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An event where people in the community come together to share ideas that will create a new district, neighborhood, and space
This multi-day makers and creators experience will feature local chefs, artists, and musicians.
WHE N AN D WHER E
November 17-20, 2025 4pm to 7pm each day, come join us anytime!
855 28th St. S., St. Petersburg, FL 33712 FOR MORE DETAILS AND INFORMATION VISIT: makerscharrette.com
Holiday magic returns to Centro Ybor for annual tree lighting celebration
Live music by Lexie Hayden, festive fun for all ages, and community spirit at the heart of Ybor City.
Holiday magic is taking over Ybor City as Centro Ybor transforms into a winter wonderland for its Winter Spectacular and Annual Tree Lighting Celebration on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, from 6 to 9 p.m. The free, familyfriendly event will feature live music by Lexie Hayden, a one-of-a-kind Santa Experience, snowfall from the balconies and a festive night market filled with local vendors and holiday treasures. Guests can sip hot cocoa, enjoy complimen tary cookies and experience the joy of the season as the Ybor community gathers for an unforgettable evening presented by Ashley Furniture and Third Lake Partners, ben efiting the Humane Society of Tampa Bay.
is about bringing people to Ybor to kickstart the holiday season. Ybor holds such a special place in the hearts of Tampanians and we’re honored to have a yearly tradition that helps promote Ybor’s legacy. We are excited to welcome the wonderful Lexie Hayden to perform at Centro Ybor and we can’t wait to share this Spectacular night with everyone.”
“We are thrilled to host the 15th annual tree lighting at Centro Ybor. For this special milestone, that we are now calling the Centro Ybor Winter Spectacular, we are going bigger, brighter, and louder than ever before with more holiday cheer to truly create a winter wonderland,” said Nic Oberholtzer, Asset Manager of Centro Ybor. “As in year’s past, this celebration
Lexie Hayden’s music has earned more than 4 million streams across Apple Music and Spotify, with placements on playlists including New Music Friday Country and CMT Next Women of Country. Her songs have been featured on The Kelly Clarkson Show, The CMT Awards and ESPN. She has also been a three-time national spotlight artist on Bobby Bones’ Top 30 Countdown.
Attendees are encouraged to RSVP via the Centro Ybor Facebook event page and follow @ centro_ybor on Instagram for event updates. Presented by Ashley Furniture and Third Lake Partners, benefiting the Humane Society of Tampa Bay.
do this
Tampa Bay's best things to do from November 13-19
Stay spooky
If you’re still in the Halloween spirit, fear not. Ghostfest haunts St. Pete’s Roser Park neighborhood, featuring a spooky Star Trolley tour led by Spirits of St. Petersburg’s paranormal investigator Brandy Stark ($40) and a no-cover haunted market with snacks, tarot readings and spooky vendors and nonprofits along Booker Creek Roser on Park Drive between 6th Street South and “Charlie” the old oak tree.
Ghostfest: Saturday, Nov. 15. 4 p.m.-9 p.m. No cover. Historic Roser Park, Roser Park Dr. S and Prospect Ct. S, St. Petersburg. roserparkishaunted.com Selene San Felice
Let it (fake) snow
Run, Forest!
The weather has finally cooled down enough to go for a run without instantly passing out. This weekend is your chance to go for a jog with thousands of fellow runners. St. Pete Run Fest has a half-marathon, 10K, 5K and special challenges for runners of varying levels, plus kids fun runs and a half-mile dog walk/ run. Grab goodies at the expo at Albert Whitted Park, watch mascots race on Saturday, and save a little energy for Sunday’s L.O.U.D. finish line dance party.
St. Pete Run Fest: FridaySunday, Nov. 14-16. $17.23$307.20. Albert Whitted Park, 480 Bayshore Dr. SE, St. Petersburg. stpeterunfest.org—Selene San Felice
Hold onto your Halloween candy. Tampa is going full holly jolly holiday this week with three major celebrations across downtown and Ybor City. Santa will be at Sparkman’s Wharf’s “Winter Wonder Wharf” when it lights a 30-foot Christmas tree (there’s also an AR Workshop with holiday crafts for all ages). Half a mile away, Water Street Tampa decks its halls for a “Season Spectacular,” the official lighting of the neighborhood to start the holiday season. For more holiday festivities, hop on the Channel District trolley and head to Ybor City’s E 7th Ave. Hotel Haya offers $50 “Pawliday Portrait” photo experience for folks and their pets, as well as a no-cover pawliday market with a build-your-own cocoa bar, pup cups and adoptable animals.
See event details in our calendar at community.cltampa.com.—Selene San Felice
away, lighting hop on $50 no-cover animals.
Felice
Goal oriented
As it prepares for next year’s home turf World Cup, the U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT) takes on world No. 15-ranked Uruguay in front of Tampa fans. New-ish USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino said he’s relishing the opportunity to take on World Cup-level opponents. The 53-year-old Argentine and former Tottenham Hotspur manager signed a two-year contract to lead the USMNT on Sept. 10, 2024, and is the highest-paid gaffer in the national team’s history. USMNT star Christian Pulisic will not be active for this friendly, but Timmy Tillman (pictured) will be along with Gio Reyna, Folarin Balogun, Haji Wright and others. Creative Loafing Tampa Bay spoke with former USMNT star Oguchi Onyewu (now Vice President of Sporting for the United States Soccer Federation) ahead of the match—read our interview at cltampa.com/arts.
USMNT vs. Uruguay: Tuesday, Nov. 18. 7 p.m. $59.80 & up. Raymond James Stadium, 4201 N Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa, ussoccer.com—Emily McLaughlin
Fresh paint
St. Pete has even more murals this week, thanks to Shine Mural Festival (stylized “SHINE”). To mark a decade of painting the town, the festival went back to its roots this year with its “origins” theme and a purely local artist lineup. FloridaRama (stylized “FloridaRAMA”) hosts its finale celebration, with DJ Austen Van Der Bleek, gourmet food for purchase from FOMO Chefs, and lots more quirky art. Learn more about this year’s artist lineup and the festival at shineonmurals.com.
Shine Origins Mural Festival Finale: Saturday, Nov. 15. 7 p.m.-10 p.m. $15. FloridaRAMA, 2606 Fairfield Ave. S, St. Petersburg. shineonmurals.com— Selene San Felice
Bloody good
Bloody marys are a love-or-hate kind of drink. Those who love them can get unlimited samples of Tampa Bay bars’ rendition on the drink at Water Works Park this weekend. The day also includes music, photo ops and food vendors (you’ve gotta eat more than what’s on that toothpick). A portion of proceeds benefits Faces of Courage, a local nonprofit that provides medically supervised outings and overnight camps for women, children and families affected by all types of cancer and blood disorders.
Tampa Bloody Mary Fest: Saturday, Nov. 15. 10 a.m.- 1 p.m. $20-40. Water Works Park, 1710 N Highland Ave., Tampa. polishedpineappleevents.com— Selene San Felice
“An agenda and a program that speaks to the needs of regular people is going to be popular.”
We come marching
Florida
politicians react to New Yorkers’ embrace of Zohran Mamdani.
By McKenna Schueler
Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani last Tuesday scored an upset victory in New York City’s high-profile mayoral campaign, securing more than one million votes in an election that featured the highest voter turnout for any NYC mayoral race since 1969.
While Tampa Bay has just one democratic socialist currently in local elected office, several other electeds and mayoral candidates told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay they nonetheless found validation in Mamdani’s victory, which progressives nationwide have latched onto as an undeniable repudiation of President Donald Trump’s agenda.
with proposals such as making public buses free (in a city that relies on public transportation), establishing city-owned grocery stores, freezing rent to prevent unaffordable hikes, and creating free, universal childcare—one of the costs that eats the most of families’ budgets.
