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Five years after his death at the age of 80, protesters across the country remembered the late Rep. John Lewis, a Freedom Rider whose march for equality was built around the concept of getting into “good trouble.”
Last Thursday, to honor Lewis’ life and work, which included 33 years in Washington D.C., activists in downtown Tampa took to Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park where they rallied against Donald Trump, decried a growing fascist state, pushed back against the White House’s deportation efforts, and yes, trolled Trump with signs about his desire to stop talking about his long relationship with a certain sex trafficker.
The continued talk about the Epstein files, alluded to the growing bipartisan skepticism over a memo from Tampa woman and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, which said that there was no client list connected to the convicted sex trafficker who allegedly committed suicide in prison.
Jennifer Young, an organizer with Indivisible Action Tampa Bay told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that folks need to show up for each other. She said Lewis reminded activists that it’s important to be in the streets getting loud and taking care of each other—and that if he was still around today he’d be staging sit-ins and protests while reminding people to take up space and be present.
“It’s really important that we stand with our community, because they’re coming for you, if they haven’t come for you,” Young added. “Whether it’s trans rights, Palestinian rights, LGBTQ folks, the Black community, we have to do what we can to take care of each other during these times.”
Amanda Moonitz, a retired Hillsborough County educator who taught U.S. government, told CL that she explained to her students that checks and balances were how the government is supposed to work. “We’ve lost that,” she added.
See all the photos via cltampa.com/slideshows.—Ray Roa & Dave Decker
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do this
Tampa Bay's best things to do from July 24 - 30
Read ale about it
Running with scissors
This is the best time to be a Tampa Bay lesbian (or sapphic) in at least 75 years. WLW parties like Dyke Night and Disco Tits have infiltrated the often cis, gay-male centric queer scene. And the Sapphic Sun is bringing queer women and nonbinary folks into the light. MFA St. Pete hosts leaders from the paper for “Heresies: Art, Politics & Intersectionality,” a celebration of pioneering feminist artist Nina Yankowitz exploring themes of activism, identity, and creative resistance. The evening includes pop-up demos, hands-on writing, a panel discussion, and bites from Café Clementine. And, because we’re in the lesbianissance, there’s a singles stoplight party in Tampa the same night. So there’s no excuse to stay home with your cats.
Heresies: Art, Politics & Intersectionality—Friday, July 25. 6 p.m.-9 p.m. Pay what you can (donation levels range from $50-$100). 255 Beach Dr. NE, St. Petersburg. mfastpete.org—Selene San Felice
On the knife edge
Each summer, during the local industry’s “slow season,” Feeding Tampa Bay and its sponsors host a multi-week cooking competition between local chefs from both sides of the bridge. The chef that wins all three rounds takes home the grand prize, which is a whopping $10,000 this year—a sum that represents Epic Chef’s ten-year anniversary. Now, there’s only a few bites between the last two chefs and their bragging rights. Angel Gaston of Rooster & the Till takes on Amalie Arena Executive Chef Marvilou Mapa this week. Tickets include a four-course meal with wine pairings, inspired by the participating restaurants alongside Trinity Cafe and Élevage.
Epic Chef finale: Monday, July 28. 6 p.m. $400 per pair. Epicurean Theatre, 1207 S Howard Ave. First Floor, Tampa. feedingtampabay. org—Kyla Fields
Florida’s most brew-tiful minds meet next week for the Florida Brewers Conference. The three-day event, hosted by Mother Murphy’s Flavors and the Florida Brewers Guild, highlights breweries from across the state and lets beer lovers connect over hops and dreams. The first two days are packed with educational sessions with professionals before Sunday’s show floor, where attendees can discuss new products and taste beer with more than 70 vendors. The Distilling Association will host a session on the fermentation industry. Niko Tonks from Yakima Chief Hops will discuss recent creations in the world of liquid hop aroma products. These aromas are designed to be added to beer without the need for traditional hop pellets or flowers. Other speakers include Melissa Hunt from Fresh from Florida on seasonal produce and Haidar and Mar Hachem from Shōjō’s Dojo, who will share insights on sake and how it is brewed.
Florida Brewers Conference: Monday-Wednesday, July 28-30. $140.56 & up. Tampa Marriott Water Street, 505 Water St., Tampa. floridabrewersconference.org— Marleigh Brown
Beat it
With algorithms taking control of everything, it’s certainly a hard time to be a musician. There’s a whole scene out there rooting for you, though, and Tampa Bay’s 40-year-old, homegrown promotions company wants you to meet it faceto-face. No Clubs hosts this networking event for music makers, promoters, venue owners, reporters, designers, and their fans.
Behind The Beats Music Industry Networking Event: Tuesday, July 29. 6:30 p.m. No cover, RSVP requested. Crowbar, 1812 N 17th St., Ybor City. @ Noclubsproductions on Facebook—Ray Roa
Call me anime-be
Anime fans in Tampa can audition for a major studio this weekend. Along with cosplay contests, meetand-greets and its masquerade dance, Metrocon hosts open voice acting auditions for Bang Zoom! Studios, whose recent English dubs include “Demon Slayer,” “Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure,” “The Seven Deadly Sins.” Bang Zoom! will fly one chosen contestant and their plus-one to Burbank, California, to dub an anime. For its 22nd year, Metrocon (stylized all-caps) also brings special guests Tia Ballard, who has voiced over 300 anime projects, and Emi Lo, known for voicing Lucy in “Cyberpunk” along with many others offering autographs, photos and signed Funko Pops. The highly competitive cosplay contest is guest judged by cosplay teams Re:Star and Pins-Snip. Categories include craftsmanship, performance showcase and junior showcase. The masquerade dance on Friday—a separately ticketed event—pays homage to Obon, the Japanese summer festival honoring ancestor spirits.
Metrocon: Friday-Sunday, July 25-27. $40 & up. Tampa Convention Center, 333 S Franklin St., Tampa. metroconventions.com—Jani Burden
Roll call
Candidates who want to represent Tampa’s District 5 better be ready to connect in a serious way when Candy Lowe and Jarvis El-Amin host another installment of Tea & Conversation in Ybor City. “We want to know what their cell phone numbers are so we can call them,” Lowe, organizer of Tampa’s Black Business Bus Tour, told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. For more than two decades, she’s brought together candidates and electeds to talk to her community, and she wants to know that whoever wins in the upcoming special election will come back to the forum. It’ll be a packed house since 12 candidates have applied to run for the seat. Anyone who shows up will get a chance to introduce themselves and their platforms, talk about their history in East Tampa and answer questions from voters. Read about more D5 forums on p. 17.
Tea & Conversation: Tampa City Council District 5 roll call: Saturday, July 26. 10 a.m.-noon. No cover. Al’s Finger Licking Good Soulfood, 2302 E 7th Ave., Ybor City. Tea & Conversation Tampa on Facebook—Ray Roa
Hart ache
Tampa Rep. Dianne Hart is worried that a Republican could win special city council election.
By Ray Roa
Like all of Tampa’s municipal races, the special election for District 5’s city council seat is nonpartisan, but the Bay area’s shifting voting demographics weren’t lost on Rep. Dianne Hart as she discussed an upcoming candidate forum Hillsborough’s Democratic Black Caucus is hosting next month. “Anytime you have nine Democrats in a race, you are going to split up the vote,” Hart, who was first elected to Florida’s House of Representatives in 2018, told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.
Still those candidates will have to grapple with questions about a far-reaching district that stretches west-to-east from Tampa Heights to parts of the end of Broadway Avenue and northsouth between parts of Riverhills to Harbour Island. Housing, parks and recreation, and hurricane response are topics that will come up, but one that Hart won’t touch is what it might mean if a Black person does not end up winning the seat.
ELECTIONS
The special election— happening in the wake of the tragic death of Councilwoman Gwen Henderson last month— ends on Sept. 9, with early voting running Sept. 4-7. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, a runoff election between the top two vote getters will be held Oct. 28.
The race for District 5’s seat includes at least three Republicans. Asked about the possibility of a runoff between three card-carrying members of the GOP, Hart said, “I would be sick.”
