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The newspaper is produced and printed on Indigenous land belonging to Tampa Bay’s Tocobaga and Seminole tribes.
Florida is at the front of Trump’s immigration efforts, with ICE just boasting about arresting nearly 800 people in a recent four-day operation. The possibly illegal deportations are hitting home in the Tampa Bay area, too. Last month, protestors gathered outside ICE offices to demand the return of Frengel Reyes Luis Marcano Silva (a cause U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor has thrown her weight behind).
Last Saturday, activists and family members rallied outside the federal courthouse in downtown Tampa calling for another woman to be brought back to the U.S. Carlos Yunier Valle, with his 16-month-old daughter in his arms, was among those gathered outside, and he told crowds that his wife Heidy Sanchez Tejeda was in the process of getting a green card.
“...but when she went for an ICE check-in on Tuesday, they detained her,” WTSP reported, adding that the last time the couple spoke was the Friday before the protest.
“A lot of people even told me not to go to the appointment, because they would leave her detained,” Valle told the crowd, according to the TV station. “But because we want to do the things right, the way that we’re supposed to, we went.” See more photos via cltampa.com/slideshows.—Ray Roa
WHERE TAMPA COMES TO
do this
Tampa Bay's best things to do from May 01 - 07
Speak now
The venue that will charge you an extra 20% for wearing a MAGA hat on President’s Day has teamed up with a Tampa man to host a live event in support of the First Amendment. “This idea came from wanting to do something, anything. To not feel powerless against the assault on our rights and institutions,” Joe Ragukas, a Tampa citizen, told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. His homegrown, grassroots, event finds the talent donating their time and includes solo concerts from Marc Ganancias and Henry Locke, plus comedy from Amanda Hoffman. Tampa City Councilwoman Lynn Hurtak and Luis Salazar, President of the Hillsborough County LGBTQ Democratic Caucus, will also speak, along with historian Manny Leto who will discuss the history of the press in Tampa. The Sunset Sundays DJs—which include past Creative Loafing Tampa Bay contributor Stephanie Powers, and guest cover artist Chris Preston—will spin in between sets.
Stand up for the First Amendment: Saturday, May 3. 5 p.m. $10 suggested donation. Shuffl e, 2612 N Tampa St., Tampa. @tampashuffl e onFacebook— Ray Roa
Wicked ways
Superstar singer Cynthia Erivo joins The Florida Orchestra (TFO) for one summer concert in St. Petersburg and Clearwater. TFO Music Director Michael Francis conducts for the ensemble and Erivo, who made her Broadway debut as Celie in “The Color Purple.” The Clearwater show originally set for Saturday at Ruth Eckerd Hall was rescheduled to Sept. 3, but they’ll be playing St. Pete as planned on Friday.
Cynthia Erivo and The Florida Orchestra: Friday, May 2. 8p.m. Tickets start at $125. Mahaffey Theater, 400 1st St. S, St. Petersburg. floridaorchestra.org—Selene San Felice
Chalk full of fun
Sidewalks of St. Pete’s historic Deuces neighborhood will turn into a watery wonderland on Saturday thanks to the Tampa Bay Chalk Festival. Twenty-five artists will tackle the theme “Our Watery Futures” while environmental experts talk on a panel at WADA. Tampa Bay Chalk Festival: Saturday, May 3. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Panel at noon. No cover. 22nd Street S between 7th Avenue S & 9th Avenue S, St. Petersburg. tampabaychalkfestival.com—Selene San Felice
DAVE DECKER
Temple worship
That 1920s orange grove has sure grown up. Newspaper ads from May 1925 offer 10-acre plots complete with 100 avocado trees, and a house for $2,200. To celebrate the 100 years since Gov. John W. Martin OK’d the incorporation of the little city with a “model charter” and “striking zoning provisions,” Temple Terrace has been partying. The culmination of it happens this weekend with a music festival at Riverhills Park. Family activities start at 10 a.m. including bounce houses, arts and crafts and a drumline performance. Tampa vintage indie band Moonberry kicks off the all day jam at 1 p.m., followed by Southern rock n’ roller Danny Moody, and Soul Circus Cowboys. Bring your chairs and blankets and get ready to jam. Those who must drive should park at satellite lots (Temple Terrace, Ridgedale Sports Complex, and the downtown redevelopment lot) and catch the shuttles.
River Jam: Saturday, May 3. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. No cover. Riverhills Park, 329 S Riverhills Dr., Temple Terrace. Parking and shuttle info at templeterrace.gov—Ray Roa
Antifacist girl power
Long before pussy hats and Teslas, there were still women marching against facism. This weekend, a group of activists are following the footsteps of the Antifascist Women’s March that took place 88 years ago in Ybor City. More than 5,000 women— mostly working class Latinas—united on May 6, 1937 to protest facism spreading in Spain and around the world. They marched from Ybor City to downtown Tampa to address Mayor R.E.L. Chancey at City Hall and present a petition. The Progressive Power Collective, a group formed after the 2024 election, will lead a memorial walk from the Ybor City Arch Monument through downtown Ybor to Centennial Park. There, a message will be read from Tampa historian Sarah McNamara—whose book “Ybor City: Crucible of the Latina South” tells many of those women’s stories—while participants join a commemorative chalk art project.
Memorial Walk for the 1937 Antifascist Women’s March: Tuesday, May 6. 5:30 p.m. No cover. 7th Avenue and 26th Street, Ybor City. @progressivepowercollective on Instagram—Selene San Felice
Current events
The Tampa Riverwalk always has great views, but this weekend they’ll include glowing hot air balloons, racing wiener dogs, parading lanterns and dancing water skiers. Riverfest brings two days of mostly no-cover events to Tampa’s waterfront including Taste of the Riverwalk, TacoFest and a concert by Sister Hazel. There’s also yoga, a paddle invasion, and sport and dance activities. Check which events require tickets at thetampariverwalk. com.
Tampa Riverfest: FridaySaturday, May 2-3. Ticketed events start at $20. Curtis Hixon and Water Works parks, Tampa.—Selene San Felice
“Will certainly let you know when that day comes.”
Ocially uno cial
Former Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn responds to reports he’s running for a third term.
By Ray Roa
The worst kept secret in Tampa politics finally got some air. Long rumored to be mulling a third term, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn reportedly shared plans to do just that last week.
“Officials at Saint Leo University say Buckhorn spoke to two sessions of a Faith & Politics course, during which he revealed his plans,” WTVT reported.
But Buckhorn, 66, told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that the college’s student newspaper got a little ahead of its skis. “Nothing official yet. Will certainly let you know when that day comes,” he told CL, adding that he was grateful for the enthusiasm.
Buckhorn—a former city councilman, already served two terms at Tampa’s mayor, from 2011-2019—was succeeded by former Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor, who is currently in her second term as mayor.
Tampa’s City Charter says that, “No person who has, or but for resignation would have, served as mayor for two consecutive, full terms shall be elected as mayor for the succeeding term.”
Election Day in the City of Tampa Municipal Election is March 2, 2027.
It wouldn’t be the first time Tampeños sent a mayor back to city hall for a third term. Dick Greco, the city’s 50th and 56th mayor, did just that in the ‘90s after serving two terms in the ‘60s).
Should he join the race, Buckhorn, a Democrat, would join 24-year-old entrepreneur and Brandon High School graduate Alan Henderson, and former school board candidate Julie Magill in the race.
Amended Florida Senate bill could allow local governments to keep creating CRAs
Local government officials who believe in the power of Community Redevelopment Agencies (CRAs) to revitalize blighted areas will be able to continue to create those special districts under an amended bill that passed in the Senate Rules Committee on Monday.
The measure (SB 1242) sponsored by North Central Florida Republican Stan McClain, originally would have prohibited creation of any new CRAs, but he said that after receiving input from both Republican and Democratic lawmakers he would agree to allow them.
“CRAs may continue to operate under their redevelopment plan but must sunset on the termination date outlined in those plans,” McClain said Monday in introducing the change. “No extensions will be permitted. The original intent was for CRAs to have lifespans of approximately 40 years, and this amendment aims to re-align with that original vision.”
LOCAL NEWS
Since 1969, Florida cities and countries have been empowered by state law to create CRAs in districts designated as “blighted areas.” They are funded by tax revenues collected in those specific districts through what is known as tax increment financing (TIF). TIF funds collected from a specific CRA are then invested back into that specific area. There are more than 200 such CRAs in the state at the moment (Tampa has eight).
There has been a push by some lawmakers to kill CRAs because of reports that they have misappropriated funds. To answer those concerns, the bill prohibits CRAs from extending their boundaries or spending on events such as concerts, festivals, holiday events, parades, “focusing CRAs on tangible brick and mortar redevelopment efforts,” McClain said.
That language is important, said North Florida Republican Corey Simon.
“I think the warning should be for our CRAs to operate and do what they’re supposed to be doing,” he said. “Those dollars were for blighted areas, not to put on concerts and not to put on things that are not targeting those blighted areas. And so I think the warning shot needs to be that our CRAs need to be operating to improve these communities that have been set aside.”
The amended bill requires that either city council members or county commissioners must be the same representatives legislating over the CRA. It also says that all CRAs in existence as of Oct. 1, 2019, will end at the termination date already listed in the respective CRA’s charter.
Speaking on behalf of keeping CRAs was Panama City Beach Mayor Stuart Tettemer, who noted that his city is one of the few in the state that doesn’t collect ad valorem taxes. “Our CRA keeps taxes local and efficient,” he said. “Keep our town affordable for visitors and our residents.”