“For as long as we can remember, the working people of New York have been told by the wealthy and the well-connected that power does not belong in their hands,” Mamdani shared in his victory speech.
FLORIDA NEWS
Mamdani, a 34-year-old member of the Democratic Socialists of America, will become New York City’s first Muslim mayor and the first of South Asian descent. His campaign, powered by more than 100,000 volunteers and social media savvy, centered a working-class agenda
“Fingers bruised from lifting boxes on the warehouse floor, palms calloused from delivery bike handlebars, knuckles scarred with kitchen burns these are not hands that have been allowed to hold power,” the mayor-elect noted. “And yet over the last 12 months, you have dared to reach for something greater. Tonight, against all odds, we have grasped it. The future is in our hands.”
Mamdani, who said he was at one point
polling at just 1% with the catch-all “someone else,” handily beat former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, a former Democratic establishment darling who was accused of sexual harassment by multiple women and resigned from his gubernatorial office in disgrace in 2021.
Suffice it to say—God knows Florida’s MAGA Republicans won’t let anyone forget it—Florida is not New York. And it is certainly not New York City. Despite being ruby-red, the Sunshine State, like the Big Apple, is nonetheless home to one of the country’s largest populations of immigrants, many of whom toil in the state’s largely low-wage hospitality, service, construction, and agricultural industries. Florida, like NYC, is also a tourism hotspot, home to the socalled Happiest Place on Earth.
It’s also home to at least one openly-socialist local elected official: St. Pete City Council member Richie Floyd.
“I think, you know, you’ll see people say, ‘Oh, it’s New York, it can’t happen here’— things like that,” Floyd told CL the day after Mamdani’s win. “But I’ve always believed that, in general, as people see that politics that actually cares about working people and doesn’t bend the knee to the billionaire class comes to power in different places, they’ll gravitate towards it. And
over time, it’ll change things.”
Floyd’s place at the dais is living proof that a candidate who openly runs for local office as a democratic socialist (albeit, for a seat that’s officially nonpartisan) is possible in a red state—if you have a solid agenda and can demonstrate that you’re not just all talk.
Congressman Greg Casar of Austin, Texas—a former city councilman who has filed bills aiming to strengthen workers’ rights, enhance Social Security benefits, and prevent price-gouging at grocery stores—also won his seat openly campaigning as a democratic socialist. So did Kelsea Bond, a nonbinary DSA member, community organizer, and union activist who more recently won their bid for Atlanta City Council last Tuesday night, dispelling the notion that the “socialist” label will inherently crush any political campaign in the deep South.
“An agenda and a program that speaks to the needs of regular people is going to be popular,” argued Floyd, who will be up for re-election himself next fall. Floyd, like Mamdani, is a member of DSA.
Notably, neither of them sprung out of nowhere as the odd socialist vying for a seat at the dais. Both had a history of community-based continued on page 14
ADRIAN O’FARRILL
advocacy—Floyd, as a local schoolteacher, union activist, and community organizer; and Mamdani, as a former housing counselor, state assemblyman, and rapper (for what it’s worth) from Queens who earned the backing of NYC taxi drivers and nurses during his mayoral campaign by showing up for them years ago in their own fights for fairer pay and better working conditions.
FLORIDA NEWS
Both have embraced a populist, affordability-driven agenda. And other Central Florida candidates for local office, who don’t identify as socialists, acknowledge the appeal of that pitch.
Alan Henderson, for instance, a 24-year-old candidate for Tampa mayor who identified himself to CL as “socially to the left, fiscally to the right,” said affordability has been a pillar of his platform since he first announced his mayoral campaign in January.
“Affordability was a top issue for me even before I learned about Mamdani’s campaign. And so, you know, [it] definitely was validating to hear that people are excited about that as a message,” Henderson told CL over the phone last Thursday.
In recent polling of Florida voters by the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Lab, the issue of housing costs topped all others as the “most important problem facing Florida today” among respondents, at 14%. Behind that was property insurance at 12%, followed by property taxes, the economy, and jobs. U.S. layoffs last month reportedly hit a two-decade high, with tech jobs, and retail and service sectors being the hardest hit.
“I think that his [Mamdani’s] core approach to just connecting with the community and not listening to the same establishment voices that have [run] politics for so long in that city is also a great thing to take into our own politics here and implement,” Henderson, a political newcomer, added. “A sort of bottom-up approach to building as opposed to top-down.”
Orlando-area state representative Anna V. Eskamani, a 35-year-old Democrat running for Orlando mayor in 2027, similarly believes that Mamdani’s passion and dedication to economic concerns of the average working person is “refreshing” for voters.
“The issues of housing affordability, universal childcare, public transportation, are not partisan issues,” Eskamani told CL. “It’s not left versus right, it’s the bottom trying to get to the top.”
Like New Yorkers, Eskamani said folks she’s talked to on the ground in Central Florida are looking for politicians who aren’t beholden to corporate interests.“People are looking for elected officials who are willing to challenge utility companies, challenge developers, [and] challenge the tourism industry,” she said.
“Democrats need to show that we know how to fix things,” she said, instead of just offering constant negativity. That’s why she believes it’s “exciting” to see someone like Mamdani (who took the time to listen to Trump voters) in an executive position. “It’s going to show people that, like, young leaders are not just strong speakers or charismatic leaders, right? Like, we also know how to solve problems.”
Former Tampa mayor Bob Buckhorn, a 67-year-old Democrat who’s reportedly considering a bid to return to his old office, similarly acknowledged the importance of affordability as a campaign pillar when contacted by CL. Still, he also emphasized that it would be “very hard” to draw conclusions from a “uniquely
someone who also makes an effort to listen to constituents across the aisle. Although she hasn’t made up her mind yet on what’s next for her own political future, she admitted she’s been getting “a lot more calls” since Mamdani’s race was called.
“I’m championing what people are asking me to champion,” she said, noting that the No. 1 issue her constituents have asked her to focus on is affordable housing. “To see someone win on a stage where they’re just talking about what they want to do for people, and having people buy in…It’s heartening to see that other people are doing the same thing and getting the same response.”
Is socialism a campaign killer?
Republicans in Florida have routinely disparaged any Democrat or policy they don’t like
NY election” and apply that to the political landscape in Tampa.
“Affordability however is affecting Americans across the board and to the extent that a Mayor can impact it in a meaningful way should be a part of any campaign,” Buckhorn told CL in a text message.
Tampa City Council member Lynn Hurtak, a former teacher and union member who’s considered something of a progressive, said she found Mamdani’s victory “validating,” as
Even so, Florida hasn’t always shied away from socialism. According to Robert Steven Griffin, author of a historical paper titled “Workers of the Sunshine State Unite!” more Floridians voted for socialist U.S. presidential candidate Eugene Debs in 1912 than for either William Taft or Theodore Roosevelt. The city of Gulfport had a socialist mayor, E. E. Wintersgill, who was elected to office in 1910 with 75% of the vote.
“Rising out of the turmoil of Florida’s manufacturing boom of the early twentieth century, the Florida Socialist Party provided an outlet for Floridians’ discontent with the growing economic disparities that characterized the state’s rapid commercialization,” Griffin wrote.
“It’s less about labels and more about values.”
Ruskin, a suburb of Tampa, was actually inspired by and named after socialist English philosopher John Ruskin when first established by George and Adeline Miller in the “wilderness of central Florida” in 1908. Considered a social reformer and critic of Victorian capitalism, Ruskin ironically viewed America with contempt.