Expect to hear more about that when Hart moderates a discussion with Democratic candidates coming face to face with her caucus at a forum set for Aug. 14.
Angela Birdsong, President of the Hillsborough County Democratic Black Caucus, told CL that four candidates have confirmed their attendance: Former Hillsborough County Commissioner and Tampa City Council member Thomas Scott, East Tampa politico and community leader Fran Tate, Naya Almaz Yong, the former Executive Director of the Tampa Heights Junior Civic Association, and businessman Albert Cooke.
District 5 is also Tampa’s only majorityminority district, and as far as CL knows, has never been represented by someone who wasn’t Black.
As of press time none of the non-Black candidates—Crowbar owner Tom DeGeorge, his fellow Ybor City business owner Darrell Ashley Dudney and, Audette Bruce, a campus pastor at Revive Church—have committed to attending the Aug. 14 forum, but if they do, they can rest assured that Hart won’t be the one to broach that subject.
“I will not be asking any personal questions, because I don’t want anybody to feel like I’m playing, ‘I gotcha.’ That is not what this is about,” Hart told CL, adding that she’s sure someone in the audience will address that issue. “I won’t have anything to do with asking them, ‘What do you think about taking the only Black access if you were to win?’”
“Anytime you have nine Democrats in a race, you are going to split up the vote.”
With just under 44,000 active registered voters in District 5, turnout will be a huge factor in the race.
Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that anyone running in the special election will get a chance to weigh in the current budget discussions Tampa City Council members are part of right now. “So whoever gets elected is going to have to hold the other six councilmembers accountable to whatever it is they said they were going to do,” Hart added.
There’s no cover for the Hillsborough County Democratic Black Caucus’s District 5 candidate forum happening Thursday, Aug. 14 at the C. Blythe Andrews Library in Tampa.
The caucus’ form is one of many opportunities the community has to get a feel for the candidates.
This Saturday, July 26 is Candy Lowe’s Tea & Conversation: Tampa City Council District 5 roll call happening at Al’s Finger Licking Good Soul Food in Ybor City (more on p. 13).
Tampa’s Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1464—in collaboration with the West Central Florida Labor Council—will also host a candidate screening in Tampa on July 26.
On a still-to-be-determined date next month on WMNF Tampa 88.5-FM, this reporter, together with former Tampa City Councilman John Dingfelder and Florida Phoenix Senior Reporter Mitch Perry, will also co-host an on-air forum with candidates who qualify.
To officially qualify for the special election ballot, according to the city charter, applicants must pay a qualifying fee equal to 5% of the salary (roughly $3,750). A fact sheet from the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections points out that the qualifying fee would be $4,511.52 because an additional 1% election assessment is required by the State of Florida. Another way to qualify is to submit petition signatures from 0.25% of the population of the city of Tampa by Aug. 1.
AT YOUR SERVICE: Rep. Dianne Hart was first elected to Florida’s House of Representatives in 2018.
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Fight the power
After DeSantis veto and
Trump cuts, WMNF Tampa shatters single-day fundraising
record.
By Ray Roa
The resistance will not be televised, apparently.
In Late June, a budget veto from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis eliminated $100,000 that would have gone to community radio station WMNF Tampa 88.5-FM. And last week, lawmakers in Washington D.C. went along with a Trump rescissions request that yanked another $130,000 set to go to Tampa Bay’s 46-year-old community radio station.
Facing a $230,000 hole, WMNF staged a 15-hour emergency pledge drive on Saturday, July 19—and shattered the station’s single-day record fundraising record.
As of 11:12 p.m. last Saturday night, WMNF listeners had donated $280,250.52 in response to the station’s call asking the community to “join the resistance.”
That’s according to WMNF’s Development Director Shari Akram, who told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that the drive included nearly 1,300 individuals who donated to the station by phone 359 times while pitching in 912 times online. The largest single pledge, Akram said, was $25,000. Ahead of the drive, Akram told CL that listeners already give to the station an average of five
times a year, and that the last thing she wanted to have to do was to reach out again. She also knew that WMNF listeners wouldn’t be silenced.
“They will want to protect their investment in WMNF because this independent community radio station means a WHOLE lot to a lot of people. And those that can, will fight back,” Akram wrote in an email ahead of the emergency drive.
As her hunch was validated last Saturday, Akram—who came to WMNF in 2022 after five years working in the civil rights nonprofit sector—was visibly emotional and called the drive a beautiful moment in the station’s history.
“It’s not just about the money. It’s wonderful that the community rose to the challenge, but this is an outpouring where people feel the urgency and the importance of protecting independent media. They see what the administration is trying to do, and they’re fighting back,” she said. “That’s what makes me emotional. A lot of times, I think we feel helpless with everything that’s going on. Then you see all this togetherness, these people joining in for one cause.”
Down the hall from Akram’s office, past a room where a handful of phone answers were starting to get a break after spending the day
collecting pledges from listeners, WMNF’s General Manager Randi Zimmerman joined longtime DJ Cen-Flo for his “House Party” program to close out the drive.
Zimmerman’s first stint at WMNF, as a reporter and producer, happened in the late-’90s, a year after an emergency drive raised more than $120,000 in response to another legislative cut. This time was different, Zimmerman conceded, pointing to changing voting patterns in the Bay area and how television stations like CBS were caving into threats from the president.
“I think our community is going to continue to speak truth to power, but I think some of that is going to be a little bit harder than it used to be,” she told CL in the week leading up to last Saturday’s drive.
Many folks, however, were ready to pitch in to make that day a success for the station, which airs a mix of news and music programming. Akram told CL that about $73,000 worth of pre-pledges had already been collected before the sun came up last Saturday.
And while WMNF’s emergency fund drive was supposed to kickoff with the early-morning bluegrass show, Akram added that Jim Bannon, host of the station’s “Rustic Soul” program, wanted to do his part and raised $4,000 from 5 a.m.-7 a.m.
“Our listeners are smart and they said, ‘We’re not gonna take it.’”
Outside the station’s second studio in the last hours of the drive, Zimmerman told CL that she was also touched by the support.
“I am emotional. I am elated,” she added. “I shouldn’t have been surprised, but I was surprised, because $230,000 is a lot of money to raise in a day.”
Listeners then helped Sid Flannery and Alida Duchene’s bluegrass program collect $35,000 before the “Words and Music” show by Best of the Bay-winning WMNF staple Marcie Finkelstein raised $81,000. “The Sixties Show” collected $41,000, while Michael “KTUF” Bagby’s long-running program “The 70s show” contributed around $34,000.
Akram said that by the time Laura Taylor— who served as WMNF’s development director for 16 years—came on air with her “Surface
continued on page 21
OUR HOUSE: Longtime WMNF DJ Cen-Flo said WMNF is more than a party.
RAY ROA
Noise” program, the station felt better about reaching the goal.
(Full disclosure: This reporter, who co-hosts a Friday public affairs program, was also on-air to help decades-long WMNF programmer Cheryl Mogul raise more money during her “Saturday Soulful Soiree” program from 6 p.m.-8 p.m.)
Cen-Flo, a 16-year volunteer programmer for WMNF, had been listening to the station all day by the time his high-energy show kicked off at 8 p.m. He told CL that he’d never seen a pledge drive do what last Saturday’s did.
“This is not only about the music and having a ‘house party,’” he added. “It’s about your freedom, your freedom to think the way you want, not think how the leaders want you to think. Our listeners are smart and they said, ‘We’re not gonna take it.’”
Playing in the background as Cen-Flo thanked listeners? A radio edit of The Isley Brothers’ “Fight the Power.”
Joy-FM, which broadcasts on 88.1-FM is also listener-supported.)
Other critics have asked why a station that is asking listeners to “join the resistance” should get any federal funding at all, echoing Trump’s argument that stations like NPR have a “liberal bias.”
“As much as they complain about ‘liberal bias,’ the government has also taken advantage of our ‘liberal’ good nature by underfunding but expecting a lot,” Zimmerman told CL.
“We delivered far above our weight, while commercial media was absent unless they saw a way to turn a sizable profit.”