McClain’s bill now heads to the full Senate for a vote. A companion bill (HB 991) in the House sponsored by Cape Coral Republican Mike Giallombardo still has a committee stop before reaching the floor of that chamber.—Mitch Perry/Florida Phoenix
CONFERENCE OF MAYORS: Former Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn (right), and former St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman.
Watt’s going on
TECO hike rates get backing, despite objections.
By Jim Saunders/News Service of Florida
The Florida Public Service Commission should stand behind its decision to approve baserate increases for Tampa Electric Co. after objections were raised by consumer representatives, the commission’s staff recommended last Thursday. The regulatory commission is scheduled May 6 to take up a request by the state Office of Public Counsel, which represents ratepayers, and two consumer groups to reconsider approval of the rate hikes.
In a December vote followed by a Feb. 3 final order, the commission approved a nearly $185 million base-rate increase for Tampa Electric in 2025, followed by expected increases of $86.6 million in 2026 and $9.1 million in 2027. The first increases took effect in January.
The Office of Public Counsel and the groups Florida Rising, Inc., and LULAC Florida, Inc. raised a series of arguments as they sought reconsideration, including that the commission approved an excessive return on equity — a closely watched measure of profitability — for Tampa Electric.
ROE (return on equity) would mitigate the risks expressed by the commission while a 10.3% ROE would not,” the Office of Public Counsel argued.
“The commission should have relied upon the welldocumented and supported calculation of 10.3% ROE when deciding the ROE issue in this case.”
Base rates make up a major part of customers’ monthly electric bills, and rate cases play out over months and involve voluminous amounts of information. Other parts of customers’ bills include such expenses as power-plant fuel and costs of complying with environmental regulations.
LOCAL NEWS
In addition to seeking reconsideration by the Public Service Commission, the Office of Public Counsel, Florida Rising, Inc., and LULAC Florida, Inc., which is also known as the League of United Latin American Citizens of Florida, appealed approval of the Tampa Electric rate hikes at the Florida Supreme Court.
The commission approves return-on-equity ranges for utilities and what is known as a “midpoint.” Tampa Electric sought an 11.5 percent midpoint, with the commission ultimately approving a 10.5 percent midpoint.
The staff recommendation last Thursday backed the commission’s decision to approve the 10.5 percent midpoint, saying it is “supported by substantial and competent evidence and was reasonable given the unique aspects of TECO’s business.”
“The commission was confronted with a considerable amount of competing testimony including over 20 variations of financial models provided by three competing witnesses and further testimony provided by two additional witnesses,” the recommendation said. “Additionally, TECO established that it faces unique risks due to its geography, namely having a highly concentrated service territory located in an area prone to potentially devastating hurricanes which may cause considerable damage to a high percentage of TECO’s territory.”
But in its Feb. 18 request for reconsideration, the Office of Public Counsel said Tampa’s Electric’s “size and storm risk are already mitigated through other methods.” Also, it pointed to the commission staff saying in November that the return-on-equity midpoint should be 10.3 percent — rather than the 10.5 percent later approved by the commission.
“No reasonable mind would accept that the evidence in this case is adequate to support the commission’s arbitrary conclusion that a 10.5%
The court last month put the appeals on hold while the commission considers the reconsideration request. While the commission staff last Thursday recommended denying reconsideration on major issues, it said a relatively small calculation error should be corrected.
Tampa Electric has about 844,000 customers in Hillsborough, Polk, Pasco and Pinellas counties.
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Pump it up
Springs bill has largely unspoken connection to utilities, but advocates give it a thumbs up.
By Noah Bookstein
With flows down and pollution up, Florida’s springs and waterways are in a crisis. Vital for ecosystems, tourism, and drinking water, many of them are imperiled by nitrogen pollution and overpumping.
Decades of continued inaction on Florida’s springs crisis would cause ecological collapse, decimating wildlife and degrading vital water resources. This decline would harm the environment, economy, and public health.
HB 691 is the legislature’s latest attempt to restore spring flows. Proposed by two Republicans—Rep. Bill Conerly, a Republican representing parts of Sarasota and Myakka City, and Sen. Stan McClain, who represents Marion and Levy counties, plus south Alachua County,—the bill’s cryptic language obscures a largely unspoken connection to JEA, formerly known as Jacksonville Electric Authority. (JEA changed its name after taking over water operations from the city.)
infrastructure projects after pumping and pollution gets out of control. “There’s significant harm happening from over pumping. One way to deal with that is to reduce consumptive use permitting, which needs to happen no matter what. But the other side of that would be projects to recharge the aquifer,” said Smart.
Consumptive use permits are issued by water management districts and are intended to regulate how much water permittees can remove from Florida’s waterways.
Oodles of money can be made through infrastructure projects, unlike prevention, where projects often double as massive pay days for engineering firms and other contractors.
ENVIRONMENT
To restore Outstanding Florida Springs, HB 691 would streamline the process for certain utilities, such as JEA, to request approval from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to amend previously approved plans by including reclaimed water projects.
Lawmakers and company officials have touted this bill’s springs healing potential and JEA emphasized how “it’s bringing utilities together.”
The Florida Springs Council gave HB 691 a thumb’s up.
The Florida legislature has been paying attention to this crisis for years.
In 2021, Florida passed a law aimed at helping springs and waterways called SB 64. The law directs all statewide utilities to change how they dispose of treated wastewater by 2032. Utilities would have to update their plans to end all ‘non-beneficial’ uses of reclaimed water.
“For some utilities, this was going to be quite expensive. One of those utilities is Jacksonville Electric Authority,” Smart said.
“I think this demonstrates how much more money we need for springs.”
“The legislation allows JEA to participate in a large regional water supply project that’s intended to help the lower Santa Fe and Ichetucknee rivers’ minimum flows and levels,” said Karen McAllister, a media representative for JEA.
The proposed pipeline project is an example of a kind of strategy that favors expensive projects, which Florida Springs Council director Ryan Smart described as typical of the state’s approach to addressing water quality issues.
Estimated costs for the project are over $800 million dollars. “This one project is more than springs have received in total in the last eight years. It’s a hefty price tag for a springs project, the kind of thing that we don’t usually see up in North Florida,” Smart said.
Rather than take adequate preventative measures, the state often greenlights costly
SB 64 requires JEA and other utilities to stop dumping treated wastewater into waterways that lead to the ocean, including the St. Johns River. Bay area utilities currently dump treated wastewater into the bay, a practice that has to stop according to this SB 64.
Creative Loafing Tampa Bay is awaiting clarifications from the St. Johns Water Management District on their involvement with the potential reclaimed water project.
Once reclaimed water reaches the ocean it’s considered non-beneficial because it isn’t specifically allocated for any use and doesn’t recharge the aquifer.
JEA currently pumps its water from the Santa Fe and Ichetucknee Rivers to the west and then dumps its treated wastewater in the St. Johns River to the east at the Buckman Wastewater Treatment Facility, across the river from Jacksonville University.
Reclaimed water has various beneficial uses such as irrigation, or if treated further, to replenish the Floridan aquifer. The water in the aquifer comes out at springs, so if the aquifer is lowered
it means springs flows will also decrease, which is what’s happening all over the state.
Dr. Robert Knight, a career wetland scientist and president of the board at the Florida Springs Institute, says some of Florida’s earliest wells were dug in Jacksonville. Once that happened it was “like putting a pin in a balloon” and pressure in the Floridan aquifer has been declining ever since. Where wells were once free flowing and didn’t require pumps, declining pressure over the last 150 years meant that pumps are now needed to extract water.
“They’re damaging the St. Johns River by discharging their partially treated wastewater
into it, and they’re damaging the springs and the aquifer to the west by pumping so much groundwater,” Knight said. This bill supposedly helps JEA work to change that.
“It basically lets JEA off of complying with a deadline that they have for removing their discharges from the St Johns River. That seems to be what it’s all about, and under the guise of restoring the Santa Fe River Springs and the Ichetucknee River Springs,” Knight said.
Knight first approached JEA a decade ago with a similar proposal, and now JEA has proposed they could dump the water back into the continued on page 27
FEELING GREEN: About $800 million is on the line for springs like Ichetucknee.
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Sante Fe River, which could provide an estimated 35-40 million gallons a day to recharge the aquifer. It could be a gamechanger for the health of the springs system.
However, under current Florida law, the partially treated wastewater would have to undergo further treatment, or it would exacerbate pollution in the Santa Fe and Ichetucknee rivers.
So, JEA can’t dump its partially treated wastewater in the St. Johns River because it goes out to the ocean where it doesn’t do anyone any good, and they can’t dump it into any other nearby river because it isn’t clean enough. What can they do?
That brings us back to HB 691, which would allow JEA to update its previous plan and instead begin to develop and use a new treatment wetland.
A one page flyer provides limited details about the plan.
Tampa and St. Petersburg don’t use treatment wetlands in their wastewater processing because there is no land available to do so, but they are used in several places throughout Florida, including in Lake City, Gainesville, and Orlando.
Wetlands are incredibly effective ways to remove pollutants from water.
“Through the natural process of microbial activity in a wetland, you remove the nitrogen and you don’t have to pay for it. All you have to do is have some land and turn it into a wetland, and you have the plants and the bacteria that do the nitrogen removal. Basically, it’s solar powered,” Knight said.
WORTH IT? USF professor and author Christopher Meindl sees the investment as ‘high risk, high reward.’
million project to deal with one issue in one system,” Smart said.
Questions abound about who will pay for it, and it remains unclear if the money will come from Florida’s budget or somewhere else.
Meindl is reminded of another complex negotiation.
ENVIRONMENT
The 1,500-1,700 acre treatment wetland would likely be in Baldwin near Brandy Branch Power Station, about 20 miles from JEA’s Buckman Wastewater Treatment Facility on the St. Johns River. Rather than releasing it in the river, they would pipe it over to Baldwin and release it there.