“Though I have kind invitations enough to visit America,” he reportedly wrote in 1871, “I could not, even for a couple of months, live in a country so miserable as to possess no castles.” (Since he’s long gone by now, it’s unclear whether Tampa’s infamous goth nightclub, formerly a union hall, would have counted.)
Several local politicians CL spoke to, including Floyd, Eskamani, and Henderson, all agreed that labels (including ‘socialist’) don’t matter as much as what you’re fighting for. “It’s less about labels and more about values,” said Eskamani, who doesn’t identify as a socialist herself.
“I don’t think it’s a campaign killer, per se,” agreed Henderson, who also doesn’t affiliate himself with socialism. “I do think that it is a loud signal that when we’re in uncharted times and uncharted territories, unconventional solutions are definitely up for consideration… The labels end up mattering a lot less than the actual character and platform the person is running on.”
Asked before the election to wring his hands over what it means to be a democratic socialist, Mamdani told The New Yorker that a core tenet of democratic socialism is about dignity. Voters, he explained, should not be priced out of the things that they need.
by describing it as “communist” or “socialist,” almost literally banking on the fact that the use of that term alone will be considered synonymous by voters with Satan (unless you’re like, literally a Satanist and that’s your vibe).
“They’re going to try to label you, attack you, and throw you into boxes, and all you can do is just be your authentic self,” said Eskamani, an Iranian-American progressive who’s faced death threats and was recently dubbed a “communist bitch” by a critic on Facebook.
Using rent-stablization as an example, he said that “housing is a human right,” should be less of a pullquote and more of an ideal that a candidate is willing to fight for.
“There are many people who will say housing is a human right. And yet it oftentimes seems as if it is relegated simply to the use of it as a slogan, as opposed to it being something, as a framework,” Mamdani said. “What separates [democratic socialism] from other styles of ideology or politics or theory, to me, in practice, has been a separation also of whether you are
DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST MEDIA: St. Pete City Council member Richie Floyd.
Not so fast
Judge says SPLC cannot intervene in St. Pete homeless lawsuit.
By Valerie Smith
The Southern Poverty Law Center’s attempt to represent the interests of homeless individuals in a restaurant owner’s lawsuit against the city of St. Petersburg has failed. The lawsuit between the city and Ronicca Whaley, owner of the Shiso Crispy restaurant, addresses a new Florida statute that prohibits municipalities from regularly allowing outdoor sleeping on public property. Whaley’s suit against the city claims that St. Petersburg is allowing regular outdoor sleeping in Williams Park—a location which has had an established homeless population for decades— near where Whaley chose to open her new restaurant. Whaley’s lawsuit argues that the homeless individuals sleeping in the park disrupt customers, taking business away from her new restaurant. She asks the court to order the city to comply with Florida statute 125.0231(2), something the city says it is already doing, noting that many of Whaley’s complaints are regarding occurrences on private property.
In lawsuits where a third party other than the plaintiff or the defense is affected by the outcome of the case, the third party may seek to intervene to ensure its interests are represented. Intervenors must prove an immediate and direct impact they would experience as a result of the lawsuit.
LOCAL NEWS
Last month, (Southern Poverty Law Center) SPLC filed a motion to intervene on behalf of Progressive People’s Action, an organization that runs a free store near Williams Park that provides food, medicine and services to homeless individuals in St. Petersburg. SPLC argued that PPA would not be able to carry out its mission if the individuals it serves were displaced from the park. PPA sought to represent the interests of homeless people in the park, something SPLC said neither party in the case could adequately do.
In an unusual move for a hotly contested suit, the plaintiff and the defense filed a joint motion against SPLC’s intervention. Both
parties argued that PPA did not stand to see an immediate and direct impact from the outcome.
In a Nov. 4 hearing, Whaley’s representative, attorney Sandford Kinne, said PPA was seeking to represent the interests of homeless people from an ideological standpoint and not the interest of PPA themselves. Kinne added that PPA does not have a valid legal interest in the outcome, as none of their members are homeless or at risk of being displaced by the outcome of the suit.
St. Petersburg City Attorney Joseph Patner told Judge Amy Williams of the Sixth Judicial Circuit that intervention from PPA would be a bad idea. Patner said that PPA, as an advocacy group, has attracted media attention to the case and that their involvement in the suit would mean “this whole thing would begin to spiral out of control and turn into a circus.”
population there, and asked the court to allow PPA to intervene in the case to protect that group from being relocated.
Azis told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that although the SPLC is disappointed by the court’s ruling, it will continue to monitor the litigation and consider all of the organization’s options.
“This whole thing would begin to spiral out of control and turn into a circus.”
“Progressive People’s Action moved to intervene in this lawsuit because its core mission is to provide mutual aid and services to individuals experiencing homelessness or poverty in and around St. Petersburg,” Azis added. “Although the court declined to allow PPA to intervene in the lawsuit, PPA will continue to show its solidarity with the unhoused community and advocate to protect people from punishment for simply sleeping-- a basic human necessity essential for survival.”
SPLC senior staff attorney Jackie Azis rebutted in the hearing that media attention was already on the case before the motion to intervene, as the outcome is a matter of serious public interest. Azis said that PPA’s free store location was chosen because of its proximity to Williams Park in order to serve the homeless
Judge Williams said at the end of the hearing that the lawsuit didn’t stop people from going to PPA’s free store, and that PPA therefore didn’t have a direct and immediate interest in the outcome of the case. She denied the organization’s motion to intervene, leaving the city and Whaley to continue as the only two parties in the suit.
PARK IT: The plaintiff and the defense wanted SPLC out of the ongoing lawsuit.
Stop already
FHP didn’t end pursuit until seconds before fatal crash, video shows
By Valerie Smith
Community members gathered outside Bradley’s on 7th in Ybor City last Saturday night to mourn the four livtes lost when a high-speed chase ended with a car crashing into a popular LGBTQ nightclub . Many had questions about how the crash happened in the first place.
Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) pursued a vehicle down Ybor City’s E 7th Avenue, known for its weekend nightlife, around 12:40 a.m. early Saturday morning. The vehicle, which had allegedly been used for street racing earlier that night, swerved to avoid a turning vehicle and crashed, killing four people and injuring 13 others outside of Bradley’s on 7th. Advocates for safer police pursuits say this was a poorlyexecuted chase that prioritized apprehension of a nonviolent criminal over public safety.
Video provided by the Tampa Police Department shows a FHP vehicle attempting a PIT (precision immobilization technique) maneuver— in which the pursuing vehicle attempts to cause the pursued vehicle to spin out of control—near Chapo’s Tacos, about 2,000 feet from Bradley’s. When the maneuver fails, the FHP vehicle pursues another thousand feet before abandoning the chase shortly after the intersection of Nuccio Parkway and 7th Avenue where the Ybor City gateway arch greets visitors (see photos via cltampa.com/news).
“They’re gonna be GOA on this,” a voice says over the police radio in the video as an FHP vehicle attempts the PIT maneuver. GOA, or “gone on arrival,” refers to a situation where a suspect has fled the scene by the time police arrive.
Creative Loafing Tampa Bay analyzed the footage by marking the approximate location of the vehicle at each second during the video, then measuring the distance between those points to determine the speed. CL estimates that the pursued vehicle was traveling between 70–80 miles per hour when the pursuit ended, per aerial video, and between 50–60 miles per hour when the vehicle crashed, per security camera video.
If the pursued vehicle was traveling 60 miles per hour on average between the end of the chase and the crash, this would mean that the crash occurred roughly 12 seconds after the pursuit was terminated by FHP. Video of the time between the discontinuation of the pursuit and the crash has not yet been released by the Tampa Police Department.