Zimmerman knows that public media leaders will be making different choices going forward.
“I can not predict what those choices and opportunities will be. I do know they will be different,” she said.
LOCAL
Critics of federal funding going to public radio stations argued that WMNF’s success is proof that radio stations like it don’t need federal funding.
Zimmerman cautioned against that thinking.
“It is an unfortunate perspective to believe that public media can survive based on the success of yesterday’s fund drive,” Zimmerman told CL on the morning after the fund drive.
Zimmerman added that public media outlets across the U.S. have spent decades building infrastructure that keeps people safe and informed. The rescinded federal funds, she said, supplemented the missions of public stations that’re now scrambling to replace the lost money.
WMNF isn’t the only Bay area public radio station that receives funds from the government, but it is the one most heavily supported by listeners.
(WUSF Tampa 89.7-FM is the other Bay area station that gets federal funds; the for-profit
Akram acknowledges that the funding shortage will be an issue for at least the next few years. She does, however, know of a solution.
“If we have 1,977 people join ‘Circle of Friends’ at $10 a month, that covers our $230,000 deficit year after year,” she told CL in the closing hours of last Saturday’s drive.
She’ll spend the next few weeks analyzing data on the drive to find a path forward, but for now she’s just grateful.
“One of the beautiful things about working here is that you really get a sense of community,” Akram said, adding that listeners have told her that the station is a lifeline.
“They’re getting a human connection. It’s not an algorithm. You have a live person picking music specifically for you and interacting with you if you are calling the studio or emailing the DJ,” she said.
“So people feel really connected and it means a lot to them. They say they wake up with WMNF and go to bed with WMNF. And I had no idea that a radio station could mean so much to somebody.”
DOORS 5:30PM •
6:30PM SATURDAY july 26 DOORS 5:30PM • GAME 6:30PM
GOLD MINE: One of many relics in WMNF’s expansive music library.
RAY ROA
Reach farther
Renters need to make $32.42/hour to afford one-bedroom.
By McKenna Schueler and Jani Burden
Each year, the National Low Income Housing Coalition comes out with a new report on how much renters need to make in the U.S. in order to comfortably afford a place to live— and in Tampa Bay, affordability isn’t getting any better. Although rents aren’t spiking as quickly as they were a few years ago, renters in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro still need to make at least $32.42 an hour to afford the average one-bedroom apartment, or roughly $67,440 per year, according to the housing nonprofit’s new report titled “Out of Reach.”
That income requirement is up a couple of dollars per hour from last year, when Tampa renters needed to make $35.60 an hour to afford to comfortably afford a two-bedroom apartment, compared to this year’s $38.04. To afford a one-bedroom apartment in Tampa-St. PeteClearwater, and not be rent burdened, someone would have to make $32.42/hour. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics says the average (mean) hourly wage in the Tampa Bay metro last year was $30.93.
Renter households make up 32% of all households in the Tampa metro area, spanning from St.Pete up to Clearwater, according to the NLIHC. Tampa has consistently ranked as one of the most cost-burdened metros in the U.S., with nearly half of Tampa Bay residents spending more than 50% of their income on renting as of last year.
LOCAL NEWS
While the Bay Area is home to hundreds of thousands of people who work in Florida’s multibillion-dollar tourism industry—from jobs at hotels to bars, restaurants and theme parks— average wages for these jobs have failed to catch up with Tampa’s rents.
Median wages for food service workers, cashiers, housekeepers and wait staff are about half what a worker would need to earn in order to comfortably afford a one-bedroom rental in the Tampa metro, the report estimates.
But it’s not just wages that are the problem. According to the NLIHC, employers offering higher wages alone won’t be enough to solve the local or national housing crisis. Beyond higher rental costs, Florida (and the nation, broadly) continues to suffer from an ongoing shortage of affordable homes. Development in Tampa, including for low-income families priced out of the standard market, is in the works, but building quality, safe housing takes time.
Federal funding cuts potentially coming down the pipeline under Congress and the Trump administration (not to mention tariffs or labor shortages resulting from mass deportations of immigrant workers in construction) could also negatively affect progress on this front.
“We need major investments in rental assistance, in the preservation and development of affordable and accessible housing, and in stronger tenant protections,” said NLIHC CEO and president Renee Willis, during a press call Thursday. “We need bold leadership that centers those with the greatest needs.”
understand how HUD would continue to operate with 26% less staff.”
According to the Associated Press, more than 1 million low-income households in the U.S. could stand to lose federal rental assistance they have access to currently, under a two-year limit the Trump administration has proposed on housing vouchers.
Research has found that most people who are even eligible for this assistance, based on their income level, aren’t even accessing it. “Just one in four households who qualify for rental assistance actually receive it, due to inadequate funding,” Willis shared.
Nonprofits in the Tampa area that assist homeless people and operate programs for families at risk for homelessness have already seen threats to federal grant funds under the Trump administration that have caused waves of confusion and chaos.
The new report finds that a minimum-wage worker in Florida—earning the state’s minimum wage of $13 an hour—would need to work 96 hours a week to afford a “modest” one-bedroom rental at fair market rate. Assuming you get eight hours of sleep each night, that leaves only 16 hours in the week for other activities.
Florida broadly ranks ninth nationwide in having the highest housing wage, according to the report, behind states like California, Washington, New York and Maryland. By comparison, in South Dakota, a renter would only have to make $31,910 annually to afford a one-bedroom apartment without being rent-burdened.
This term, “housing wage,” is defined as the hourly wage a full-time worker must earn to afford a rental home at fair market rate without spending more than 30% of their income on housing costs, including rent or mortgage payments. This follows standard guidelines from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on what’s considered “affordable” for renters and homeowners. Under those guidelines, affordable means spending no more than 30% of your income on rent or housing costs. Any share above that, experts say, can leave you “cost-burdened” amid other essential living expenses.
A report published by the U.S. Census Bureau last September found that nearly half of all renter households—more than 21 million—nationwide qualified as cost-burdened.
Although average rents vary by ZIP code, the fair market rate for a rental in the Tampa metro area is $1,686 a month for a one-bedroom, or $1,978 for a two-bedroom rental. Affording that comfortably requires earning at least $32.42 per hour, working full-time, or $38.04 per hour, respectively.
Dan Emmanuel, director of research for the NLIHC, said a federal appropriations bill recently approved by the U.S. House would cut staffing within the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development—the federal agency that helps support affordable housing solutions—by 26%.
“If you’ve ever been inside HUD, you know that place already operates on a skeleton crew,” he told the media on a press call. “I can’t
The Tampa Hillsborough Homeless Initiative, a nonprofit that uses government grant funds to house and track the number of homeless people in the region. Last year alone, the initiative measured a total of 1,893 homeless people with 871 in local shelters and 1,022 on the streets.
As of February of 2025, the pit count decreased by 97 and the number of homeless people in shelters went up by about 8%. However, the number of chronically homeless just lessthan doubled from 2024-25.
A version of this post first appeared at our sibling publication Orlando Weekly.
SKY HIGH: Florida broadly ranks ninth nationwide in having the highest housing wage.
Yolo
Hillsborough Rep. Susan Valdés has no regrets about defecting to Republican party.
By Mitch Perry/Florida Phoenix
Although it’s been more than seven months since Hillsborough County state Rep. Susan Valdés flipped to the Republican Party, that departure remains raw with some of her former Democratic colleagues, as emotions spilled out last Friday during a discussion of the just concluded Florida legislative session.
“The thing is, unfortunately, the Democratic Party left me a long time ago,” she said when asked by a member of the audience at the Tampa Tiger Bay meeting whether she would have left the Democratic Party if it had held the majority in Tallahassee—something that hasn’t been the case in nearly three decades.
What Valdés didn’t say, though, was that her conversion to the Republican Party in December, shortly following the 2024 elections, came just a week after she lost a bid to chair the Hillsborough County Democratic Executive Committee.