Moving high volumes of water over such long distances is very difficult and could become very expensive.
“If you were thinking about it from an investment perspective, you might characterize it as high risk, high reward,” said Christopher Meindl, an environmental geographer and director of the Florida Studies program at the University of South Florida. “In other words, it will almost certainly be very expensive, particularly in terms of JEA trying to move a pretty significant volume of treated wastewater a long distance.”
Smart and Meindl both note the project would provide springs with considerably more funding than the $50 million springs restoration gets every year.
“I think this demonstrates how much more money we need for springs. This is an $800
“Living in the Tampa Bay area, we’ve been treated to several years of news about negotiations between the Tampa Bay Rays and City of St. Petersburg and other places in the Bay area. And there’s all this wrangling about building a new stadium. Lots of people think conceptually a new stadium would be a great thing. But then, when you come down to who pays for it, initially it’s challenging. Everybody wants the other guy to pay more, and my guess is that that will be true for this project as well,” Meindl said.
Even projects that are drafted and approved could face delays during subsequent budget negotiations.
“How often do projects of that size stay on budget?” Smart said. “It’s a very expensive project, but surely it’s a better use for that water than just adding to the St Johns to add pollution there.”
Springs advocates hope that if this project is approved and paid for, the water will be kept for the health of the system.
“If we just treat this 35 to 40 million gallons a day as a new bucket and straws right to suck out, and we’re not going to get those benefits,” Smart said. “There needs to be a way to ensure that this water is reserved for the health of the system.”
The bill has passed three Senate committees and been in two House committees.
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HIconic Korean supermarket files permits to build in Tampa, plus more new eats
By CL Sta
Asian food lovers may no longer have to drive to New Tampa’s Lotte Market to get their megamarket fix. America’s favorite Korean grocery store, H Mart, has filed work permits to start building out a store at 3908 W Hillsborough Ave. in Tampa, just a mile-and-a-half north of Raymond James Stadium.
The location is in the review phase according to documents from the City of Tampa, which include a proposed demolition plan.
The chain has almost 100 locations across the U.S. and already has plans to open in Orlando, making the Tampa store the second in Florida. Known for its food court and deli, H Mart is also loved for its spread of Asian fruits and vegetables, snacks, kimchi, and grab-andgo banchan.
It’s still too early to tell what layout Tampa’s H Mart will boast, and the Orlando location was first announced four years ago, so don’t start fantasizing about Rice Boy yet.
Of course, there are already plenty of places to get your Asian and Korean market fix nearby. In fact, Kim Brother’s Oriental Grocery Store is literally across the street from the proposed H Mart, with downtown Tampa’s Oceanic Market and Brandon’s Bom Oriental Market in between the future megamarket and the Lotte Plaza Market that opened in New Tampa two years ago.
According to Japanese Breakfast’s Michelle Zauner the “H” in H Mart stands for “han ah reum,” which roughly translates to “one arm full of groceries” in Korean. And yes, if you want to learn more about H Mart, there’s a book for that.—Ray Roa
Shaq’s fast casual Big Chicken finally opens in Tampa
Shaquille O’Neal-approved chicken sandwiches are coming to Tampa. Big Chicken, O’Neal’s fast casual chain, opens Tuesday at 725 W Linebaugh Ave. in Tampa’s Westchase neighborhood, several outlets have reported.
The international franchise that started in 2018 is known for its “Big & Sloppy,” with mac and cheese, crispy fried onions and garlic BBQ aioli, and the “Uncle Jerome” with Nashville hot chicken, lettuce, mayo and pickles. If that’s not enough, you can get sides of loaded fries, mac
and cheese and jalapeño slaw. For a little sweet treat, there are hand-spun milkshakes, thick ice cream sandwiches and cookies.
After announcing its Florida expansion in 2022, Big Chicken has yet to open dozens of other promised locations in Central and South Florida with DMD Ventures, as well as in Northwest Florida and Arkansas with Panhandle Restaurant Group.
A Lake City location that opened in 2024 closed the same year. Locations announced last year in Orlando and Doral appear to have never opened. Tampa is the only Florida loca -
Maru, a Nikkei-style concept from Charleston’s Indigo Road Hospitality Group, opens at Bayshore Gardens (formerly known as the Bayshore Center) on Friday according to the spot’s social media.
As previously reported, Maru, located at 2909 W Bay to Bay Blvd. near chef Jeannie Pierola’s Counter Culture, is one of two Tampa-bound concepts from Indigo Road and features Nikkei-style offerings that blend Japanese and Peruvian cuisine. The 21-and-up spot—which boasts about 90 seats between indoor and outdoor seating—will also offer a range of craft cocktails, wine and champagne, but focus on fresh dishes like ceviche,
tion listed on its website, along with hiring applications.
The arrival of another hot chicken spot follows homegrown King of the Coop’s return to Seminole Heights and adds yet another place to get a fried tendie in Tampa Bay to the list.
Selene San Felice
Maru, a new Japanese-Peruvian rooftop bar and restaurant, opens on Tampa’s Bayshore Boulevard
Rooftop caviar seems fitting for Bayshore Boulevard, and Tampeños will have a new place to indulge this month.
hand rolls and more.
The food will go out under the guidance of Chef Masa Hamaya, who runs Indigo Road concepts in Charleston. Masa was head sushi chef at a James Beard-winning Austin, Texas restaurant, Uchi, and the Michelin-starred Ame in San Francisco. He also has experience at the Dragonfly Izakya in Doral, Florida.
Indigo Road Wine Director Vonda Freeman—a certified sommelier and sake advisor—will guide the beverage program
There still aren’t many details on O-Ku, the other Indigo Road concept coming to the same address on Bayshore.—RR
Davis Islands’ DI Co ee Bar opens second location in Seminole Heights
DI Coffee Bar is bringing its Davis Islands vibe to Seminole Heights. The beloved café opened its second location at 6114 N Central Ave. earlier last week, taking over the former Cake Cuties Bakery space. The shop opened quietly, but that didn’t stop locals from showing up.
“We didn’t push it. No soft opening, no grand opening — we just opened the doors,” owner Ramon Perez told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “And we did five times more business than I thought we would. It freaked me out.”
DI Coffee Bar opened its flagship store 11 years ago on 214 E Davis Blvd. and is known for its laid-back ambiance, vibrant community feel and strong Cuban influence.
Perez, a longtime Tampeño and Hillsborough High School alum, said the opportunity to open in Seminole Heights just down the street from his alma mater was both practical and personal.
“We’ve been passively looking for another location for about five years,” Perez said. “The bakery that was here before used to do baking for us. One day, I just asked her, ‘What about if I take it over from you?’ It already had a kitchen, which made opening so much easier.”
Perez spent part of his childhood in Seminole Heights and remembers getting his hair cut in the same building that now houses the new shop.
“I’m a big barrio guy,” he said. “I love the neighborhood feel, and that’s why we’re here. It’s a spot for neighbors. People walk in and know each other—it’s already becoming that kind of place.”
The new location mirrors the original Davis Islands café menu, which includes espresso drinks, teas, and toast-centric breakfast offerings. But thanks to the in-house bakery, customers can expect more tasty pastries like their new cinnamon buns.
While it won’t immediately replicate the popular “Friday Night Jazz” series from the Davis Islands location due to space limitations, Perez isn’t ruling out live music altogether.—Sofía García Vargas
Paradeco Co ee expands to the beach
Paradeco Coffee has officially opened its second location inside SkyBeach Resort, offering
continued on page 36
HAPPY TEARS: H Mart has filed work permits to start building out a store close to Raymond James Stadium.
a new spot for coffee and light bites on St. Petersburg’s southern waterfront.
Located in the resort’s courtyard at 6800 Sunshine Skyway Ln. S, the new café echoes Paradeco’s signature art deco aesthetic. Open daily from 7 a.m.-3 p.m., the café serves a range of drinks and food items, like the lavender vanilla latte and the orange mocha latte, and the sourdough breakfast egg sandwich and the sweet toast.
This new addition is part of SkyBeach Resort’s latest wave of renovations since its July 2024 opening. Other renovations include an updated 113 guest rooms, two pools and a new 6,260-square-foot event center. Local collaborators on the redesign included interior design studio Charleston Bay and artist Jesse Wilhelm.—SGV
Slim Charmer slithers into St. Pete’s Grand Central district
Slim Charmer, located at 2706 Central Ave. adjacent to its sister concept Wild Child, soft opened a few weeks ago and now serves its first wave of customers from 5 p.m.-11 p.m.
Wednesdays-Thursdays and 5 p.m.-midnight on Fridays-Saturdays.
The new bar and restaurant specializes in martinis and “eclectic small plates” and only offers 26 seats between its bar and actuallyslim dining room.
Slim Charmer’s intimate menu matches its limited seating, and is split into the categories of: “The Toasts,” “The Raw,” small plates, large plates and desserts. Its raw bar offers half a dozen oysters with champagne mignonette and horseradish, two raw preparations of fish featuring salmon, bluefin tuna and hamachi, a steak tartare and razor clams with yuzu salsa verde and pickled green tomatoes.
It also features toasts topped with roasted mushrooms, stracciatella and caviar or little neck clams with calabrian chili butter and pancetta, while other small plates include a roasted carrot salad with goat cheese feta and fava beans, nduja-stuffed bacon-wrapped dates and a pile of housemade potato chips smothered in a truffle cream sauce, prosciutto and chives.
And for the time being, the only entree on the Slim Charmer menu is an $80, dry-aged NY strip served with a compound butter, roasted garlic, arugula and parmesan.