FHP’s pursuit policy was relaxed in 2024, contravening national policy expert recommendations by expanding situations in which a chase is allowed and giving the officers driving the vehicles more discretion over how to conduct the chase. TCPalm reporter Jack Lemnus recently spent over a year collecting and analyzing FHP chase data and public records. He found that FHP chase-related deaths tripled and use of PIT maneuvers doubled after the agency changed its policy to allow for higher-risk tactics.
Tom Gleason is a retired police officer and law enforcement trainer and is an expert in safe police pursuit. He told CL that giving officers that much control can result in clouded
judgement over potentially-lethal public safety threats. “The deputies get so emotionally involved in a pursuit that they have difficulty letting it go,” Gleason told CL.
Gleason, who is a member of safer pursuit advocacy group PursuitSafety (stylized “PursuitSAFETY”), told CL that four main violations of sensible chase policy occurred: pursuit was initiated for a nonviolent crime, ground pursuit occurred after a helicopter had sight of the vehicle, a PIT maneuver was attempted at over 40 miles per hour, and the pursuit was taken to a populated area.
A 2023 guide published by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) and the U.S. Department of Justice recommends that pursuits be initiated “only for violent crimes and where failure to immediately apprehend the suspect presents an imminent threat to the public based on the suspect’s criminal actions (not the danger created from the suspect’s driving as they flee from police).” FHP does not have strict guidelines on when pursuit is permitted, and leaves the decision to chase up to the discretion of the pursuing officer. Chasing when it isn’t necessary, Gleason said, puts innocent bystanders at risk.
used at 40 miles per hour or less, and anything greater was considered deadly force because vehicles are unpredictable at high speeds. It is unclear why the pursuit continued as far as it did. Standing at the location where the FHP vehicle is last seen in the aerial video, this reporter was able to see the Bradley’s sign. Previous information provided by police did not clarify how close the FHP vehicle was to the crash when pursuit was discontinued, initially saying the PIT maneuver occurred before Nebraska Avenue, despite aerial video showing otherwise.
LOCAL NEWS
“The original offense was nothing more than a speeding offense,” Gleason told CL. “FHP will use the excuse, ‘We do it for public safety.’” He said that the “excuse” of public safety is inappropriate when initiating a pursuit of a nonviolent offender, and that police have a responsibility to not add to the danger created by a fleeing vehicle. The FHP’s policy on pursuit also says that pursuing officers “should avoid contributing to the danger that has already been created by the fleeing violator or other hazardous situations when in emergency response.”
PERF’s guide also says that once aerial surveillance is established, ground pursuit should be discontinued. This keeps police out of the pursued driver’s sight, which will often cause the driver to slow down and eventually stop, at which point officers may establish a perimeter and apprehend the offender. It is unclear why the FHP vehicle initiated a ground pursuit when a helicopter was already tracking the pursued vehicle.
Gleason told CL that when he was a PIT instructor, he was told that PITs were only to be
FHP did not tell CL whether or not the officer involved in the incident will face disciplinary measures.
“Is our action adding to public safety, or is it taking away by adding risks to the general public?” Gleason asked, referring to a speeding vehicle as “a 3,000 pound bullet” due to its ability to rapidly injure or kill multiple people at a time. He also warned that even the best-trained officers should avoid pursuit whenever possible, because they cannot predict the outcome: “The guy driving the car that you’re chasing is not trained.”
SPEEDING BULLET: Four are dead after last weekend’s high-speed chase.
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Wah gwaan
Jerk Hut expanding, gives back to hurricane-ravaged Jamaica
By Emily McLaughlin
Andrew Ashmeade, the owner and founder of Jerk Hut, has dreamed of bringing a piece of Caribbean culture to Tampa since the 1980s. What started as a simple scribble on a piece of paper during his college days at the University of South Florida (USF) has grown into work that proudly celebrates Jamaican culture.
“I always wish that we had a place that we could call our own, to showcase our culture, our Caribbean culture and our Jamaican vibes,” Ashmeade told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.
They are also looking for items for babies and the elderly. (He’s not the only Jamaican culinarian helping either; JamDish food truck has spent the days since the hurricane collecting non-perishables and donations.)
At his restaurant, Ashmeade, whose family is from central Jamaica, envisioned a spot that had music, food, and pictures of his island and everything the culture has to offer.
FOOD NEWS
Now, after three decades of success with Jerk Hut, he’s giving back to the island that raised him.
Ashmeade joined forces with CANDU and the Caribbean Cultural Association to accept donations at the Jerk Hut location on East Fowler Avenue. He is encouraging donations for things that are easily transportable and non-perishable.
Initially starting out as an engineering major before switching over to marketing, Ashmeade said he never actually finished his marketing degree because he started the restaurant while in school and never went back.
The opportunity came in a very weird way, according to Ashmeade who told CL he got the chance to run a kitchen inside a rock and roll bar on Fletcher Avenue called The Brass Mug (now located on Skipper Road).
“That’s kind of where I really started practicing and bringing in a lot of the family recipes from home. I invented our famous red sauce and jerk cuisine,” Ashmeade said. “I learned how to cook jerks back in Jamaica, which is very strange, because a lot of people in Jamaica never cook Jerk.”
He opened the first Jerk Hut on N Nebraska Avenue in 1993, and currently operates four locations between South Tampa and the university area hotspot.
Ashmeade said jerk cooking belonged to one specific part of Jamaica called Port Antonio. But, as jerk cuisine grew in popularity, he embraced it and endured hard struggles getting the restaurant off the ground.
“There was a time where we were buying all of our food each day, maybe even twice a day, from the supermarket, not even from a wholesaler,” Ashmeade said. “We didn’t have a big budget and we were making our plans daily.”
There was help from his brother, sister-inlaw, Tony, and their kids. But as the business became more successful, more relatives joined— expanding what Ashmeade calls the extended “Jerk Hut family” of employees.
“It was kind of like a little movement that we started with bringing Jamaica to Tampa,” he added.
Growth, he explained, happened through listening to customers and accommodating their needs.
“We were on the same level as them,” Ashmeade said. “Every little thing that they wanted from us we delivered in the most honest way possible.”
But Ashmeade wanted Jerk Hut to do more than showcase Jamaican food.
“We want it to be a place where we all come to enjoy ourselves,” Ashmeade said, about the concept that’s become a cultural center for those of Caribbean descent and otherwise.
Music coming through the PA includes reggae, soca, and compas, and the Fowler Avenue location is known for its all-you-can-eat buffet featuring jerk dishes, curries, stews and Jamaican sides without the pressure of full-service dining.
A Friday ladies night started after COVID and features six different Caribbean DJs, domino games, and street food.
“It is the shortest trip you could take to Jamaica,” Ashmeade said. “No TSA, no luggage check, none of that, you know. Just walk right into jerk and you’re right in Jamaica.”
IRIE: Ashmeade opened the first Jerk Hut on N Nebraska Avenue in 1993.
THEJERKHUT/FACEBOOK
Chopped: Tampa Bay restaurants ready to cook for Thanksgiving
If thinking about The Big Dinner before you’ve finished your Halloween candy is too stressful, fear not. Here’s a guide for a Thanksgiving made easy in Tampa Bay. In a 2025 filled with restaurant closures, this might be the best year since COVID to support local businesses.