The New York City-born daughter of Cuban immigrants who has represented an Hispanicleaning district in western Hillsborough County since 2018, Valdés alleged that Hispanics were “always an afterthought” in the Florida Democratic Party. Right now, only two Hispanics serve in the Democratic caucus: Osceola County Rep. Jose Alvarez and Orange County Rep. Johanna López.
No regrets
“If the Democratic Party were in the majority, and they would still be behaving the way that they were behaving without paying attention to the needs of the Hispanic community, yes, I’d change as well,” she maintained.
Valdés boasted that by switching to the Republican Party of Florida, she was able to accomplish “in four months what I was not able to accomplish in seven years.” She referred specifically to her ability as a member of the majority to pass a bill (HB 1105) ending the certificate of completion given to lower-performing students in place of a diploma—a longtime goal for her going back to her years serving on the Hillsborough County School Board.
Valdes called it a “participation trophy” that essentially told students “Thank you—and you have no future.”
Democratic House Leader Fentrice Driskell, sitting to the immediate right of Valdés during the discussion, fired back immediately.
“I think it’s very unfair to voters to have asked for their vote one week to be a member of the Democratic Party and the next week or two to switch that,” Driskell said. “I think regardless of how it felt to me personally as a friend and a leader, it’s about what’s fair to the voters, and I think just also, you know, the Democratic Party
is a broad coalition, and I just want to reject the sentiment that the Hispanic community was an afterthought. Absolutely not.”
Driskell added that she had worked with Valdés to build up a Spanish language media and communications strategy. Valdés countered that since she left the party, that communications program no longer exists.
She added that, as a Republican, she was able to bring “millions of dollars back to the district.” That comment triggered Tampa Democratic Rep. Dianne Hart.
“If you’re in the Democratic Party and you’re in the superminority and you have an opportunity to move over to the majority, of course you get more money,” she said. “Do you have any idea what kind of money Democrats were able to bring home from Tallahassee? Darn near nothing.”
Hart mentioned that Valdés had worked with her on criminal justice reform over the years, saying she would have hoped that with Valdés now a Republican she could have helped influence the governor when it came to a measure Hart sponsored (HB 181) that passed
unanimously this session. It would have allowed a limited number of state inmates to receive early release from prison. DeSantis vetoed the proposal, saying that it “would likely result in making Florida’s parole system more lenient.”
“Not a single time did you even reach out to try and see if you can help, but you were in that position [as] vice chair as a member of the Budget Committee,” Hart said.
Staying above the fray
The two other Democrats on the dais, Tampa Bay area Rep. Michele Rayner and Sen. Darryl Rouson, opted not to engage directly on Valdés’ party switch.
me to bring results, and not just go up and run my mouth,” said Rouson, who has served in the Legislature since 2008. “I have found a way to remain a Democrat but work both sides of the aisle.”
“The thing is, unfortunately, the Democratic Party left me a long time ago.”
“I think that the conversation can become unhelpful when we begin to personalize it, because, at the end of the day, there is an affordability crisis in the state of Florida,” Rayner said.
“I believe that when the voters elected me, they elected me to be effective. They elected
Valdés’ flip to the Republican Party was followed just a few weeks later by another House Democrat, Rep. Hillary Cassel, jettisoning the party and reducing the number of Democrats in the 120-member to just 33. Cassel will face the voters for the first time next year in her district as a Republican, but Valdés is term-limited in her House District 64 seat. She has not said publicly whether she is considering another run for office in 2026. 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.
RAWR: Susan Valdés (R) at Tampa Tiger Bay on Jul 18, 2025.
Management area
St. Pete considers adopting ‘Clean and Safe’ program for downtown.
By Sebastián González de León y León/San Pedro Gazette
City officials moved forward with the inclusion of the Clean and Safe Program to a Committee of the Whole meeting. $325,425 in funding was approved to further construction actions for the President Barack Obama Main Library. St. Pete council members approved an ordinance to update the Land Redevelopment Regulations. During the July 10 St. Pete City Council meeting, Chair of the Council, Copley Gerdes (District 1), requested a moment of silence to honor the late City Attorney Michael Joseph Dema (1980-2025).
Clean and Safe talks
Residents expressed concerns about safety and hygiene in the Downtown Area. They spoke in support of the Clean and Safe Program, a program being reviewed in public meetings that aims to establish a business improvement district in Downtown, according to the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership.
of the measures have shown up to voice their opinions. While some are eager to implement additional safety and cleanliness measures in Downtown St. Pete, others argue the initiative targets the unhoused community.
“These services will include enhanced security, clean and safe programs, and community programming to intensify positive activity in Williams Park,” according to the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership.
LOCAL NEWS
Councilmembers voted to include a discussion of the program at a Committee of the Whole meeting. The next Committee of the Whole meeting will take place on Thursday, July 31, according to a July 24 meeting agenda.
Councilmember Richie Floyd told the San Pedro Gazette that they are still seeking clarity regarding the services to assist the unhoused population mentioned by the proponents of the Clean and Safe Program.
Biltmore Construction Co., Inc. will receive $250,000 to continue construction.
Officials clarified that this was not part of the original scope of work, but the measure approved by the council aims to provide replenishment according to a contingency in the contract.
G2 Design, LLC will also receive an additional $75,425 to continue providing both design and construction administration services, amending the November 2020 renovation services agreement between the City of St. Petersburg and GS Design, LLS.
Seven firms were also tapped to “provide miscellaneous capital improvement project management services,” according to the meeting agenda. The selected firms are Bayer United Engineering Consultants, LLC, Broaddus & Associates, Inc., Clearview Land Design, P.L., Freese and Nichols, Inc., Invision Advisors, LLC, Jacobs Project Management Co., and Wade Trim Inc.
Land redevelopment regulation, updated
Officials held public hearings and approved Ordinance 611-h to update the Land Redevelopment Regulations of the city. This is about the rules that determine what can be built, its size, appearance, and placement on a piece of land.
made to ensure that city laws align with state and federal laws.
The updates apply citywide, especially in neighborhoods zoned as NT (Neighborhood Traditional), NS (Neighborhood Suburban), NTM (Neighborhood Traditional Mixed), NSM (Neighborhood Suburban Multifamily), and CRT (Corridor Residential Traditional).
Other affairs
City officials held a first reading to designate the iconic Ruel B. Gilbert House, located in the Allendale Terrace neighborhood, as a historic landmark. Further discussion at a quasi-judicial hearing is scheduled for July 24.
Council member Brandi Gabbard (District 2) pulled an item from the consent agenda, which aims for Associated Space Design, Inc. to continue providing services like data collection, market analysis, among other things. The item was discussed and ultimately approved with several notes from other council members. The measure was eventually approved, allocating $103,982.90 to the Center for the Arts Master Plan Phase II project.
This initiative would allow a non-governmental entity to deliver “urban management services” in Downtown areas, including Williams Park, a public space used for a variety of community events, including protests of Federal policies.
The statements echoed comments from Jun. 5 and 12 meetings, where critics and supporters
Obama Library
Elected officials approved measures to continue work on the restoration of the President Barack Obama Main Library. The library’s “electrical distribution panels and components” were damaged by Hurricane Milton, according to the July 10 meeting agenda.
For example, the new floor area ratio (FAR) bonuses reward developers and homeowners for incorporating solar panels, preserving grand trees, using quality materials, and building homes with architectural character.
The update includes 130 changes to the city’s Land Development Regulations. Some are new rules, others clarify language. Changes are also
Beyond policy decisions, government officials said goodbye to an esteemed friend and colleague. Attorney Michael Dema passed away on June 13. “Michael gave his heart and soul to his family, friends, and the City,” City Attorney Jacqueline Kovilaritch told the San Pedro Gazette via email. Kovilaritch shared that “Michael was also the first one to make us all smile, crack up laughing, and appreciate the moment.”
This article first appeared at the San Pedro Gazette and is used with permission.
FEELING GREEN: Williams Park would be covered by the ‘Clean and Safe’ program.
HAPPY HOUR AT AMSO
Monday - Friday, 4pm-7pm Saturday 3pm-6pm
$4, $5 & $6 Liquor, Beer & Wine
$8 Hand-Cra ed Cocktails
RESTAURANTS RECIPES DINING GUIDES
Well done
Violet Stone opens expanded storefront this month.