For drinks, the newly-opened concept features almost a dozen martinis that range from classic preparations (with your choice of olives) and the trendy espresso martini to other craft cocktails like its “French 75” that comes with gin, blackberry, tarragon, lemon and champagne. There’s quite a few wines and N/A options, too.
And since the restaurant’s motto is “effortlessly charming, always unexpected”, customers can expect rotating menu items and
seasonally-inspired specials from the Slim Charmer kitchen, led by Executive Chef Scott Grimm.
Slim Charmer owners Rob Reinsmith and Matt Kaye (who is also the owner of beloved dive bar The Bends,) opened Wild Child together in 2020. Since then, the globally-inspired New American restaurant has proven itself to be a must-visit eatery in Tampa Bay, and now welcomes its sleek, modern counterpart right next door.
—Kyla Fields
Retro House reopens in Ybor City with full coffee menu and brand new dining room
A go-to spot for dim sum and Cantonese eats just reopened in Tampa with a brand new dining room and specialty coffee counterpart.
Retro House, located at 934 E Henderson Ave. on the outskirts of Ybor City, is now open from 7:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday after a three-month pause due to renovations and building updates. At the start of 2025, Retro House had to temporarily close to fix its roof that had sustained damage from Hurricane Milton. While these renovations took a bit longer than expected, the Chinese restaurant and its coffee shop counterpart is finally open for dine-in service. Retro House starts brewing coffee at 7:30 a.m. while its full food menu of dumplings,
baos, rice bowls and Hong Kong-style noodles is available starting at 11 a.m. Its coffee shop portion boasts a stacked pastry case filled with housemade cookies, danishes, savory breakfast items and more.
Retro House’s new drink menu offers a variety of espresso-based drinks, cold brew, pour overs, matcha and chai lattes, as well as a lineup of signature lattes like the honey and cinnamon “Honey Pie”, pistachio and rose-flavored “Velvet Moon” and the “Ziggy Stardust,” a butterfly pea latte with lavender.
Owners Corrinne Liou and Paul Venghaus—who also own both Felicitous Coffee locations in North Tampa—run the beverage and pastry side of Retro House, while Chefs Meishan Lu and Joseph Hixon operate the restaurant portion. According to Venghaus, all four of the owners have brought their own twists to the new-andimproved Retro House menu, while bringing over some of the popular drinks and pastries from Felicitous Coffee, too.
Other Retro House exclusives are its Hong Kong lemon tea, mango passion fruit green tea and calamansi oolong tea. The pastry case features a combination of sweet and savory items that complement its variety of specialty coffees and teas.
OPENINGS
Retro House’s Best of the Bay-winning dumpling options–which include chicken lemongrass, dan dan sui mai, mango shrimp wontons and the newly-added vegan buddha wontons—alongside bao options with fillings like char sui, golden turmeric lava, ube, curry chicken, pork and shrimp and mushroom, have remained constants on its menu.
For larger, more entree-style plates, the restaurant and coffee shop offers a customizable umami rice bowl with a variety of protein options like char siu, curry chicken, honey-glazed pork belly and NY strip pepper steak, signature fried rices or Hong Kong pan-fried noodles.
The owners soft opened Retro House’s kitchen last summer and have been patiently awaiting the debut of its cafe and dining room. Venghaus says that he’s particularly excited about the newly-added, Hong Kong-style Yuan Yang iced latte, which is half tea, half coffee.
And while the meats are certainly highlighted throughout the Retro House menu, Lu says that her plant-based clientele has grown over the last year or so and has enjoyed the challenge of creating vegan dim sum recipes. In the future, customers can expect more traditional Cantonese specials, weekend dim sum brunches and the return of the restaurant’s night markets.—KF
FLYING FISH: Fresh sushi on a Bayshore rooftop is in your future.
ANDREW CEBULKA
Pour one out
Twelve Tampa Bay restaurants and bars that have closed this year.
By Kyla Fields and CL Sta
ABrandon-based restaurant known for its comforting, plant-based fare unfortunately served its last customers last weekend.
Vine Vegan at 2080 Badlands Dr. closed on Sunday, April 27—the latest Tampa Bay plant-based eatery that joins the unfortunate ranks of other shuttered storefronts like Golden Dinosaurs, Voodu Vegan Bistro and 3 Dot Dash.
Vine Vegan—which made its debut in January 2023—served its full food menu of grain bowls, burgers, wraps, salads and sandwiches until its last day of service. Breakfast options like pancakes, avocado toast and egg sandwiches were also available through the weekend, in addition to its beverage menu of coffees and milkshakes.
“As someone with no restaurant experience before this, I never came into the business to be a millionaire, but I just wanted to help change the public opinion about vegan food—to offer food that was delicious and familiar. I wanted to invite people who were both curious and defiant about the vegan lifestyle,” owner Danielle Stevens tells Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “And over the years, people have become vegan because of the restaurant and I’ve met countless wonderful people through the business.”
lot of popular Vine Vegan items will be on the menu, but I think the food truck will offer more of a Latin flare instead.”
She plans to sell her vegan eats throughout Pinellas and Hillsborough counties at plantbased events and popular markets, in addition to popping up in Brandon to cater to her former regulars.
Notably, Stevens explains that her next venture will not have “vegan” in the business name, in an attempt to attract more omnivorous customers, though her food will remain completely plant-based.
Keep up with any updates on Vine Vegan’s forthcoming food truck by following its Instagram at @vineveganfl on Instagram and Facebook.
See 11 other Tampa Bay restaurants that have closed this year below.
CLOSINGS
“I’ve had so many wins with Vine Vegan, so I don’t see our closure as a failure by any means,” she adds.
In addition to the restaurant industry’s already thin profit margins, Stevens said she has dealt with inflation on products, an overall increase of overhead costs and a general decline of business over the past year or so. She did a variety of things to try to boost business—like adjusting operating hours, tweaking its menu and even hosting a month-long Slutty Vegan burger pop-up last summer—but the restaurant never picked up enough to stay afloat.
She tells CL that the vegan restaurant—with a large majority of its customers actually being omnivores—saw a roughly 25% dip in business this year compared to 2024, and endured an even slower summer than expected. And with a seating capacity of almost 100, Stevens says that it would be much easier to cover costs if the restaurant space was smaller.
It’s not all bad news though, because Stevens is still planning to serve her popular vegan eats one way or another. Vine Vegan will be rebranded into a different company and turned into a plant-based food truck instead, but its menu will still offer a range of fan favorites.
“My plan is to launch a food truck sometime in the future, hopefully in the fall but I haven’t decided on the timeline yet,” Stevens says. “A
The Avenue A popular St. Petersburg restaurant reached the end of the road in February. Known for its high-spirited game days and iconic weekend brunch menu, The Avenue grew to become a St. Pete staple over the last decade. Owner Stephen Schrutt, whose Hunger Thirst Group has concepts across the Bay area, told multiple outlets that The Avenue—which has been open for 13 years—could not come to terms on a new lease and has no plans to relocate. 330 1st Ave S, St. Petersburg—Grace Stoler
Evos After nearly three decades of flipping burgers with a health-conscious twist, Tampabased fast-casual chain Evos closed its final three Florida restaurants in April—marking the end of an era for fans of its air-baked fries and organic milkshakes. Multiple locations
Sofía García Vargas
Golden Dinosaurs Gulfport’s Golden Dinosaurs went extinct in January after owners of the beloved vegan deli announced the closure of their nearly-seven-year-old concept. The meteor that killed these dinos? Financial burden. Owners, husband and wife, Brian and Audrey Dingeman created a deli-inspired vegan menu, serving sweets and sauerkraut pastrami sandwiches, everyday except Wednesdays. The Dingemans will focus their efforts on Good Intentions, a sister-location restaurant in St. Petersburg. 2930 Beach Blvd., Gulfport
Mad Dogs and Englishmen (original location) In early January, nearly 34 years after opening, Wilton Morley’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen closed doors on its original location—then opened new ones just down the street. Mad Dogs and Englishmen 2.0, which opened in partnership with restaurateur Blake
Casper, a McDonald’s heir whose first job was at Mad Dogs as a busboy, is an updated, modern revamp of the concept and is open at 4914 S MacDill Ave. 4115 S MacDill Ave., Tampa
Ray Roa
Hooch and Hive Hooch spent six years building its reputation for hosting great local and touring concerts nearly every night of the week while serving innovative bar fare and the best palomas in town. The venue hosted its last show just before the new year and is now home to college sports bar The Lucky Spartan. 1001 W Cass St., Tampa—RR
Melting Pot Social Less than two years after debuting in downtown Tampa, Melting Pot Social permanently closed and retired the concept altogether on May 2. The downtown Tampa location opened in May of 2023, focused on a more bar-centric dining experience, and featured a new menu with modern fondue classics, plus a variety of American classics and shareables. The company says its other more traditional Melting Pot brand locations will remain open, including the new outpost opening in St. Petersburg this April. 105 W Tyler St., Tampa—Colin Wolf
Nebraska Mini-Mart Just a few months shy of its seventh anniversary, Tampa’s Nebraska Mini-Mart said goodbye to Seminole Heights last month. In a social media post featuring a tearful burger and milkshake, Nebraska Mini-Mart parent company Proper House Group (PHG) called the closing a tough business decision. Before it was a burger shack, Nebraska Mini-Mart was a drive-thru convenience store. It underwent heavy renovations on the way to becoming a largely outdoor concept known for its familyfriendly atmosphere and good music, complete with shuffleboard courts and outdoor games. King of the Coop has since moved in. 4815 N Nebraska Ave., Tampa—RR
Rock & Brews KISS-themed chain restaurant Rock & Brews debuted in Lutz back in 2020, and since then you could argue that it indeed rocked and rolled all night (well, until midnight on Saturdays) and partied every day (even on Sundays). But those Crazy Crazy Nights have came to an end on March 23. Rock & Brews, which was co-founded by KISS legends Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, first opened the 7,900 square-foot spot in the Wesley Chapel Town Center back in 2020. Now, the Rock & Brews building will be demolished to make way for hot dogs. According to Pasco County records, Chicago-based glizzy chain Portillo’s filed preliminary plans on Feb. 20 to take over the lot. 26000 SR-56, Lutz—CW
Squeeze Juice Works A pioneer in Tampa Bay’s small batch, handcrafted juice scene, Squeeze launched in 2012. The St. Petersburg shop once had three locations and a cafe— including a shop in South Tampa. Founder Kelly Lessem, who lives with the rare neurological autoimmune condition Myasthenia Gravis, founded Squeeze after she started juicing for own health. The shop served juice, shots, food and had recently started a juice cleanse subscription service. 675 30th Ave. N, St. Petersburg—RR
Thunderbird resort and Ikki Woo-Woo The Ikki Woo-Woo is about to be the Ikki Wahwah. Ownership at the Thunderbird Beach Resort says it’s demolishing—then rebuilding—the iconic, 68-year-old Treasure Island hotel. In a social media post, ownership pegged the difficult decision on damage from last year’s back-to-back hurricanes. The silver lining is that ownership, which said 80% of the resort has substantial damage, plans a complete rebuild that preserves the “...heart, soul, and charm that guests have come to love.” 10700 Gulf Blvd., Treasure Island—RR
Wayward Goose After a decade serving drinks and hosting art shows, the Wayward Goose was cut loose from its downtown St. Pete building. The Goose was known for hosting the work of local artists on its brick walls. It was also of St. Pete’s last pool halls, and had just christened new tables.