4 Rivers Smokehouse This BBQ twist from 4 Rivers is your sign to take that meat smoker out of your Amazon cart. Whether it’s the slow-smoked turkey or the 18-hour smoked beef brisket, the riv’ has plenty of stress-free options. “The Fixins Package” ($67.69) feeds up to six people and includes one quart each of mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potato casserole, cornbread stuffing, and southern green beans (plus a pint of cranberry chutney). Pre-order the meal before 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22 for pickup on Thanksgiving Day. Multiple locations. 4rsmokehouse.com/holiday
Birch & Vine/The Birchwood St. Pete’s historic Birchwood has multiple ways to enjoy a meal on Thanksgiving Day. Choose between its Grand Ballroom’s buffet with carving stations for roasted turkey and pork loin ($75/person), or its fine dining Birch & Vine restaurant, which offers both a specialty prix fixe menu and its regular à la carte options. The Grand Ballroom buffet runs from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on the fourth floor. Birch & Vine is available all day from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Reservations are highly recommended and can be booked directly via OpenTable or by calling 727-896-1080. 340 Beach Dr. NE, St. Petersburg. thebirchwood.com
Boulon Bakery The Water Street hotspot offers three signature homemade pies for Thanksgiving dessert orders: apple and brown butter tart with frangipane, hummingbird pecan tart with bourbon caramel and brûlée buttermilk vanilla bean pie with roasted figs, each available for $45. Pies can be preordered through Monday, Nov. 25 to be picked up Wednesday, Nov. 26, from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. 1001 Water St, Tampa. boulontampa.com
Columbia One of Tampa Bay’s longest-running Thanksgiving dining traditions returns. The Ybor-born local chain offers $195 curbside takeout bundles to feed 10, including a 12-pound roasted whole Vermont turkey, the classic 1905 salad, a loaf of fresh Cuban bread, and much more. Call your nearest location to order by 2 p.m. on Nov. 20 for pickup on Nov. 26 from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. The restaurant also hosts a Thanksgiving dinner ($34 for adults, $9 for children 12 and under) at many locations with options to add on pumpkin pie or pumpkin flan. Make reservations online or by calling. Multiple locations. @columbiarestaurant on Instagram
Craft Street Kitchen This local restaurant in Trinity and Oldsmar offers a chef-prepared take-home feast, available for preorder through Nov. 18. The $200 meal serves 4-6 guests and includes herb roasted turkey breast with gravy, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, savory herb stuffing, green bean
casserole, spiced cranberry sauce and soft dinner rolls with cinnamon butter. Guests can also choose add-ons including sweet potato casserole, bourbon chocolate chip pecan pie, bacon charred brussels sprouts and an eight-serving batch of Craft Street’s signature Buffalo Smoked Old Fashioned. Pickup happens Nov. 25-26 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Multiple locations. @cskoldsmar on Facebook
Élevage SoHo Kitchen & Bar The Epicurean Hotel’s restaurant has a full-service menu including stuffed turkey breast roulade, bourbon smoked brisket and sides like smoked gouda mac and cheese ($85 per person, $25 for kids six and up). Reservations between 11 a.m.-8 p.m. can be made on OpenTable or by calling 813999-8726. 1207 S Howard Ave., Tampa. epicureanhotel.com
Flor Fina Hotel Haya’s upscale Latin and Mediterranean restaurant offers a multicourse feast ($95 per adult; $15 children 6-12; Children 5 under free). Standout menu items include fried mortadella with pistachio stuffing and seared grouper with grapefruit beurre blanc and sage gremolata. Reservations can be made from noon-6 p.m. on OpenTable or by calling (813) 462-9660. 1412 E 7th Ave., Ybor City. hotelhaya.com
Grace The Pass-a-Grille fine dining spot has à la carte to-go options to boost your homemade meal, including butternut maple bisque, homemade chicken, turkey or vegetable stock, salad dressings, sides and desserts. Preorder on OpenTable or by calling 727-317-4770 by 6 p.m. on Nov. 24. Pickup on Nov. 26 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. 120 8th Ave., St. Pete Beach.@gracerestaurantfl on Facebook
Hew Parlor & Chophouse The Fenway Hotel’s restaurant offers a four-course dinner ($95 per adult, $25 for children 12 and under) with options including cinnamon short rib with Milligan’s maple pumpkin butter, bronzed turkey ballotine and mesquite charred pork belly. Reservations between 11 a.m.-7 p.m. are encouraged via OpenTable or by calling 727-683-5990. 453 Edgewater Dr, Dunedin. fenwayhotel.com
The Dan at Hotel Flor The menu from Executive Chef Jason Revell reimagine’s holiday classics (think turkey coq’ au vin) while offering salmon ribeye, and twists on sides (gochujang cauliflower, anyone?) too. Reservations are available on OpenTable and by calling 813-225-1700. 905 N Florida Ave., Tampa. dineatthedan.com
Juno & The Peacock The Downtown St. Pete restaurant offers a prix fixe meal ($135 per person, $35 for children 12 and under) with options including: Joyce Farms roasted turkey breast with confit dark meat and herbed gravy; crab-crusted Florida black grouper and bearnaise; Dean & Peeler prime rib & rosemary au jus; and a vegan option: mushroom campanelle with black garlic cream, king oyster mushrooms, tuscan
kale and parsnip crisps. Along with classic Thanksgiving sides and desserts, guests can also add champagne, oysters or a seafood tower. Book reservations between 11 a.m.-7:45 p.m. at OpenTable or by calling 727-258-4222. 400 Beach Dr. NE, St. Petersburg. @juno.peacock on Instagram
Latitude 28 The restaurant at JW Marriott Clearwater Beach Resort & Spa hosts a three-course meal ($102 per person 13-andup) including an appetizer, entrée and dessert. Standout options include Florida wildflower honey-glazed duck breast with sauteed spinach, toasted walnuts, fennel puree and onion fig jam; and a pumpkin spiced risotto with grilled butternut squash and fried sage. An à la carte menu is available for children 12 and under, with options ranging from $10 mac and cheese to $38 six-oz. filet mignon. Reservations between 3 p.m.-10 p.m. can be made via OpenTable or by calling 727-604-6128. 691 S Gulfview Blvd., Clearwater. jwmarriottclearwater. ipoolside.com
Ocean Prime Stop by the swanky seafood spot to pickup everything but the turkey. Ocean Prime’s $155 collection of sides includes jalapeño potato au gratin, truffle macaroni and cheese, and bacon creamed spinach, all ready to reheat for dinner, along with break and five-layer carrot cake. Orders must be placed via phone (813-490-5288) by Friday, Nov. 21 and will be picked up
Wednesday, Nov. 26. 2205 N Westshore Blvd, Tampa.ocean-prime.com
Oystercatchers This longtime Tampa Bay favorite has a Thanksgiving buffet from 11:30 p.m.-9 p.m. ($125 per person, $60 for children 12 and under). Options include mojo turkey breast, New Orleans oyster stuffing, chorizo cheddar cornbread pudding, ham with cardamom and mango chutney, pecan pie and pumpkin cheesecake. Make reservations at oystercatchersrestaurant.com or by calling 813- 207-6815. 2900 Bayport Dr., Tampa.