By Jani Burden
The Violet Stone blew up after its Philadelphiastyle (aka burnt) pizza got an incredible rating from the painstakingly-honest (and self-proclaimed) pizza judge, Dave Portnoy.
Starting next week, St. Pete pizza lovers can enjoy “well done” pizza at a bigger spot in Crescent Heights.
After starting as a food truck in 2022 and moving into its first brick-and-mortar location in Kenwood a year later, the hotspot reopens two miles down the road on July 30 in a bigger space at 2609 Dr. MLK Jr. St. N, according to its Instagram.
outdoor dining and approximately 110 seats, according to St.Pete Rising.
Duckweed
Urban Grocery expands dynasty with St. Pete, Ybor City locations
Tampa specialty grocery store Duckweed Urban Grocery has expanded across the Bay, and is opening a new location in Ybor City.
The neighborhood market opened its fifth location last month in Downtown St. Pete at 1670 Central Ave., the ground floor of the Tru by Hilton hotel.
FOOD NEWS
After Portnoy had “the best cheesesteak that you can get here (Tampa/St.Pete) by far” last year, the Kenwood shop had lines out the door and up to 45-minute waits for the brick oven pies and cheesesteaks on house-made bread. Customers often ate outside on the hoods of their cars since there wasn’t a lot of seating (not to mention no air-conditioning).
The pizza joint’s highly-anticipated opening adds additional pizza ovens, both indoor and
Last year, Duckweed announced that its sixth location will be part of Ybor City’s Gasworx redevelopment. The next stage of the 50-acre redevelopment project designed to combine Ybor and the Channel District into a walkable neighborhood is expected to happen between late 2025 and early-2026.
Owners Michelle and Brent Deatherage came up with the idea for Duckweed in 2011 while living in downtown Tampa which had just one local downtown grocery market at the time.
The Downtown Tampa location became a cult favorite in 2014 after opening its cafe.
The chain is known for its bougie bodega vibe with vegan deli selections, keto items and locally made fare. Creative Loafing editors dubbed the Tampa Street location “Best Secret Hangout” in Best of the Bay 2024.
Some Duckweed locations sell alcohol, including a large selection of craft beers. The new St. Pete location does not sell alcohol.
Marleigh Brown
Tampa’s second annual Food From the Soul Festival is coming to Carrollwood
Get out your stretchiest pants because your jeans may not fit after this one. Taking place at Carrollwood Cultural Center, Tampa’s secondever Food From the Soul Festival is giving its attendees the chance to sample from flavors all around the world.
Spearheaded by Kim Jackson—founder of one Tampa public relations company KVJINC— the festival will feature some under-consumed cuisines from local businesses such as African, Asian, Caribbean, Latin and Native American.
“I created this festival because I wanted a festival that highlighted the food and people of color and to show how connected we are within America,” Jackson told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “Most people don’t know American cuisine
comes from indigenous people and the slave enslaved Africans.”
The event is ticketed, and each vendor will offer a $5 sample plate.
Vendors such as Synergy Sweets (Jackson touts its amazing cheesecake), Two Grandmas Soul Food (that placed second in the festivals competition last year) and the vegan My V Spot are just some of the flavors to look forward to.
Purchase of a general admission ticket includes access to the 40 vendors. The festival takes place outside, but is mostly covered with trees, so Jackson suggests bringing a chair (and maybe a fan) to sit back, relax and enjoy the festival.
The indoor VIP experience gets ticket holders a wine tasting, two additional chefs along with Cake Killer and 813 Bakery for dessert.
Food From the Soul Festival was postponed in fall of 2024 because of hurricanes Milton and Helene, but Jackson is excited at the chance to host the event at all.
With judges evaluating vendors entered in the “food fight”—the yummy kind not the messy kind—vendors will put their best foot forward in hopes to win the cash prize. The festival will also have a DJ.
Tickets for Tampa’s Food From the Soul Festival happening Saturday, Aug. 2 at Carrollwood Cultural Center are available now and start at $20.
SWEET HEAT: Violet Stone’s burrata, truffle and hot-honey special.
August 23, 2025
“Our mission is to help women reclaim their bodies and their pleasure—boldly, proudly, and without apology.”
MOVIES THEATER ART CULTURE
The buzz
Tampa Bay’s underground/budding feminist sex toy market replaces shame with activism.
By Selene San Felice
Sex toys are like spiders. Even if you don’t see them, you’re probably within six feet of one. Despite the privacy and convenience of internet shopping, Tampa’s historic Todd Couples Superstore still has in-store customers, as do the dozens of adult shops littered across the Bay area.
But an abundance of thrusting, vibrating, sucking inventory doesn’t mean satisfaction for all. Local sex toy startups by and for women and trans folks are putting feminism first.
We shall (over)come
The start of Donald Trump’s second term made progressive women like Tiffany Freisberg feel anything but horny. But the former St. Pete Pride president and head of LionMaus Media advertising agency didn’t want to separate sexuality from her activism.
At the start of this year—coinciding with Trump returning to office—she launched Shebang!, the American sister of Sh!, Europe’s first sex shop by and for women.
“Until women and gender-expansive people have full autonomy over our bodies, we can’t claim true freedom in any part of our lives,” she told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.
“That’s a huge goal of Shebang!—to reclaim even a small piece of that power. To give ourselves permission to experience pleasure on our own terms, without shame, without apology. It may be one small step, but it’s a meaningful one. And it’s just the beginning.”
Kathryn Hoyle founded the London shop in 1992 after “an ill-fated attempt to buy a toy in a seedy male-run shop.” Her mission grew to empower women and queer people across age, race, class, religion, and orientation during the reign of ultra conservative and homophobic Margaret Thatcher.
Hoyle began promoting not just pleasure, but bodily autonomy, speaking openly about issues like menopause, vaginismus, and reclaiming sex after cancer or assault.Freisberg spent her late teens in London, after being raised Catholic. Walking into Sh! meant taking her first steps into the world of sexuality.
“I was 18—nervous, unsure of what to expect. But the moment I walked in, all those fears disappeared,” she recalled. “I was offered a cup of tea and greeted with a warm, welcoming
smile. It was a women-only space, and I immediately felt at ease. I could ask anything without embarrassment. And it was genuinely cool— women in overalls were making the toys right there in the shop. It was a world away from the seedy, dirty storefronts I’d seen around London.”
Remembering that feeling years later, she reached out to Hoyle, during COVID-19 lockdowns with hopes of creating a similar space in Tampa Bay. They decided that she would bring Sh! to America and reimagine it as Shebang!
For now, Freisberg operates the site while doing pop-ups and events, along with running a small appointment-only retail section at The Body Electric yoga studio in St. Pete. Next year, she plans to open a brick-and-mortar location and bring manufacturing from London to Tampa Bay. The brand’s toys and lube will continue to be handmade in small batches, Freisberg said.
A dollar from each sale is donated to the
ACLU, and customers are encouraged to vote, protest and speak out in the name of women and the queer community.
“We don’t believe the stigma surrounding female pleasure is accidental, and we’re here to challenge it,” she said. “Our mission is to help women reclaim their bodies and their pleasure—boldly, proudly, and without apology.”
English 1OH1
She came up with the idea of packaging toys in book-shaped boxes with not-so-subtle names. Her shop, Cliterature, sells toys in boxes titled “Moany Dick,” “Pleasure Island,” “The Great Gaspy” and “Anna Karenicum.”
She’s crowdfunding to release more titles soon, including “Fuckleberry Finn” and a BDSM kit titled “Spankenstien.”
LOCAL NEWS
Sara Williams is using her love of literature to fight shame. When the St. Pete erotica writer wanted to start selling toys in 2020, she knew she’d have to think about discreet packaging. But then she wondered, why?
“Why do we need to hide them? Why can’t we just, like, have them out for show?” Williams recalled in a conversation with Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.
Cliterature is online only, but bibliophiles can host “book club” parties where Williams brings the collection to them.