48 Dr. M.L.K. Jr. St. N, St. Petersburg—Selene San Felice
ANOTHER DOOR OPENS: Vine Vegan’s Danielle Stevens isn’t done.
Saturday, May 3, 2025 • 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM EST
Grown Folks Only Day Party @ 7th & Grove
1930 E 7th Ave
$10 GA, $120 Sections for 6 guests bit.ly/42IVlYD
Saturday, May 3, 2025 • 5:00 PM - 11:00 PM
Cinco de Mayo Tacos, Tequila Fiesta & Bar Crawl @ Centro Cantina
1600 East 8th Avenue #A200 Tampa
Tickets start at $20 bit.ly/42G5Pbi
Saturday, May 3, 2025 • 10:00 PM - 2:45 AM
KSHMR @ The Ritz Ybor
1503 E. 7th Ave – Tampa
Tickets start at $30 bit.ly/kshmr0503
Sunday, May 4 - Tuesday, May 6 • All Day
3 Day Barrio Tacos Cinco de Mayo Celebration @ Barrio Tacos Tampa
1822 E 7th Ave, Tampa Free to the public barrio-tacos.com/locations/yborcity/
Tuesday, May 6, 2025 • 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Coffee & Referrals @ The Attic Cafe 1920 East 7th Avenue Tampa $20 GA, $25 at the Door
Tuesday May 6, 2025 • 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Torres Familia Wine Dinner
@ Columbia Restaurant Ybor City 2117 E. 7th Ave. Tampa
$235 per seat bit.ly/4cNcu83
Saturday, May 10, 2025 • Doors at 7:00 PM
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets @ Crowbar
1812 N 17th St Tampa
$25 - General Admission crumpets25.eventbrite.com
Tuesday, May 13, 2025 • 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Women Impact Network Ybor Chapter @ Geo’s Lounge 1730 East 7th Avenue Tampa
Free to the public bit.ly/4m0phse
Thursday, May 15, 2025 • 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Ybor Chamber After Hours
@ Barriehouse Brewing
1403 E. 5th Ave Tampa
Free for Member, $10 for non-members bit.ly/42JRlar
Saturday, May 17, 2025
Doors at 6:00 PM, Show at 7:00 PM
Eagles Revival Band @ 1920 Ybor 1920 East 7th Avenue, Tampa
Tickets start at $10
bit.ly/1920Eagles
Rene’s Mexican Kitchen
2802 N 16th St, Tampa renesmexicankitchen.org
Jimmy’s Tacos 1604 N 17th St, Tampa jimmystacosfl .com
Barrio Tacos Tampa
1822 E 7th Ave, Tampa barrio-tacos.com/locations/yborcity
Los Chapos Tacos
951 E 7th Ave, Tampa loschapostacos.com
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
Black Radish Bodega 2923 North 12th St, Tampa
Vegan Grocer filled with delicious treats and tasty eats! blackradishgrocer.com
Tampa Baseball Museum 2003 N. 19th Street
Follow the story of Al Lopez. Tampa’s first Major League player, manager, and Hall of Fame inductee. tampabaseballmuseum.org
Industrious Coworking Space 1600 E 8th Ave A200, Tampa
Once a movie theater, Located in the heart of Ybor City, Industrious Centro Ybor is a unique and flexible workplace, with dedicated offices, and on-demand meeting space with all-inclusive amenities and benefits bit.ly/industriousybor
MOVIES THEATER ART CULTURE
Force of nature
One-day festival celebrates the spirit and work of late Tampa artist Vince Kral.
By Jennifer Ring
Tampa artist Mitzi Jo Gordon still remembers meeting her late friend, Vince Kral, in 2012, when Tracy Midulla invited them to co-curate Box on 5th in Ybor City.
“You know when you meet somebody and you immediately speak the same language?” Gordon told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “That’s what we had, and it was amazing.”
Together, they organized three shows at Box on 5th, including Kral’s first solo show, “FanAddict.”
“That was when I really started to understand who he was as an artist,” Gordon told CL. Kral sectioned the space into different fandom themes.
“One area was everything Van Halenized,” Gordon recounts. “There was a refrigerator and a couch and a lawnmower, and he just kept bringing stuff.”
The two of them worked into the night, bringing box after box of stuff from Kral’s vehicle into the gallery.
He wanted to display a whole wall of VHS tapes, but the tapes were too heavy for the shelves they’d installed. As one side of the shelf started to collapse, Gordon briefly stepped out, frustrated.
“Then I came back in and he had it fixed,” Gordon recounts. “And I totally got it. It was perfect and fun and weird. And the fact that it was too much made it exactly the right amount.
When Gordon learned of Kral’s passing in November 2024, she assumed there would be boxes and boxes of stuff. She spent 10 days sorting it into categories—family keepsakes, VHS/ DVDs, original vintage toys, costumes, artwork Kral made and artwork Kral collected.
As she went through his artwork, Gordon set aside works for a memorial art show.
“I knew I wasn’t going to get it perfect, but I went to that house every day and tried to think about what he would want or what he was trying to express through my hands,” Gordon told CL.
The collection first went to a gallery in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where Kral grew up. After that show closed, Gordon asked to show Kral’s work in Tampa. Kral’s parents drove his artwork down from Iowa in boxes so that Vincent’s Tampa friends and acquaintances could celebrate his life at the Disco Dolls Studio in Seminole Heights this weekend.
The artwork temporarily resides in Gordon’s home as she organizes Vincentfest, a celebration of life for Vince Kral.
A trio of small amplifiers built into old cigar boxes sit beside a collaged vintage turntable on a tabletop. Next to them—a “Van Halen rock amplifier,” literally. Kral covered the amplifier in rocks painted with the same colors and patterns on Van Halen’s guitar. That striped, red, black and white pattern covers a motorcycle helmet, a dinner plate, and a fake plastic gun. A Ghostbusters jumpsuit hangs next to a makeshift ghost trap.
The Peter Pan vibes are real. Gordon points to a line in Kral’s master’s thesis tying youth to art. It’s a Picasso quote mixed with pop culture references.
a beer-drinking country boy, a Jedi knight, a nerd like Urkel, a deranged nurse. He stands in the same place in the same room in each photo. “Vince didn’t care much about backgrounds,” said Gordon, laughing.
Next to these are a series of digital artworks Kral made on a Commodore 64 Koala Paint Pad—a graphics tablet made in 1983. But Kral made these artworks in 2023. They are colorful sketches of his friend, her cat, and a couple of landscapes—from Earth and outer space. They show everything that 1980s and 1990s graphics programs lacked in the most hilarious and nostalgic way.
In another corner, a stack of DVDs rests on top of a tall cabinet—the physical stamp of Kral’s
“The Jedi come from the future through Nirvana’s In Utero, and are born to grow up to be artists. Well, actually, they are born artists, and grow up and remain artists until they die. Jedi Pablo Picasso spoke of this phenomenon. ‘Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.’”
On Gordon’s bed, a series of self-portraits surrounds Kral’s guitar. He’s a different character in each one—Princess Leia from Star Wars,
Vincentflix project. At the request of friends, Kral combined a person’s favorite movie with their favorite band, giving it a new soundtrack.
So much of Vince’s work was about giving joy, art and humor to the people around him. It was a large part of what drew Gordon to him as a collaborator and a friend.
“We had a mutual appreciation for art and humor and using those things to build community,” Gordon told CL.
“I never stopped smiling or giggling when I was with Vince,” says Vincentfest co-organizer Leigh Anne Balzekas. “Even with the heavy stuff—when we were having intense conversations—he made fun of everything in such a good way.”
“Vince was a genius for fun,” Gordon echoes. That’s what Gordon and Balzekas hope to bring with Vincentfest—fun in the form of everything Kral loved. As Gordon’s selections show, Kral had many different inspirations and creative outlets, from music to movies to performance, costumes, photography, painting, prints, vintage toys and technology.
