn’t constitute harassment or abuse.
Quick definition of terms: Someone who’s aromantic (Aro) doesn’t experience romantic attraction. While some aromantic people want romantic partners—or want a partnership and are willing to tolerate/simulate a little romance to get one—others don’t want a romantic partner. It’s a (sigh) spectrum. Someone who’s asexual (Ace) doesn’t experience sexual attraction but might be down to fuck. It’s (sigh) a spectrum. Now, lots of things exist along spectra, including (big sigh) sexual orientation—the famous Kinsey Scale represents a spectrum—but the asexual spectrum sometimes seems so broad as to be meaningless, running the gamut from sex-repulsed asexuals (disgusted by the thought of sex, don’t want to have sex, don’t want to be reminded that other people do) to asexual sluts (doesn’t experience sexual attraction, has sex for other reasons, and has tons of it).
Basically, we live in an era—or we’re living through the tail end of an era—when words mean whatever we want them to mean, people are allowed to use whatever words they like or invent new ones, no one is ever bullshitting themselves or anyone else, and the only people getting gatekept are the gatekeepers.
All that said, AROACE, it’s highly unlikely your lab partner brought up his Aro/Ace status unprompted. You may not have told him you find him attractive—you may not have said those words to him—but there were tells: the way you looked at him was a prompt, the way you lit up when he spoke to you was a prompt, the way you asked him out on what were essentially dates was definitely a prompt. Aro/Ace boys may not experience romantic or sexual attraction, but they’re not dense—they can tell when someone is interested in them romantically or sexually—and this boy knows you’re into him. Which is fine! You’re allowed to find hot guys! And you’re allowed to ask them out! But you have to take “no” for an answer, AROACE, explicit and implicit. And when this boy brought up his Aro/Ace identities, he was letting you know the
P.S. You could say this to him: “Cards on the table: I asked you to study alone together sometime or go see a movie because I’m attracted to you. But I understand that only a friendship is possible here, since you’re Aro/Ace, which I get and respect. I’m happy to hang out as friends, if you’re interested in being friends outside of class. If not—not yet or not ever—no hard feelings and I promise not to be weird.”
Gay cis guy in a small town, mid-40s and between relationships at the moment. I’ve been developing what might be a kink and wonder about it. I go to a gym in town with a nice weight room. Most guys using it are younger than me and a high percentage (like 90%) wear headphones or earbuds when lifting and are lost in their own auditory worlds. I have my own earbuds in.
One day last month my ear buds ran out of juice. I realized that the guys lifting couldn’t hear themselves, and some of them were making really loud and hot noises— moaning, grunting, panting and so forth as they were lifting. I don’t think they know how loud they are or what they sound like. One guy in particular doing squats has a pattern of working up to louder and louder noises and ending in an almost orgasmic grunt/moan combo on his last lift in a set. I’ve been getting into listening to all these sounds and reacting to the point that I’m wearing a sturdy jock on weight days to avoid any, um, visible reactions. Anyway, it’s a small town and I’m careful not to ogle the cute
This thing of yours has a name: auralism. It’s a kink where certain sounds—like listening to men moan, grunt, pant, etc., at the gym— trigger arousal.