She was nervous at first to start a one-woman sex toy shop, but at these parties and adult industry events, she said shame and fear are just about the only things off the table.
“It’s a very open and accepting community. No one is disrespectful. Everybody is open to anyone’s lifestyle, no one judges.”
ON VIEW NOW THROUGH SEPTEMBER 21
UPCOMING RELATED EVENT
FRIDAY, JULY 25 | 6-9 PM
THE INS AND OUTS
VOL. 1 WITH SAPPHIC SUN
Join us for the first event in a bold new series inspired by the work and legacy of pioneering feminist artist Nina Yankowitz. This 21+ evening blends art, conversation, and community over an open bar and delicious bites, diving into themes that defined Nina’s career—activism, collaboration, and creative resistance. Heresies: Art, Politics & Intersectionality features The Sapphic Sun, a new locally printed, countercultural publication echoing the spirit of Heresies, the groundbreaking feminist magazine collective Nina co-founded in the late 1970s. Through pop-up demos, a panel discussion, and hands-on writing prompts, contributors from The Sapphic Sun will explore the intersections of politics, identity, and print culture—past and present.
@ Florida Museum of Photographic Arts 1630 East 7th Avenue
$81.88 - General Admission bit.ly/PhotographyClassYbor
Saturday, Aug 16, 2025 • 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Bordeaux + BBQ | Wine Tasting Event
@ Chateau Cellars
2009 North 22nd Street
$88.02 General Admission bit.ly/BordeauxBBQYbor
La Segunda Bakery 2512 North 15th Street lasegundabakery.com
Copper Shaker Ybor 1502 E 7th Ave coppershaker.com
Chateau Cellars 2009 N 22nd Street chateaucellars.com
(Don’t forget to VOTE for your favorite Ybor City restaurants @ vote.cltampa.com) Where to Live:
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
SpookEasy Tours A Haunted Walking Adventure 1909 N 15th St
Explore the Eerie Secrets of Ybor’s Historic District in this Spooky Historic Ghost Tour! spookeasylounge.com/about-8
Sky Puppy Brewing 1313 E 8th Ave, Ybor City
Sky Puppy Brewing is a local craft brewery focused on creating the ultimate experience for any craft beer enthusiast or new comer. skypuppybrewing.com/
Blue Devil Tattoo 1603 E 7th Ave Tampa Tampa’s oldest tattoo shop bluedeviltattoo.com/
By Josh Bradley
C CL Recommends
FRI 25
C A Benefit for the ACLU: Pig Pen w/Chulismo/GDSOB/The Curse The American Civil Liberties Union has its work cut out for it these days, and this punk-rock bill will kick proceeds over to the Florida chapter of the nonprofit, which is in headlines lately for its lawsuit against the Trump administration over its role in Florida’s Everglades immigration detention camp. (Deviant Libation, Tampa)—Ray Roa
Diggy Graves w/Resentvul The Jasonmasked horrorcore rapper does most of his writing in a cabin in the woods, like most of us dream of doing. His latest single “Millionaire” both tries new things like roasting OnlyFans and American mental healthcare, while also making references to a good chunk of his pre-existing, spine-tingling material, which first came about in 2020. (Orpheum, Tampa)
C JFB w/Thee Joker/Footsouljahs/ Kay-S/Hellman/R2TAT2 There are many in the DJ world who think there are still a trove of new sounds and techniques to unearth from the turntable. Count JFB among them. The U.K. party-rocker had a hard road to being crowned champion thrice in the DMC world championships, and he’ll focus on drum and bass for his first-ever Florida show happening in the courtyard at The Bricks. A trio of scene staples play support. (The Bricks, Ybor City)—RR
C Roosevelt Collier w/Adam & The Testifiers While headliner Buddy Guy was definitely missed on day three of the 2023 Clearwater Jazz Holiday, there was no one better to kick off the day’s main stage events than Perrine-bred lap steel guitarist Roosevelt Collier. The Jelly Roll band member has had a busy few weeks, having released “Somebody,” a new, downtempo song with Eric Gales and Guy, and recuperating from the U.S. leg of a stadium tour featuring the son of a sinner himself and Post Malone. Collier is taking part in an overseas leg of the tour later this year, but plays the far-more compact microbrewery this weekend with Atlanta funk outfit Adam & The Testifiers. (Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin)
SAT 26
Bear Ghost w/Spaceman Bob If you’re going to release an all-instrumental version of your album, that must mean that you poured all kinds of heart and soul into it. That’s what the Arizona-based “adventure rock” outfit decided to do with its sophomore album Jiminy earlier this year (when it wasn’t covering My Chemical Romance or
Will Wood songs just for shits and giggles).
The group’s “First Tour Ever” tour is about to wind down its final leg, with a penultimate show taking place in Ybor City this weekend. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
C Domino Pink (EP release) w/Cruel Curses/Movie Props/PsychoFluid/The San Francisco Renaissance The fuzzy, Palmetto garage-rock band is working on its debut album as we speak, but doesn’t want to leave fans hanging high and dry while they wait. It celebrates the release of a fiery new EP called Echolette (which actually dropped in May) with this collective of Floridian rock outfits playing support. (Oscura, Bradenton)
C Jin 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. Big on self-care, Jin’s solo song “Epiphany” preaches a message of loving yourself, while others like “Super Tuna” showcase his love of fishing. There are just eight American dates on this solo tour, including two in the Bay area this weekend. (Amalie Arena, Tampa)—RR
C Liquid Pennies (album release) w/ The Venus/TV Extra The local psychedelic group is about to drop its fourth studio album, and it might just be its most personal collection to date. The aptly-titled Fore promises to utilize a full string section, drum machines, and hypnotic sounds inspired by the likes of Osees and Viagra Boys. On the lyrical end, frontman Chas Binns told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that he drew inspiration from his two-and-a-half-yearlong sobriety to pen tracks surrounding “common themes of self-realization, actualization, and inner-truth.” “This is explored from different angles from critically looking at blame-placing, people-pleasing, crowdfollowing, and holding back to looking at what you truly want and taking inventory of the things that inspire and drive you and pursue them by moving forward,” he added. (Bayboro Brewing, St. Petersburg)
C Trace Zacur (farewell show) Before heading off to New England Law to follow in his father’s footsteps of becoming a lawyer, the 27-year-old saxman is putting his passion to the side for this last hurrah before his trip up north. Zacur doesn’t plan to give up jazz entirely, so maybe some summer vacation shows will come up in the future, but in the meantime, there’s no better spot for a “see ya later” gig than the cabaret section inside the historic St. Pete room. (Side Door Cabaret at Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)
SUN 27
Ryan Adams Cancel culture couldn’t keep its grip on Ryan Adams for too long. The 50-year-old Americana icon was at the center of a damning 2019 New York Times expose where several women said Adams dangled success then ”pursued them sexually and in some cases retaliated when they spurned him.” Adams, a seven-time Grammy winner who’s on the road celebrating the 25th anniversary of his landmark solo LP Heartbreaker, denies the claims and has not had trouble drawing big crowds to theaters across the globe for his return to live music. Fans will undoubtedly embrace Adams with open arms, and it’ll be interesting to see how he’s doing three months after being forced to storm offstage when a camera flashed during a show in Belfast (he has regularly lashed out when the bulbs go off, citing his Meniere’s disease). (Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg)—RR