Vincentfest won’t be the first time Kral’s work has been at Disco Dolls. Balzekas collaborated with Kral on a show called “Fashion Victim” in 2016 where she turned Kral’s old skateboarding gear into new t-shirts.
In conjunction with this, Kral created an installation exploring sentimental attachment to physical objects like outdated clothing, toys, and antiquated technologies—things that recur throughout Vincent’s body of work.
“It’s been really great to work with the Disco Dolls,” says Gordon. “Leigh Anne and her husband Jon knew and collaborated with Vince. So, coming into that space, I automatically felt that these people have a clear sense of his personality and how we can honor that in their space.”
Gordon and Balzekas are consolidating most of Kral’s paintings, prints and photos on one large display wall. They’ll screen his videos in separate, more private spaces. Vincentfest honors Kral’s love of performance with a storytelling open mic and an invitation to come in costume.
“I hope people come out and dress up,” Balzekas told CL. She’s contemplating something Strange Brew-inspired, but anything Vince-inspired is fair game, from Star Wars to Superman, Inspector Clouseau or Van Halen colors. And it doesn’t need to be perfect, either.
“That’s the thing with Vince,” says Balzekas. “If you put something together with duct tape and things you have at home and are just trying to create the vibe, that would resonate with him too. That’s how he was. He wasn’t waiting for something to be precious or perfect. It was like, let’s make art, get out there, connect with people and bring world peace.”
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SUNDAY, MAY 4 | 10 AM-12 PM
KOINOBORI CHILDREN’S DAY
Families are invited to visit the MFA to learn about and celebrate Koinobori, the Japanese national holiday that translates to “carp streamers.” Koinobori is Japan’s Children’s Day, , traditionally celebrated on May 5th each year where communities gather for a festival filled with colorful carp kites. The MFA will honor this holiday in conjunction with the museum’s special exhibition, Kimono: The Triumph of Japanese Dress, where similar imagery and symbolism often seen on carp kites can be found.
SATURDAY, MAY 10 | 2-3 PM
HOW TO WEAR A KIMONO
KIMONO STYLING & TRADITIONAL JAPANESE DRESS WITH SATOMI HIRANO
Step into the world of traditional Japanese culture with Satomi Hirano, a renowned Japanese classical dancer and certified kimono stylist, as she guides you through an immersive and enriching experience. In this unique program, participants will learn the art of styling and wearing a kimono, try on various beautiful pieces, and explore the elegance of classical Japanese dance moves.
REVIEWS
PROFILES MUSIC WEEK
Cheesin’
Remi Wolf talks building community and letting your freak flag fly.
By Selene San Felice
Remi Wolf is bringing her pop party to town— and spending some extra time with fans to try our local eats. Touring her acclaimed second studio album, Big Ideas, Wolf has been hosting food popups before concerts to build community and support tasty, local businesses. Keep an eye on her social media for the popup before her May 1 stop at Clearwater’s BayCare Sound.
Wolf talked to Creative Loafing Tampa Bay about the highs and lows of touring and what she’s eating.
You recently told Dazed that live music is a “dying art.” As someone so passionate about touring, what are you seeing in the music industry?
I feel like touring now, it’s maybe the most difficult it’s ever been in the industry. But just because there’s a lot that goes into these shows, and a lot that has to happen in order to make a really good show happen. And it’s, I just really value it. There aren’t a lot of places that you can go to really connect with other people. Like a lot of stuff now exists online, and live music is still one of the pillars of in-person community building. It’s really important to see people in that setting and kind of unite under music as a cause. It’s a beautiful thing to witness and to be able to facilitate. I love touring and meeting people in every city. And I haven’t been to Florida in a long time, so I’m really excited to see this down there.
I’ve been doing some crying in my green room. Sometimes I’ll just burst into tears at, like, a dinner. Me and my band, we go out to dinner all the time, and we’re all very emotional people, and we’re all really close. So sometimes we’ll all just like burst out crying at dinner, and it’s quite therapeutic. It’s better than holding in the tears. I’ll cry anywhere, though, truly— green room, restaurant, friend’s house, shower, wherever, wherever I need to cry. I’ll let it fly.
You’ve mentioned how important it is for you to work in a studio. How do you translate that work/life creative separation when you’re on tour?
INTERVIEW
Remi Wolf
w/Dana and Alden. Thursday, May 1. 7 p.m.
When I’m on tour, I really try to keep it focused on my show. Where I get creative is kind of in how I use my voice during my shows, like I try out a bunch of different kinds of vocal techniques and stuff. I’m already so warmed up that getting creative with my voice and using it as an instrument is where I flex my creative muscle on tour.
What do you want to see more of from fans at your shows?
Oh, my god, my fans are perfect. You can’t choose your fans, and I just feel like I’ve lucked out with some of the best people ever coming to these shows. Truly, everybody’s so respectful, so friendly, and just there to party. I would say, just go crazy with the outfit and show up ready to shake out all of the demons. I want it to feel like a big party, and I want everybody to have fun and to really let themselves be free for like two hours. That’s my goal. Let your freak flag fly.
You told Clairo that you’re a big crier. What’s your favorite place to cry?
When I’m back home, I really try to not write in my house. I like having my house as a space where I can unwind. But yeah, I love a studio, and I love an Airbnb. Me and my friends will rent out an Airbnb for five days, and the entire purpose of the trip is just to be creative, write songs, cook good food together and focus on that without having to go back home and think about your home life or relationship, or whatever. So I really value the separation. I know it’s not possible for everyone, but for me, it’s the only way that I can work.
What’s the best thing you’ve cooked recently?
I haven’t been in the kitchen in a while, but me and my drummer, Connor, and my guitar player Isaac, we went to Target and we bought ourselves a panini press. So we’ve been making a bunch of grilled cheeses with assorted meats and sort of spreads on the bus, and that’s been actually super fun. At one o’clock in the morning, we’re making an absolute mess in the bus with all these grilled cheeses. At home, I like to make a lot of pasta, but it’s not possible out here. Grilled cheese and the little panini press is what we got.
PHOTO ID: Remi Wolf comes to Clearwater May 1.
By
THU 01
C Amigo The Devil w/Tele Novella The hubbub in local booking tea this month has been this show from folkish metal-billy songwriter Amigo The Devil. Originally booked for Floridian Social, it was moved to Orpheum 32 miles away. Leadfoot Promotions immediately started to coordinate transportation for anyone who would have trouble getting across the bridge, but that didn’t stop a vocal minority from griping about the drive. Meanwhile, the former talent buyer at Floridian explained why his old employer was now focused on special events rentals and weddings. “It was clearly communicated it was no longer going to be a concert venue,” Shawn Kyle wrote. “Also that as the programming and concerts that had previously happened were no longer valued or part of the plan, I was told that my calendar holds and contracts for promoter shows would not be counted upon to be honored.” Now the show is all ages and happening at a staple of the Bay area music scene. (Orpheum, Tampa)
FRI 02
Country Thunder Apparently, the popular Country Thunder Florida musical festival has outgrown its home in Kissimmee, and is instead headed to Tampa this spring with a lineup packed with some of country’s biggest names. (Raymond James Stadium Grounds, Tampa)—Colin Wolf
C Leslie Mendelson The 47-year-old Long Island singer-songwriter has been praised by the likes of Jackson Browne and Jakob Dylan, and is a go-to choice of an opening act for The Who. Her latest album After The Party sees Mendelson lament the lack of rock music on mainstream radio, struggle with self-love, and explain the way she avoids going home after a party at all costs. The record also features a plethora of session and backing band legends from Gandalf-lookalike bassist Leland Sklar (Phil Collins, Lyle Lovett) to often-forgotten Traveling Wilbury Jim Keltner on drums. These guys won’t be present in downtown Safety Harbor on Friday night, but the stories Mendelson could tell will surely make up for it. (Safety Harbor Art and Music Center, Safety Harbor)
C Tall Juan Juan Zaballa is back in town and taller than ever. The 36-year-old arrives at this record shop gig still riding high on 2024’s Racoon Nights where he’s traded the Latin flavor from his last outing Tall Juan Plays Cumbia for dizzying, dance-floor-ready psych-pop driven by synths and programmed beats that juxtapose to hard times he details in songs like “My Only Friend” “Bring Him Back.” (Microgroove, Tampa)
Tom Jones If you couldn’t score a ticket to the 84-year-old’s Thursday night show at Ruth Eckerd Hall, you may want to dip into your savings, because this Friday night show—which benefits Ruth Eckerd Hall’s Marcia P. Hoffman School of The Arts—is gonna cost you a pretty penny if you’re not part of the venue’s Friends of Music membership. Expect to hear a career retrospective, which will indeed include his cover of Prince’s “Kiss” and “Delilah,” which remains one of the goriest, hottest takes regarding being cheated on of our grandparents’ generation. (The BayCare Sound, Clearwater)
SAT 03
C Busch Gardens Food & Wine Festival: Third Eye Blind There might be a time at Busch Gardens this weekend when there’s churrasco beef deep inside of you. You’ll have the perfect soundtrack, too, thanks to Third Eye Blind one of this weekend’s Food & Wine Festival headliners (Robin Thicke takes the reins on Sunday). Last summer during a headlining stop at the fairgrounds, frontman Stephan Jenkins told fans that the band was supposed to have a new album to share, but that he had not yet finished the lyrics. A year later, it hasn’t arrived, but Third Eye Blind is playing songs from the forthcoming effort during their sets. Admission is included with your park ticket, and VIP tickets with access to upgrated views are available (Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Tampa)