The Pearl Water Street’s lowkey comfort food hub (those deviled eggs, come on) wants to make your holiday pie. Scratch offerings include rich brown sugar, creamy pumpkin, and more ($40-$55). Place orders by Nov. 21 by phone (813-709-7776). 823 Water St., Tampa. thepearlrestaurant.com
Rusty Pelican In its comeback from Hurricane Helene, and before it closes for redevelopment in 2027, this historic restaurant has two festive dining experiences: a three-course Thanksgiving brunch and an à la carte Thanksgiving dinner ($89, $35 for children). From 10 a.m.-4 p.m. the brunch includes options like the Drunkin’ Pumpkin signature cocktail, pumpkin spiced cinnamon rolls and lobster benedict with jalapeño
continued on page 30
Élevage SoHo Kitchen & Bar
continued from page 28
corn bread. Guests can also upgrade to a hot seafood tower featuring Maine lobster, snow crab, and grilled east and west coast oysters. The dinner, running 5 p.m.-9 p.m., features herb-roasted turkey entrée served with pan gravy, 50/50 mash, green beans and cranberry relish. Reservations can be made on OpenTable or by calling 813281-1943. 2425 N Rocky Point Dr., Tampa. therustypelicantampa.com
Sal Rosa at Le Meridien Courthouse
Hotel The restaurant inside a historic courthouse offers a family-style, threecourse dinner from 2-8 p.m. priced at $70 per person. Choose from options like butternut squash soup or artisanal autumn salad for the first course, and a main entree of crispy skin herb turkey breast, NY Strip with bordelaise, or pan-seared sea bass. Sides like cranberry chutney, traditional stuffing, and roasted garlic whipped Yukon gold potatoes are served family-style. Sal Rosa also offers a $199 Thanksgiving feast to-go for up to six guests, which includes herb-roasted turkey breast, traditional sides, and dessert. A la carte options are also available. OpenTable or by calling (813) 999-8214. 601 N Florida Ave, Tampa. salrosatampa.com
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
Why gamble with doing turkey day at home when you can gamble while doing turkey day instead? Nine of the casino’s dining concepts offer Thanksgiving specials from the classic plate at Hard Rock Café ($32), to the orange chicken special at the noodle bar ($23), pool bar sandwich ($16), buffet ($79.95) and more. 5223 Orient Rd., Tampa. casino.hardrock.com
Shor American at Hyatt Regency
Clearwater Beach Resort & Spa
Its
Thanksgiving buffet ($89 for adults, $29 for children 5-12) served 1-8 p.m. features soups and salads like its corn and bacon chowder, a build-your-own mac n cheese station, a raw bar with hand-rolled sushi and crab legs, charcuterie, a carving station and classic sides. Reservations can be made on OpenTable or by calling (727) 373-4780. 301 S Gulfview Blvd suite 105, Clearwater Beach. hyatt.com
Tampa Edition (Lilac and Market)
Ground level concepts Lilac and Market both offer upscale Turkey Day meals. Lilac’s is a $195 per person Mediterraneaninspired pre-fixe feast. Market’s usual Italian offerings will be available, along with its takes on Thanksgiving classics. Market also offers pastries to go Nov. 19-20; ranging $5-$25, options include fall sugar cookies, bourbon pecan pie, cinnamon apple pie, bacon & caramelized onion quiche and butternut squash quiche. Reservations for dine-in and pastry pickup are available at OpenTable. 1000 Water St., Tampa. editionhotels.com/tampa
Tradewinds The hotel’s Island Grand restaurant offers a Thanksgiving brunch buffet with lots of options including a raw bar, breakfast and omelet bar, pasta bar, carving station and desserts. Seating happens hourly from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Adults eat for $75, seniors 65-and-up for $65, children five to 12 years old for $35 and there’s no cost for children four and under. A Thanksgiving dinner menu will also be served inside the Palm Court Italian and RumFish Grill. Make reservations oline or by calling 727367-6461. 5500 Gulf Blvd., St. Pete Beach. tradewindsresort.com
Willa’s The North Hyde Park eatery offers a contemporary catered meal. The six-person “Big Willa Style” for $500 meal includes appetizers, a turkey breast with gravy and cranberry sauce, a tahini Caesar salad, sides like rosemary focaccia with whipped garlic butter, and for dessert, chocolate oatmeal pie. Items can also be ordered à la carte with more options like Faroe Island salmon and rotisserie chicken. Pickup is Wednesday, Nov. 26 at noon. 1700 W Fig St., Tampa. @willalovestampa on Instagram
The Vinoy The historic hotel’s grand ballroom is the setting of a feast (11 a.m.-3 p.m. $155 for adults, $65 for kids 3-12 years old). Stations include a soup kettle, seafood bar, charcuterie and cheese boards, salads, plus turkey and ham. And yes, there’s a kid’s station. The Vinoy also offers a $550 Thanksgiving meal to go with options.
See a full version of this listing at cltampa. com. Did we miss your restaurant’s special? Email rroa@cltampa.com and selene@ cltampa.com to let us know.
The Pearl
PHOTOCREDIT
Monday - Friday, 4pm-7pm Saturday 3pm-6pm
THEATER
‘Kimberly Akimbo’ Tuesday-Sunday, Nov. 18-23. $62.20 & up. Carol Morsani Hall at David. A. Straz Center for the Performing Arts. 1010 N Macinnes Pl, Tampa. strazcenter.org
MOVIES THEATER ART CULTURE
Forever young Sarasota’s
Ann Morrison brings Broadway to Tampa.
By Martin Clear
Ann Morrison thought her days of playing a 16-year-old girl were long past. But she never figured that a show like “Kimberly Akimbo” would come her way.
Morrison, who’s nearly 70, took over the role of teenaged Kimberly Levaco in the national tour of “Kimberly Akimbo” a couple of months ago. The tour opens at Tampa’s David A. Straz Center for the Performing Arts on Tuesday, Nov. 18.
“The story is pretty much following a 15-yearold who’s turning 16 during the play, and she has a rare genetic disorder that causes her to age four to five years every year,” Morrison said. “So at her age of 15-turning-16, she’s actually in the body of a 70-year-old, which I am.”
It’s not just a novelty role, though. “Kimberly Akimbo” doesn’t have the name recognition of some recent mega-hits musical, but it ran for two years on Broadway and won Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Original Score.
It’s Kimberly’s spirit, Morrison said, not her aging body, that makes the show special.
“She’s a very optimistic character,” Morrison said. “She’s dealing with a very dysfunctional family, who are hilariously funny, an aunt who comes who could get her aunt a hell of a lot of trouble—I won’t give that away—and then being in a new high school, looking like a 70-yearold, and trying to make friends. So she’s got a lot to deal with, and at the same time she’s trying desperately to maybe fix her family.”
Morrison lives in Sarasota, but she has impressive New York theater credentials. Most notably, she starred in the original production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Merrily We Roll Along.” That production flopped, but the show has gone on to be often produced well-regarded, and the cast recording featuring the golden voice of 20-something Ann Morrison is a prized possession among fans of the genre.
So far, “Kimberly Akimbo” and Morrison have drawn enthusiastic audiences on this tour,
New York theaters, even Broadway theaters, tend to be much smaller than the performing arts centers than national tours travel to. “Kimberly Akimbo” is a relatively intimate show even for Broadway, so it may not seem like a natural fit for a theater like Morsani Hall.
That also may be why, for all its success and awards, “Kimberly Akimbo” isn’t as widely known as some other recent broadway shows that are less revered.
“It’s a very intimate little show,” Morrison said. “A lot of people, at the time it opened, wanted to see the big splashy stuff. This is not a big splash musical. So if you go to New York to see a show, because New York is so damn expensive, it may not be your choice. You might want to see one of the big splashy ones.
end, you know they took that great adventure with the rest of us. It’s quite lovely.”
Morrison is a well-known figure on the musical theater stages of New York, and won a Theatre World Award for her performance in “Merrily We Roll Along.” She’s also a familiar sight on local stages. Her home is in Sarasota, and works regularly with Asolo Repertory Theatre and other local companies. In fact, she was appearing as King Herod in Asolo’s production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” right up until she joined the cast of “Kimberly Akimbo.”
Most of her work in Florida lately revolves around SaraSolo, a company she founded in 2014 with Blake Walton, whom she describes as “my partner in crime, and also my ex-husband.” SaraSolo, as the name implies, develops and presents solo theatrical shows in Sarasota.
“I think I’m going to be very, very sad when this is over in May.”