MON 28
C Violent Vira The Mexican-American metal singer swears that her new album is
exactly 93% finished, and it looks like the tarantula girl is teasing a few unreleased cuts on this run of shows. One of the new tracks, “Burn Me With A Bible” isn’t on the setlist, but tackles her religious trauma, along with the gaslighting and guilt that comes with it. The song was just given a gothic music video treatment, so if any of the other new ones are at all similar, we’re in for one hell of an era. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
Also playing
Celo w/Myr/Butler b2b Gram/Lucky b2b Terzi Friday, July 25. 10 p.m. No cover w/ RSVP before 11 p.m. $15.57 for guaranteed entry. The Ritz, Ybor City
Cyber Dream: Brian Busto w/Essential Freaks/more Friday, July 25. 9 p.m. $10. VIP Lounge at Jannus Live, St. Petersburg
Keith Sweat w/SWV/Joe/Ginuwine/Dru Hill Friday, July 25. 8 p.m. $69 & up. Amalie Arena, Tampa
continued on page 49
Liquid Pennies
Joy Wagon w/Tropico Blvd./Dean Mischief/Northstar Friday, July 25. 7 p.m. $10. Suite E Studios, St. Petersburg
The Lint Rollers w/Rolling Lint Revue/ Ace Jackson & The Jump Kings Friday, July 25. 8 p.m. $10. Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa
Only R&B: DJ Spaceship and DJ Al Friday, July 25. 7 p.m. $5.49. Krate at The Grove, Wesley Chapel
Run Army Tampa Concert Pre-Party: DJ XSSY Friday, July 25. 10 p.m. $30 & up. Music Hall at New World Brewery, Tampa
Russ w/Big Sean/Sabrina Claudio Friday, July 25. 7 p.m. $57 & up. MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa
¡Samba!: Mila Killa w/T.Couture/Mista Ricksta/Sado Smooth/Junk Food Friday, July 25. 9:30 p.m. $22.85. Crowbar, Ybor City
Celebrate DJ Freddie Fiyah: DJ Dez w/DJ Vantasia/DJ So-n-So/DJ Fu gi Saturday, July 26. 8 p.m. $5. Music Hall at New World Brewery, Tampat
College Indie Night: Luc Nejame w/Third Sasquatch Down/Fire Lizard Saturday, July 26. 6 p.m. $10. University Boba Tea House, Tampa
DJ Cub Saturday, July 26. 8 p.m. No cover. Independent Bar and Cafe, Tampa
Erin Kinsey Saturday, July 26. 6 p.m. $28.42. Orpheum, Tampa
G Herbo Saturday, July 26. 7 p.m. $40 & up. District 8, Ybor City
George Pennington w/Sebastian Siaca Saturday, July 26. 7:30 p.m. No cover. The Ale and the Witch, St. Petersburg
Here Come The Mummies Saturday, July 26. 8 p.m. $38 & up. Bilheimer Capitol Theatre, Clearwater
Hootin’ Hollerin’ Hub-style Hootenanny: Lauris Vidal w/Marc Ganancia/John Nowicki Saturday, July 26. 9 p.m. No cover. The Hub, Tampa
La Lucha Saturday, July 26. 7:30 p.m. $23 & up. Firehouse Cultural Center, Ruskin
Spludge w/Slowrot/Bedazzled Cadaver/ Stand On It/Shotgun Prodigy Saturday, July 26. 6 p.m. $10 suggested donation. Deviant Libation, Tampa
The Supervillains w/Wolf-Face/Floridaze Saturday, July 26. 7 p.m. $20. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg
Rev. Billy C. Wirtz w/Marvelous Marvin Sunday, July 27. 1 p.m. No cover. Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa
Balmog w/Voidirum/Sacrilous/Whorer/ Nefarious Grime Sunday, July 27. 8 p.m. $15. Deviant Libation, Tampa
Beach Terror Sunday, July 27. 6:30 p.m. No cover. Independent Bar and Cafe, Tampa
Church Sessions: DJ Blenda w/DJ Kellan Sunday, July 27. 9 p.m. $5. Crowbar, Ybor City
The Munro Street Player s Sunday, July 27. 3 p.m. No cover. Cage Brewing, St. Petersburg
Sunday Jazz Project: Sandi Grecco w/ James Suggs/Mark Moultrup Sundays. 3 p.m. No cover. The Studio Public House, St. Petersburg
Sunday Service: Jeff Polly and Jeff Brawer Sunday, July 27. 4 p.m. $5 suggested donation. Deviant Libation, Tampa
Sunday Sessions: Galbraith & Co. Sunday, July 27. 4 p.m. No cover. Bayboro Brewing, St. Petersburg
Instant Noodles: A Community Music Jam
Wednesday, July 30. 7 p.m. No cover. Suite E Studios, St. Petersburg
Ballyhoo! w/Cydeways/Beach Fly Thursday, July 31. 7 p.m. $20. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg
The Blue Note Sound: Zachary Bartholomew w/James Suggs Thursday, July 31. 7:30 p.m. $25 & up. Side Door Cabaret at Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg
Hiram Hazley w/Le Jazz Thursdays. 10 p.m. No cover. Ruby’s Elixir, St. Petersburg
John O’Leary w/Jean Bolduc/Bryan J Hughes Every last Thursday of the month. 7:30 p.m. No cover. The Horse and Jockey, South Pasadena
June Bunch Thursday, July 31. 6:30 p.m. No cover. Pistil House, St. Petersburg
LaRue Nickelson Thursday, July 31. 7 p.m. No cover. The Ale & the Witch
Violent Vira
There are just a dozen dates on a new tour from electro icons Kaytranada (pictured) and Justice—and two of them are in Florida.
The bands—responsible for hits like “Glowed Up,” “D.A.N.C.E.” and a collaborative remix of “Neverender”—announced the run last week and shared a bill at Paris’ Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre last year.
Last February, both bands were nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Music Album at the 2025 Grammy Awards (Charli XCX’s Brat took home the prize).
Tickets to see Kaytranada and Justice play Amalie Arena in Tampa on Saturday, Nov. 15 go on sale Friday, July 25.
See Josh Bradley’s latest roundup of new concerts coming to Tampa Bay below. Ray Roa
Bop To The Top Saturday, Aug. 2. 9 p.m.
$25.96. The Ritz, Ybor City
Kayla Korpigs w/Mak (opening for Rags And Riches) Saturday, Aug. 2. 8 p.m. $17.67. Crowbar, Ybor City
Crowbar w/EyeHateGod Friday, Aug. 8. 6 p.m. $30. Brass Mug, Tampa
Banquet w/Fiendish Thingies Friday, Aug. 15. 7 p.m. $10. Brass Mug, Tampa
Choking On The Revelry (Album release show) w/Tiger 54/Shower Beers/DJ Cub Saturday, Aug. 16. 7 p.m. $12.23. Music Hall at New World Brewery, Tampa
Dayglo Abortions w/The Brothels/ Ramtha/Defrauded/No Plea Saturday, Aug. 16. 7 p.m. $15. Brass Mug, Tampa
Dillon Francis Saturday, Aug. 23. 10 p.m. $36.87 & up. The Ritz, Ybor City
Face The Fence w/Squidsacks/ Dissenters/more TBA Thursday, Aug. 28. 8 p.m. Prices TBA. Brass Mug, Tampa
Rod Wave Friday, Aug. 29. 7 p.m. $90.75 & up. Amalie Arena, Tampa
PlayStation The Concert Sunday, March 8. 7 p.m. $57 & up. Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater
Don McLean Monday, March 23. 7:30 p.m. $62 & up. Bilheimer Capitol Theatre, Clearwater.
Get the Led Out Sunday, March 15. 8 p.m. $50.25 & up. Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater
Fear of fairing
By Dan Savage
I’m a 44-year-old woman with a history of childhood sexual trauma. I enjoy sex if I’m with a partner I feel very connected to emotionally, but I’ve never had an orgasm. Because of this, I tend to rely on pleasing my partner during sex rather than my arousal. It works OK for me at this point while I try to heal, which is taking forever. (I am in therapy.) I’ve been married for about 12 years. My husband has a high sex drive and has had a hard time with the ways trauma can lower my interest in sex. He has worked hard to try and find ways we can be intimate that don’t involve penetrative sex (including his wearing a cage as a turn-on for him, sharing fantasies, etc.), but his needs have not been met recently, as the trauma symptoms have been on top of me. Recently, we had a major misunderstanding.