THU MAY 01–THU MAY 08
C Mahaffey Theater 60th anniversary: Cheap Trick May 6 marks 60 years since St. Pete’s Mahaffey Theater first opened its doors. Since that day in 1965, the room—once described by Elvis Costello as a palace—has hosted legends like Frank Sinatra and Van Halen, Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue, and even the 1996 vice presidential debate. Three days before the big 6-0, the Mahaffey will host the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame outfit featuring Safety Harbor resident Robin Zander and his son Robin Taylor. The band’s “no two setlists are the same” policy is still in place, so do your homework, but still expect to be surprised on Saturday night. (Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg)
C Goth Dyke Nite: Sir Gorgeous w/ Pup Star/DJ Spur/Prject Pluto/Meghan Lee/Taína If you ever wished the Castle was even more gay, look no further. St. Petebased Dyke Nite takes over Crowbar again this weekend, bringing darkwave, ‘80s, techno, house and drum-and-bass DJ mixes. Sir, I’m Gorgeous and Pup Star will give spooky, horny performances. Lunar Video, Runnylinks and Syd Shine will be selling their wares. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
Liquid Stranger w/Inzo/TVBoo b2b Jantsen/Shlump/Gardella The Swedish dubstep jockey brings his latest singles “Revolution” and “Melt,” with a stacked lineup to downtown Clearwater’s beloved outdoor venue, where EDM gigs have been on an upwards tick of late. (The BayCare Sound, Clearwater)
Sound Waves: Mark Farina w/Austen van der Bleek/Jask Mushroom jazz is coming to Clearwater Beach. Chicago house DJ Mark Farina plays this show that might’ve happened at an underground venue where he brings the influence of his roots in the ‘80s house scene to an afternoon yoga session. More soul, downtempo and martini jazz is on tap care of local scene staples who round things out. (Pier 60 Park, Clearwater Beach)
SUN 04
C Arati Ankalikar-Tikekar Acclaimed Hindustani vocalist and playback icon Arati Ankalikar-Tikekar and will help the audience get into another zone with unconventional interpretations of well-known raags that become deeply emotional in her hands. She’ll be in good company, too, thanks to support from Shankh Lahiri on tabla and Anirban Chakrabarty on harmonium. (The Hindu Temple of Florida, Tampa)
WED 07
Grentperez No one should be surprised that a Filipino turned his love of the microphone into stardom. Grant Perez got his start on YouTube and now serves his bedroom-born bossa nova beats to close to 800,000 subscribers. A new
album, Backflips in a Restaurant, features the Australian songwriter’s almost-saccharine vocal, which has earned him a following loyal enough to sell-out large clubs across the country. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)
THU 08
C Celebrate Synia!: Bryan J. Hughes & The Crew w/La Lucha/John Lamb/ Belinda Womack/more In March, the local jazz scene was taken aback by the sudden passing of Sarasota-based singer Synia Carroll, who died at 67 years old following a brief fight with stage four breast cancer. She just released her sophomore album Water Is My Song last year, which made JazzWeek’s top 100 albums chart at one point, and also saw Carroll step into songwriting territory with “Child of the Times.” Her family raised over $22,000 on GoFundMe to help pay her medical bills, and this celebration of life benefit will feature a who’s-who of Tampa Bay jazz musicians coming together to celebrate the life of an artist from whom there was supposed to be so much more. (Side Door Cabaret at Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)
Noah Reid All too often, we see our favorite television shows jump the shark and have a series finale that disappoints us all. Then you have “Schitt’s Creek,” which went out on an extremely high note, and just about every cast member has kept busy since its 2020 series finale. This includes Noah Reid, who portrayed Dan Levy’s on-screen boyfriend Patrick Brewer, though after spending most of his life in front of cameras, the 37-year-old has shifted his focus towards a singer-songwriter stint. “They’re so enmeshed. Most of my songs have to do with experiences in the acting world, and most of my acting experience now has to do with music in some way,” Reid told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay when asked if he sees himself more as an actor or a musician. Read our full interview via cltampa.com/ music. (Bilheimer Capitol Theatre, Clearwater)
C Sessanta 2.0: Primus w/Puscifer/A Perfect Circle It could be years before Tampa Bay sees another Tool concert, but Maynard James Keenan still wanted to go all-out to celebrate his 60th birthday. The mastermind is 61 now, and in his second year of bringing his two side projects Puscifer and A Perfect Circle together—along with Les Claypool and Primus—for a three-hour, three-act set that will see everyone on the bill sporadically join forces throughout the night. You might see Claypool join A Perfect Circle at some point in the night, or perhaps Keenan will jump in with Primus for a song. All we know for sure is that all three groups will perform at the exact same time at one point in the show. Oh, and unless you want to feel the wrath of MJK, don’t you dare whip your camera out until the end. (Midflorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa)
See the full version of this listing via cltampa. com/music.
Ray Roa & Josh Bradley
C CL Recommends
COURTESY
Tall Juan
LAUGH LAB: COMEDY OPEN MIC
MAKERS MARKET
VIBRATOR RACES
DUCKY NEPTUNE
RIGHT ON TIME
SIP
RYZE HENDRICKS
IN THE GROOVE
Come on home, because Franz Ferdinand has announced a new run of U.S. shows, which will take bring to Tampa Bay this fall.
This “United States Round 2” tour brings the quintet to Tampa Bay for the first time ever, and back to Florida for the first and only time since it held an MTV taping at Orlando’s Hard Rock Live in 2005, supporting that debut album.
Tickets to see Franz Ferdinand play The Ritz in Ybor City on Tuesday, Sept. 23 are now on sale and start at $35. See my rundown of new concerts coming to Tampa Bay below.—Josh Bradley
Last year marked 20 years since the Scottish rock outfi t released its indie, eponymous debut album—which featured a healthy fi stful of hit singles (“Michael,” “Take Me Out”)—and the band’s 21st year on the map has been as big of a party as ever. Alex Kapranos and friends started the year off strong by having Johnny Marr of the Smiths join them onstage for a few songs across the pond in Manchester, and days before that, releasing The Human Fear, a new album that centers around facing fears linked to drastic changes in life.
Pop Punk Emo Night Tampa: Reckless Giants w/Up From Here/Dancing With Ghosts/Discord Theory Saturday, May 10. 7 p.m. $10.87 & up. Music Hall at New World Brewery, Tampa
Afro Boiler House: Pushman w/ Makobo/Karl Louis Saturday, May 17. 10:30 p.m. No cover before 11:30 p.m., $10 for guaranteed entry. The Ritz, Ybor City
Shrek Rave XXL Saturday, May 31. 9 p.m. $15 & up. The Ritz, Ybor City
The Court of Metal Fest: Tendencia w/ Mind of Fury/Pro-Fe-Cia/Divination/ Castrofate/Inner/Burned at the Stake/ Valhalla Calling/more Saturday, June 7. 4 p.m. $12 at the door. Brass Mug, Tampa
Jim Lauderdale w/TBA Saturday, June 7. 7 p.m. $25. Bayboro Brewing, St. Petersburg
Illuminati Hotties Tuesday, June 10. 7 p.m. $20. Crowbar, Ybor City
Tunnels of Set (EP release) w/Grave Filth/Sacrilous/Othalan/Whorer Friday, June 13. 8 p.m. $10. Brass Mug, Tampa
Speaksleazy Thursday, June 19. 7 p.m. $8 & up. Crowbar, Ybor City
Jazz Is Dead: Adrian Younge (with a 10 piece orchestra) Friday, June 27. 7 p.m. $25. Bayboro Brewing Co., St. Petersburg
Keyshia Cole w/Tink/Wale Saturday, July 19. 7 p.m. $64.75 & up. Amalie Arena, Tampa
Darius Rucker Sunday, July 20. 8 p.m. $150 & up. Hard Rock Event Center at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Tampa
Russ w/Big Sean/Sabrina Claudio Friday, July 25. 7 p.m. $57 & up. MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa
Ballyhoo! w/Cydeways/Beach Fly Thursday, July 31. 7 p.m. $20. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg
Yot Club Sunday, August 10. 7 p.m. $20 & up. Crowbar, Ybor City
Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs w/ Shannon McNally Wednesday, Aug. 13. 7:30 p.m. $43.25 & up. Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater
The Struts w/Dirty Honey Wednesday, Aug. 27. 8 p.m. $34.50 & up. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg
Stevie Nicks Saturday, Aug. 30. 7 p.m. $54.75 & up. Amalie Arena, Tampa
The Mars Volta Saturday, Nov. 1. 7 p.m. $54.50. Jannus Live, St. Petersburg
Sailed ships
By Dan Savage
My always polite and very high functioning drunk husband was fucking around for the first 15 years we were together. The other women were “unhappily married co-workers” who needed discretion. At the time, I thought our sex life was actually fairly normal.
Things came to a head when I learned about a two-year affair he’d been having. I kicked him out. He quit drinking and, because our kids were young, I took him back. He has maintained his sobriety for 30 years. But he became a turtle: he hid in a shell, abandoned his friends, refused to voice opinions or make decisions. He wouldn’t even choose a restaurant or TV show. He avoided any intimacy— physical or emotional—with me or anyone else. Our marriage became completely transactional: I was management, he was labor. We’ve been in a basically sexless marriage for 25 years.
Why didn’t I leave? That’s a complicated story, but it has much to do with our two adult children, both of whom have serious medical conditions that required us to create a big nest egg. The husband has been to thousands of AA meetings over the years and seen a dozen therapists, alone and together. The only thing that has changed—and this is a recent change—is that he’s finally willing to talk, but only about himself. But there are no childhood traumas or traumas of any kind that he can recount. Why did sobriety turn him into a monk? He either doesn’t know or won’t say. I’m curious what your take is.—Vibes Only Marriage
Your husband was a high-functioning, philandering drunk for the first 15 years—careful to cheat only with other unhappily married people who would keep his secret—and he’s been an emotionally-inert monk for the last 30. So, you limped along, doing what needed doing, for 45 years, most of them sexless.