The show was created by two of the most significant writers in contemporary theater. David Lindsey-Abaire adapted the musical from his own non-musical play, which was already successful, with regional productions around the country. Jeanine Tesori wrote the music.
Lindsey-Abaire won a Pulitzer Prize in 2007 for “Rabbit Hole.” Tesori had previously won a Tony for her score for “Fun Home.” The two had collaborated once before, on “Shrek the Musical.”
and the reviews have been nothing short of raves.
“If, like me, you grew up with her voice on the original cast recording of ‘Merrily We Roll Along,’ you’ll thrill to find her inimitable sound entirely undiminished by time,” Cameron Kelsall wrote in Broad Street Review. “But the poignancy she draws from her portrayal is the point here. Mature but unguarded, her Kimberly exists between an uncertain present and an impossible future, and it strikes you square in the heart.”
I think that’s why a lot of people did not see it (on Broadway).”
But audiences even in cavernous halls are responding with an enthusiasm that Morrison and the rest of the cast can sense as they’re taking their bows.
“It’s such a quirky, heartfelt and intimate show,”Morrison said. “I’m sure the people in the balcony are missing some of our facial expressions. But when the audience stands up at the
“We created it because we had done some work in New York at the United Solo Festival,” Walton said. “And we thought maybe we ought to bring a festival to Sarasota.”
They discontinued the SaraSolo Festival a few years back, but they still offer workshops to help artists create solo theater pieces. Perhaps more significantly, Sarasota has been running a program at Booker High School that introduces young people to the art and craft of solo performance.
Solo shows, especially musical solo shows, are kind of Morrison’s specialities as a performer. Although the original 1981 production of “Merrily We Roll Along” was a semi-legendary Broadway flop, Morrison had greater New York success a few years back with “Ann Morrison: Merrily From Center Stage,” her very personal one-woman show about her experiences in that show.
So she’s been rolling along through theaters in New York, and the Tampa Bay Area and all over America for well over 40 years now. But she looks at “Kimberly Akimbo” as a career highlight.
“I have to say, I’ve never had as much fun coming to work as I am doing this show,” she said. “The creative staff is full of heart. The cast, the crew, everyone involved in this show has fun being together. We adore each other. I think I’m going to be very, very sad when this is over in May.”
70 GOING ON 16: Ann Morrison is a beloved in the Bay area theater scene.
BAROQUE + BOTTLE BOOK CLUB
REPRESENTATION + MARGINALIZATION
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20 | 6-8 PM
Introducing the Baroque + Bottle Book Club, a dynamic literary series that pairs contemporary fiction with the timeless themes of the Baroque. Presented in partnership with Book + Bottle, St. Pete’s beloved independent bookstore and wine bar, each gathering invites readers to dive into contemporary novels that echo the emotional intensity, moral tension, and timeless questions embedded in the Baroque movement. With expertly paired wines, lively guided conversations, and exclusive in-gallery experiences, this series creates unexpected connections between the masterpieces on view and the pressing issues of today.
Valentin de Boulogne, known as Le Valentin, Denial of St. Peter (detail), c. 1620, Oil on canvas, Fondazione di Studi di Storia dell’Arte Roberto Longhi, Florence, Italy
Thursday, November 13, 2025 • 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Beaucastel Winemaker Dinner
@ Chateau Cellars
2009 North 22nd St.
Tickets - $202.72
bit.ly/BeaucastelYbor
Friday, November 14, 2025 • 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Pawliday Portraits & Holiday Market
@ Hotel Haya
1412 East 7th Ave.
Market - Open to the public, Pawliday Portrait Session - $59.34
bit.ly/PawlidayMarket
Saturday, November 15, 2025 • 6:00 PM - 11:00 PM
Tampa Winter Bash
feat. Skilla Baby, Dej Loaf & Hurricane Wisdom
@ 1920 Ybor
1920 East 7th Ave.
Tickets from $55.20
Saturday, November 15, 2025 • 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM
House & Coffee Tampa
@ Blind Tiger Coffee Roasters
6905 North Orleans Ave.
Open to the public
bit.ly/HouseCoffeeYbor
Sunday, November 16, 2025 • 11:00 AM
Chicken Yoga with Yoga Loft @ Hotel Haya
1412 East 7th Ave.
Tickets - $15.74
bit.ly/ChickenYogaOct
Thursday, November 20, 2025 • 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Winter Spectacular @ Centro Ybor
1600 East 8th Ave.
Open to the public
bit.ly/WinterSpectacularYbor
Friday, November 21, 2025 • 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Holiday Wine & Dine Market
@ Italian Club of Tampa 1731 East 7th Ave.
Tickets from $65 – $595 bit.ly/ItalianWineDine
Saturday, November 22, 2025 • 6:00 PM - 11:00 PM
Bazar À La Carte : Tampa
@ Tempus Projects 1624 East 7th Ave
Tickets - $5
bit.ly/BazarALaCarteTampa
Wednesday, November 26, 2025 • 6:00 PM - 11:00 PM
Tampa Thanksgiving Eve Bar Crawl
@ Centro Cantina
1600 East 8th Ave.
Tickets from $0 – $30.65
bit.ly/ThanksgivingEveYbor
Saturday, November 29, 2025 • 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Wine for Water @ Ybor City Society Wine Bar 1600 East 7th Ave.
Tickets - $81.88
bit.ly/WineForWater
Out
Restaurants:
Barterhouse Ybor 1811 N 15th St, Suite A barterhouseybor.com
Where to Live:
Casa Ybor • casaybor.com
Casa Ybor offers unique retail spaces, office spaces, and apartment homes for rent or lease in both newly constructed and lovingly restored historic buildings throughout the vibrant National Historic Landmark District of Ybor City near Downtown Tampa, Florida.
La Union • bit.ly/LaUnionYbor
Community, connection, and culture come together at La Unión Apartments, where Tampa’s rich history and vibrant future unite. Inspired by the historic social hall once on this site, our Ybor City apartments honor that legacy by fostering bonds among residents, the neighborhood, and the area’s deep-rooted heritage.
Miles at Ybor • milesatybor.com
Step into the pulse of Tampa’s most vibrant neighborhood at Miles at Ybor, where modern luxury apartments in Tampa blend seamlessly with the rich cultural tapestry of historic Ybor City. These aren’t just furnished apartments in Ybor City – they’re your gateway to an elevated urban lifestyle that celebrates both heritage and innovation.
With a daily menu of art experiences, a monthly calendar of workshops & classes, and a supply shop made up of artist-made small batch kits, we hope to share that belief with you.
Stained Market Place 2106 E 15th Ave
Tijon Tampa 2015 E 7th Ave
Combining the timeless art of fine perfumery with the vibrant charm of Florida’s Gulf Coast tijonflorida.com
“I think the most important currency is not money or even time, but attention”
Little door, big fun
Advertising meets real-world whimsy with Little Door Club.
By Sophia Lowrie
Gabriel Tao can make even a door to the IRS lead to a world of whimsy.
On the Tampa artist’s website, visitors are given a choice of four doors: each promoting one of his businesses, and one last portal labeled “I Don’t Like Fun.” Clicking the later instantly redirects the user to the Internal Revenue Service.
That playful, slightly subversive commitment to the bit is central to Tao’s Little Door Collection, a viral project that has evolved from a personal marketing tool into a high-concept branding service for Tampa Bay businesses.
Using his background in 3D printing, Tao now creates meticulously designed, 4.5-inch custom doors—each one a subtle, physical advertisement—as a direct response to a digital world he believes is exhausted by online ads.
“I think the most important currency is not money or even time, but attention,” Tao told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “This is just my way of captivating people’s attention.”