I thought I was giving him the green light to go to strip clubs/burlesque shows to get his sexual needs met. He thought I was giving him the green light to have an open relationship. We had a huge struggle about this. For now, he has decided to accept my decision that I cannot remain in the marriage if he wants to sleep with other people. It does not feel emotionally safe to me to open the marriage to others. However, I can see that he was much happier when he thought he had the option to pursue others.
requires or demands it. If monogamy is the price of admission your husband is willing to pay to be with you—if being MUD (monogamous under duress) is worth it—you should take his “yes” for an answer and let him pay that price. But you can’t ask him to pretend it doesn’t cost him anything.
wasn’t entirely aware of her gender identity until we got together. As I have gotten to know her better, I find myself uncomfortable every time she brings up her non-binary identity and how she doesn’t identify with femaleness/womanhood. This is obviously a deeply rooted queerphobic and bigoted reaction on my part. I am absolutely infatuated with her in every way, both physically and personally, but I can’t seem to get over this, and I find myself pulling back both emotionally and sexually in these moments.
SAVAGE LOVE
If the three of us were, say, having drinks in a strip club, I’d want to ask your husband whether his sexual needs can be met with lap dances. And I would ask if you weren’t also a little happier during that brief window when he was a little happier… back when believed he believed he had permission to fuck other people. I understand why the idea of your husband having sex with other women makes you feel threatened (what if he caught feelings for someone else?) and insecure (am I broken?), but knowing your husband is feeling resentful and sexually unfulfilled creates its own kind of emotional pressure. You’re doing the work, you’re in therapy, you’re working toward healing—to your credit— and you’re entitled to your boundaries. But the longer your current sexual drought lasts, the more pressure you’re both going to find yourselves under.
With every other issue we’ve had (not many), we’ve been more than comfortable talking it out with each other and coming to a mutual understanding. We generally have a wonderfully open and communicative relationship. The only reason I haven’t brought this up with her is because this is entirely my problem, and I don’t think it would be fair for me to say, “I want you to avoid discussing a central part of your identity around me for the sake of my own comfort and attraction to you,” nor would that statement lead to a productive conversation. Any advice on how I can talk to her about this? Or whether I should?—Cissexism Is Seriously Bumming Out Boyfriend
too. If she/they finds it intolerable to be with someone who perceives her/them as a woman and a female—and she/they might not find it intolerable (she/they might be fine with it)— then she/they shouldn’t be dating straight cis guys. Or lesbian cis women. Or bisexuals. Or anyone, really. Because pretty much everyone who wants to fuck her/them is going to be drawn to her/them—in hole or in part—because she/ they was assigned female at birth, not despite it. And if she/they can’t tolerate being desired for everything she/they is in addition to being non-binary… then she/they should be dating a toaster with a dildo duct-taped to it, CISBOYB, not a real human boy.
P.S. Again, there’s no evidence in your letter that you’re queerphobic or bigoted. You’re just a little confused by your partner. Literally everyone who has or has ever had a partner can relate to that.
What does any of this mean? Is monogamy ethically wrong if one partner would prefer a different arrangement? He is right that I am setting the terms of the relationship, and he has to comply to stay with me, which feels unilateral to him. How do we navigate this in a way that is fair to both partners?—Very Confused Recluse If your husband walked away from that conversation thinking he had permission to fuck other people—and you walked away thinking you’d only given him the green light to go to strip clubs or burlesque shows—then that conversation wasn’t explicit enough. I suspect you both had your reasons for keeping things vague: your husband may have avoided pushing for clarity because he didn’t want to hear “no,” and you may have hesitated to be clear because you’re not comfortable unilaterally setting the terms… even though that’s what you’re doing, VCR, and need to do for your mental health.
Ultimately, your question—whether monogamy is ethically wrong if one partner wants something else—isn’t one many people even bother to ask. Monogamy is presumed to be the morally superior choice, even in cases where one person is imposing it on the other. We talk a lot about “ethical non-monogamy,” but monogamy is presumed to be ethical. But there are lots of people who are monogamous not because it’s what they want, VCR, but because their partner
Again, for now, I think you should take your husband’s “yes” for an answer. But you have to own that this is something he’s doing—or not doing—for you, VCR, because he wants to prioritize your mental health and your marriage. The least you can do is not ask him to pretend it’s fair. It’s not, and it doesn’t have to be, and very few things in life are.
P.S. You wrote, “I can’t remain in the marriage if he wants to sleep with other people.” People in monogamous relationships are attracted to other people all the time—they still wanna, but they’ve promised their partners that they won’t.
P.P.S. While lap dances might meet some men’s needs (or come close), nobody—male or female—is getting their sexual needs met at modern burlesque shows. Contemporary burlesque is about celebrating, empowering, and affirming the performers, not getting audience members off. Which is great! I’m all for celebrating, empowering, and affirming performers of all stripes, especially male ballet dancers. But a quick look at the audience at a burlesque show— which is always more than half hooting, hollering women—demonstrates that the show isn’t about the needs of lonely, horny men.
I’m a 26-year-old straight man. I’ve been in a relationship for about four months with a 27-yearold non-binary bisexual who was assigned female at birth and whose pronouns are she/they. We knew each other for a while before dating, but I
One secret to long-term relationship success: When your partner starts talking about something that’s meaningful to them but incomprehensible to you—or something you find deeply silly or mildly annoying—you let ’em talk. You nod. You make listening faces. You say, “Huh,” “Interesting,” “Didn’t know that,” etc., but you never say, “Tell me more.” Then you seize the second or third opportunity to change the subject—never the first (don’t want to give away the game)—in the hopes of moving on to a different topic. Letting your partner’s (tolerable) bullshit go in one ear and out the other is an act of love. It’s also how couples survive astrology. And crypto. And Burning Man.
As for your particular situation: We’re talking about her/their gender identity, CISBOB, which is obviously more important than her/their star sign. (This response is about to get mildly annoying. Readers who aren’t CISBOB are invited to let the rest of this response flow in one eye and out the other.) So, your partner doesn’t identify with femaleness or womanhood. That’s great! But you can’t control how your dick identifies her/them, CISBOB, and your dick identifies her/them as a female and a woman. The disconnect between how she/they sees herself/themself and how you instinctively perceive her/them most likely makes you—her earnest, conscientious wannabe ally boyfriend—feel like you’re betraying her/them somehow. But you’re not. You couldn’t be with her/ them if your reptile brain didn’t read her/them as a woman, CISBOB, and that’s not a betrayal. Basically, CISBOB, while you can wrap your head around your partner’s gender identity, you’re never gonna be able to fully wrap your dick around it. That’s not queerphobic, that’s not cissexist, that’s just how you’re wired. And your partner needs to own some of the tension,
Dear Readers: I respond to comments from my readers and listeners in Struggle Session, a bonus column that goes up on most Thursdays at savage.love. At the end of every Struggle Session, I share a question that isn’t going to make it into the column and invite my wise, funny, and insightful readers to weigh in. Below you’ll find the question that ran in a recent Struggle Session and some of the advice Savage Love readers shared.—Dan
I’m a 36-year-old straight cis male with a GF of just over three years (also 36) and a straight male buddy, age 38, with whom I regularly masturbate with. My girlfriend knew about him even before we got together, so that’s not the issue. The issue is my buddy. We don’t always stroke, but occasionally we’ll have some beers, put some porn on, and stroke one out together. Recently he’s started commenting on his dick size, specifically that he’s small and he thinks that’s why he’s still single. He’s progressed to mentioning my dick size and that I’m bigger. I’m not exactly porn star material and my buddy’s dick is just fine, which I’ve told him, but it never lands. It’s starting to make me uncomfortable and sort of ruining our time together. How do I sensitively set a boundary with him, letting him know that he needs to stop, but also, how do I help my buddy out with his size anxiety? There are women who prefer bigger, but there are plenty of women who don’t care, and it’s not like he’s micro or anything. What do I say to him to make him understand that his size anxiety is the problem, not his dick?—The Size Of Things
JONATHAN: This is a kink. He wants and likes this talk. You can ask him to stop and tell him you aren’t into it, but he likes it this way.
GINGERSNAP: If buddy thinks dick size is the reason he doesn’t have a GF… he has some deeper thinking to do.
Send questions to mailbox@savage.love or record them for the Savage Lovecast at savage. love/askdan!
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