To make your marriage bearable, VOM, you came up with an explanation that made it possible for you to stay: your husband was who he was—and your marriage became what it is—because your husband experienced a significant trauma. But when your husband finally opened up to you about his past—after all these years and all of those AA meetings and all them therapists—and it turns out there’s no flashy traumatic event that makes everything make sense. No rapey priests, no abusive parents, no anal probes on alien spaceships. Unless you count the trauma he inflicted on you and himself and your kids and countless others with his drinking, VOM, which doesn’t seem insignificant to me.
Maybe after the chaos and guilt and broken promises of his drinking years, he didn’t know how—or didn’t have the will—to be a human being, much less a husband. So, your husband buried himself in silence and simplicity and left you to carry the emotional load of making all the decisions. And
it worked, right? To a certain extent? You got the kids raised and built that nest egg together. He stayed sober and steady. And here you are.
So now what? It’s too late to remake your marriage—that ship has sailed—and, at 45 years, it may be too late to end your marriage. So, you can either make peace with what this relationship has been (and it sounds like it’s been traumatic for you) and live the rest of your life with the man you’ve built a life beside but not with. Or you can give yourself permission to want more. Even if that “more” is just a solo chapter where you can choose what to watch on TV without allowing your husband’s apathy to register with you.
And if listening to him talk about himself isn’t giving you the kind of understanding or closure you hoped it would, VOM, you don’t have to listen to him talk about himself. He’s got therapists for that.
When my cousin was about three years old— my cousin was assigned female at birth—they told everyone they were a boy. My family laughed this off and told them they were not a boy. My cousin stayed consistent on their boyhood until they were about seven. They wore boys’ clothes and did not like being called a girl. We’re from a Catholic family in Montana, but ultimately mostly liberal.
family dinners over the holidays.—Conflicted
Over Unstated Support Involving Nibling
For the record: Some assigned-female-atbirth (AFAB) kids who insist they’re boys and dress like boys grow up to be trans men. But some don’t. Some grow up to be cis women—often lesbians—who just happened to be tomboys when they were kids. And #NotAllTrans men were tomboys… and #NotAllCisWomen were girly girls… and gender identity and gender expression are two different things… and this shit is complicated… and I need a drink.
There are two risks here, COUSIN: doing nothing and leaving your cousin feeling unsupported if they are trans and closeted and struggling, or jumping in and making assumptions that could offend your cousin or open old wounds if they’re not. If your cousin is still figuring things out—or if they’ve already figured things but aren’t ready to share the news (they’re trans) or if there is no news to share (because they’re cis—the dread direct question (which I often endorse) is highly likely to backfire. I know that when I was a kid, relatives who cracked homophobic jokes around me didn’t start saying supportive things when they began to suspect I was gay. They just got quiet. If they had asked me about being gay before I was ready to come out, I would’ve panicked and denied it and probably remained closeted for a lot longer. What I needed—what they could’ve done when they began to suspect I was gay—was say something positive about gay people to each other when I was around.
SAVAGE LOVE
My family, especially my grandparents, have struggled with supporting our gay relatives, but have always tried. I am 10 years older than this cousin, so I was 13 when this began to play out.
My cousin, who had been a pretty loud little kid, became a reserved bigger kid, interested in stuffed animals and not a lot else. There were other things going on with their parents, so there are a lot of reasons they might have not expressed interest in much, but I’ve always worried that it’s because they are trans and have been forced to live as a cis woman for the lack of support. I’ve thought a lot over the years about whether or not I should try to talk to them about their identity, but we’ve ultimately never been that close. I just read Dylan Mulvaney’s memoir and thought about how painful it was for her to have told her mom that she was a girl when she was four, but not get to live as a woman for another 20 years. I don’t want this to happen to my cousin, who will turn 21 this year. I’m aware my guilt over how our family has treated my cousin is not a good enough reason to do anything, but I think about a possible future where they come out and feel that they were never supported. Do I wait until, or if, that ever happens? Or do I try sooner? I’m working on being supportive generally, and reaching out to build our relationship outside of
Signaling to your cousin that you’re in their corner—assuming they’re in a corner—won’t be hard. Trans and queer issues are very much in the news, thanks to the Trump administration’s attacks. If you think it can wait, you can express your disapproval of those attacks to the whole family at your next family dinner; if you don’t think it can wait—if you think your cousin might be in crisis—you can express your disapproval on the family group chat.
It seems like we are “treated” to a regular stream of news about adults who had sexual contact with minors. In most cases, it was with a teenager rather than a pre-pubescent child. Often these rapists and would-be-rapists are lumped together under the term “pedophile,” which is satisfying to yell at someone you abhor, I suppose, but it’s not accurate. Google tells me there are two technical terms for this: hebephilia (attraction to children in early adolescence) and ephebophilia (attracted to children in late adolescence). These terms don’t exactly roll off the tongue, which means they aren’t going to catch on. Maybe this is pedantic, but it irks me when pedophilia is used in reference to rapey adults who are still rapey but didn’t rape pre-pubescent children. I believe there’s a moral distinction that can and should be made between an adult
who raped a nine-year-old versus an adult who manipulated a teenager into having sex that teenager was not emotionally mature enough to consent to meaningfully. Both are fucked up things to do, but they’re not equally fucked up. Am I crazy to notice this? Should I point this out to people?—Pointing Errant Definitions Out You’re not crazy to notice, PEDO, and you wouldn’t be the first to point it out, but before you start posting about this to social media…
Let’s zoom out: A “pedophile” is someone who is sexually attracted to pre-pubescent children, a “hebephile” is someone who is attracted to pubescent minors (11-14), and an “ephebophile” is someone who’s attracted to older adolescents (15-19). But these distinctions—most often made by therapists and prosecutors—are unlikely to catch on with the general public.
Now, I believe a meaningful moral distinction can be made between someone who raped a nine-year-old child and someone who may have manipulated a sexually-if-not-emotionally-mature teenager under the age of consent into having sex. Both are crimes—but they’re not the same crime. But I don’t believe a moral distinction can be made between an adult who raped a nine-year-old child and an adult who raped an 11-year-old child. Those are the exact same crimes.
Zooming back in: While you’re technically correct, PEDO, someone who jumps in with a “well, actually…” about child rape—even to make a legitimate point—risks sounding like they’re making #NotAllPedophiles excuses for sex offenders. So, while the term “pedophile” gets slapped on the serial rapists of pre-pubescent children, people who fucked (or got fucked by) a teenager who was under the age of consent in the state where it happened but over the age of consent one state over, and grown-ass adults in their mid-30s dating grown-ass adults in their early20s alike, it’s almost impossible to make people see why this “lumping in” is harmful. Having to ask what kind of pedophilia we’re talking about when we see it in a headline—did someone rape a child? did a 19-year-old sleep with a 17-year-old? did someone in their early-40s marry someone in their late-20s?— isn’t helpful. “Meaning follows usage,” as the linguists say, but the effort to make age-gap relationships seem more awful by associating them with a sexual interest in children may be making pedophilia seem less awful by associating it with something that—in most cases—isn’t actually awful at all.
Anyway, PEDO, you can try to educate people on this topic, if you’re so inclined. But be prepared: no one likes the guy who insists on accurate terminology when the topic is child rape. You’re right—but no one cares. And if you push too hard, PEDO, people are going to start wondering why you care so much.
Email your question for the column to mailbox@savage.love! Or record your question for the Savage Lovecast at savage.love/askdan! Podcasts, columns and more at Savage.Love
Legal, Public Notices
Notice of Public Sale Notice is hereby given that the undersigned will sell, to satisfy lien of the owner, at public sale by competitive bidding on www.storagetreasures.com. ending
on May 9, 2025 at 10:00 am for units
located at Compass Self Storage 1685 Hwy 17 N Eagle Lake Florida 33839 . Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at time of sale. All Goods are sold as is and must be removed at the time of purchase.
Compass Self Storage reserves the right to refuse any bid. Sale is subject to adjournment. The personal goods stored therein by the following may include, but are not limited to general household, furniture, boxes, clothes and appliances, unless otherwise noted. Unit 3174 Mikaela Brooks. Run dates 4/24/25 and 5/1/25.
Notice of Public Sale Notice is hereby given that the undersigned will sell, to satisfy lien of the owner, at public sale by competitive bidding on www.storagetreasures.com ending on May 9th, 2025 at 10:00 am for units located at: Compass Self Storage 2291 S. Frontage Rd, Plant City, Florida 33563 . Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the time of sale. All goods are sold as is and must be removed at the time of purchase.
Compass Self Storage reserves the right to refuse any bid. Sale is subject to adjournment. The personal goods stored therein by the following may include, but are not limited to general household, furniture, boxes, clothes and appliances, unless otherwise noted. Unit 1095 Alysha Williams. Run Dates: 05/01/2025.
Wasted advice to procrastinators
Wasp wings
Man
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MAY 01-07, 2025 | cltampabay.com
God’s honest truth
Touched by an Angel?
“___ of thousands”
Bed for bacteria
Part of a puzzle having no theme answers? 60 Venezuelan river
Bar buys
Pressured (with “on”) 65 Jay of “SNL”fame
Oahu memento
Fostering is free: all supplies provided!
Help cats and dogs get a break from the shelter
Raise kittens and puppies in a safe home environment