And so long as you’re not visibly aroused, MOAN, and so long as you’re not staring at guys and/or making them aware of your arousal,
your behavior—your leering ears—exists along the spectrum of “permissible secret perving.” We are allowed to take private pleasure, even sexual pleasure, from the random stimuli we encounter as we move through the world, so long as we don’t disturb or upset others. So, just as
Quick digression: On the most recent episode of After-Action Report—my new podcast—I spoke with a woman who has a sneeze fetish. She’s allowed to leave the house during cold-and-flu season to enjoy the sights and sounds of hot strangers sneezing in airports and grocery stores! So long as she isn’t visibly aroused—so long as she can wait until she gets home to buzz one out—there’s nothing wrong with the pleasure she takes from hearing a stranger sneeze. Same goes for you, MOAN: so long as you aren’t doing anything that makes other people uncomfortable—and other people are the ultimate judge of that—you’re allowed to enjoy the moans, groans, and grunts of the men at your gym. Making a recording while you’re at the gym, however, falls into an ethical and legal gray zone. Depending on where you live, MOAN, recording a conversation without the consent of both/all parties is a crime. (But do grunts and moans count? You’d have to ask a lawyer.) And even if making audio recordings in a public place is legal where you live, it feels more invasive than simply listening. That said, everyone is recording everything everywhere now—especially at the gym—and for frankly worse reasons. The world is full of pranksters, influencers, and Karens making and uploading videos in the hopes of going viral at someone else’s expense. Quietly capturing a few seconds of “room sound” at the gym for your own private enjoyment later seems less problematic—it seems less abusive—than posting a video to your Instagram of someone’s bad form to mock them or uploading the worst moment in someone else’s life to your socials to boost your follower count.
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 Pursuant to Section 715.109, notice is hereby given that the following property will be offered for public sale and will sell at public outcry to the highest and best bidder for cash: a 1990 PALM mobile home, VIN 23650231AZ and 23650231BZ and the contents therein, if any, abandoned by previous owner
CAROLYN SUE MOORE and tenant
CHARLES MOORE on Wednesday, December 17, 2025 at 9:30 a.m. at 1121 Opal Avenue, Sebring, Florida 33870.
ICARD, MERRILL, CULLIS, TIMM, FUREN & GINSBURG, P.A. Alyssa M. Nohren FL Bar No. 352410 2033 Main Street Suite 600 Sarasota, Florida 34237 Telephone: (941) 366-8100 Facsimile: (941) 366-6384 anohren@ icardmerrill.com smenasco@ icardmerrill.com Attorneys for Sebring Mobile Estates
Help keep local journalism alive this giving season.
By Merl Reagle
NOTE: Two well-known “step”-related titles are hidden diagonally in this puzzle — both of them run in straight lines (although one makes an appropriate turn) and both are 18 letters long. Can you find them?
Hit, as a hide-out
“My Fair Lady” lady
Like the music of Mingus or Monk
“For shame!”
Women’s mag, or man’s name
Commandment verb
Compact item?
3-D hosp. procedure
Babe Ruth’s number
Comes to
___ spray
Slalom challenges
Mazda model
Denzel Washington film, “The Book of ___” 54 Smoky stone 55 Shaw’s “Jaws” role 56 Entertainer Gaynor
Take all the fun out of
Keats subject
Kicks on fourth
Sentimental
Scaling needs
Document certifiers
Popular Carlo?
J F M A M J J A S O N D
Webs, e.g.
Rough-and-tumble
Writer Gorki
Put it to
“Nuts!”
Eloi portrayer in “The Time Machine” (1960)
Dark suit?
Source of down
Boxer-actor Rosenbloom
On the ___
Boo’s partner
Mighty mount
Trial location
“Sesame Street” character
Maria’s introduction?
Artist Frida
Chart anew
Together again
1992 candidate
Piercing target
Theoretically
MacDowell of L’Oréal ads
Thai and Chinese, e.g.
Do a string thing
Second-highest
Ship letters
Longest river in France
Wipeout?
Traitor
Inappropriate
Author and film
James
Showed (the way)
Paper airplane folds
1982 Fleetwood Mac hit
Buddy
Bring down the house? 10 Test subject on “CSI”
Inventor of the symphonic poem
Pretentious, perhaps
For each
Big name in fairy tales
Rattles
Group with “kingpins”
Fishy
Dorothy, to Aunt Em
Covers some ground?
Tiresome talkers
Monologue material
Owner of Easter Island
Like some attitudes
Condemn openly
Have fewer points than
Wish list items
About, before a date
Bottom line?
Papa Doc ruled it
God portrayer
Become frosty
“Dallas” matriarch, Miss ___
Idiosyncrasy
Saxophonistcomposer Jimmy, known for his big-band
Naughty or Nice, we’ll close it twice Naughty or Nice, we’ll close it twice