Tao began making the doors after realizing he needed a creative way to promote his Cozy AF themed Airbnb properties, which include a woodland-themed tiny house built from a shipping container, complete with a koi pond, and a school bus converted into a Medusa-themed rental with snake art and ornate gold details.
The project, which he now calls the Little Door Club, operates on a principle of subtlety. Unlike large-scale murals or billboards, the doors are often intentionally placed where people aren’t looking.
“I think now everything is big and in your face. So I wanted it to be subtle and me. I think there’s a reward for those who, you know, notice the small things,” he added.
The creation process for each door begins with extensive design work. Tao studies a business’s personality—for a plant shop, a door handle might be a tiny leaf; for a bail bondsman, he envisions a miniature jail cell.
He then brings the design to life in his warehouse full of printers.
Tao relies on two main materials: PLA, a biodegradable filament used for indoor displays or temporary outdoor pieces, and the more durable PETG, which can withstand Tampa Bay’s harsh humidity and sun for years.
The most unique aspect of the Little Door Club is its relationship with its audience: the doors often disappear.
“I’m never surprised when people actually take them, which is part of the plan,” Tao admitted. “I leave little messages on the backs so they become personal keepsakes.”
Tao noted one incident where a person visited Tampa, found and kept a door, only to realize months later—when booking one of Tao’s fairy-themed Airbnbs—that they were the same artist
the Aesthetic Portal, and the Green Room, among others.
“My goal is to make every cool business in Tampa Bay part of the Little Door Club,” Tao said.
Ybor City’s Reservoir Bar was one of the first to join the club with the addition of its own Little Door outside the business on E 7th Avenue.
“It’s something that people see and they’re like ‘Oh, I want one of those,’” Reservoir bartender Lisa Parisi told CL. “It’s a little bit different— everybody already has T-shirts and stuff.”
LOCAL ARTS
His new goal, he says, is for his doors to act as physical, collectible business cards. Tao is now focusing on creating a complete branding package for businesses. Tampa Bay businesses with their own little doors include Jolly Green Nursery, Reservoir Bar, Rubicon General Contractors, La Perrada Columbiana,
Tao gifted his friend, CEO of Rubicon Contracting Chris Morgan, a 3D printed door for his office.
“His creativity, his expertise with 3D printing, it’s not just a little door,” Morgan told CL. “I think this is probably step one of something bigger and more elaborate to come.”
Full disclosure: Creative Loafing has also joined the club. When CL approached Tao for this story, he volunteered to make a few 3D-printed doors for the publication. Keep an eye out for them—and CL newspapers—around Tampa Bay.
KNOCK KNOCK: Tao’s little doors can be spotted on the Tampa Riverwalk.
COURTESY
By Ray Roa
THU 13
C Dirty Dozen Brass Band Following last summer’s announcement that the Straz Center would start helping Skipper’s book bigger shows, New Orleans jazz ensemble Dirty Dozen Brass Band has been confirmed for a set at the 45-year-old hangout on Skipper Road. The Grammy Award-winning band, which most recently performed some of the music for Walt Disney World’s new ride “Tiana’s Bayou Adventure,” celebrated 40 years since the release of its debut album My Feet Can’t Fail Me Now last year. And the record lived up to its name, because from there, there have been gigs including backing up the likes of Elvis Costello and The Black Crowes, and even closing out Jim Henson’s funeral in 1990 with a joyous “When The Saints Go Marching In” (which was meant to be cheerful, per the Muppeteer’s wishes.) (Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa)—Josh Bradley
C Greensky Bluegrass You can smoke a lot of weed over 25 years, but Greensky Bluegrass has done so much more than that. Celebrating a commemorative new album, XXV, the Michigan jam-ericana outfit is fresh off its Halloween concert marking two-anda-half decades of bandom and playing its largest local headlining show to date. (The BayCare Sound, Clearwater)
FRI 14
C Angel Du$t w/Ovlov/Narrow Head/ Day by Day Daniel Fang and Pat McCrory— drummer and guitarist for Turnstile, respectively—bring their band Angel Du$t to Tampa. Trapped Under Ice vocalist Justice Tripp fronts the outfit that just announced a new album, Cold 2 The Touch , due in February. The record is the first to include new members Nick Lewis and Jim Carol and advances Angel Du$t’s push to expand the boundaries of hardcore music. The opening slate includes Narrow Head, a Texas grunge outfit that played its own stellar headlining set in Tampa last year. (Orpheum, Tampa)
The Dollyrots w/Don’t Panic Twist to the left, because Sarasota-bred husband-andwife band The Dollyrots is back in town. Kelly Ogden and Luis Cabezas, along with drummer Simon Hancock recently dropped a punk-rock version of “You Don’t Own Me,” which gained some extra traction among younger generations as the countdown music from Taylor Swift’s Eras tour. While the lyrics to the feminist anthem seem incredibly direct, sometimes a little bubblegum punk infantilization is what toxic assholes and mansplainers need to hear. This gig, which precedes a slot at Orlando’s
Vans Warped Tour gig that weekend, comes after a quick run of fall dates with Bowling For Soup and Pennsylvania pop-punk fourpiece Don’t Panic. The latter joins as an opener at this Crowbar show, and Bowling For Soup will be at Warped Tour both days, so don’t say that Kelly and Luis can’t close a tour in style. (Crowbar, Ybor City)—JB
C Pickle Day: Spit Truth w/Common Bond/Bold/Orange 9mm/Mongoloids/ Kids Like Us Friday is National Pickle Day, apparently, and Grillo’s Pickles is picking up the bill for a full-on celebration at the Skatepark of Tampa. It’s free to skate starting at 2 p.m. (pros from North and Central America will be on hand), and a slate of nightlife kicks off at 6 p.m. Recently reunited Florida hardcore giant Kids Like Us tops the bill alongside another reformed favorite (New Jersey’s The Mongoloids) and New York veteran Orange 9mm which just released its first song in two-and-a-half decades (“Turn It Up”) over the summer. (Skatepark of Tampa, Tampa)
SAT 15
All Time Low w/Mayday Parade/Four Years Strong/The Paradox Pop the champagne. Last summer marked 20 years since Maryland four-piece All Time Low put out its debut album The Party Scene , which introduced Alex Gaskarth and friends’ potential to the world. Its 10th album Everyone’s Talking dropped last month, and is a testament to both how the guys are handling the aftermath of fighting “false and damaging” sexual misconduct allegations, and how they want to move on from being the poster children for sadboi emo. This show—which will be supported by the likes of Mayday Parade and Four Year Strong, along with newish Atlanta pop-punk outfit The Paradox—is set to be ATL’s first gig in the area since a stop at the far-more compact Ritz Ybor in 2023. And the next day, the boys will head to Orlando for the verysold-out Vans Warped Tour at Camping World Stadium. (The BayCare Sound, Clearwater)—JB
C The Del McCoury Band The phrase “living legend” gets tossed around pretty casually in the algorithm age. Few artists encapsulate its true meaning like Del McCoury. The 86-year-old, pompadourrocking picker and songwriter wields a tenor from heaven and is the most-awarded artist in the history of bluegrass. His longevity has landed him on stages with pioneers of the movement (Bill Monroe) and also on festival lineups alongside jam-scene giants like Phish. Refusing to become a legacy act, McCoury’s and his band arrive supporting a 2024 album, Songs of Love and Life , a clinic on storytelling that includes reimagined Elvis cuts (“If You Talk In Your Sleep”) and takes on songs by less-known luminaries like Lech Wierzynski (“Just Because”). (Bilheimer Capitol Theatre, Clearwater)
THU NOVEMBER 13–THU NOVEMBER 20
Galactic Empire w/Bit Brigade If you’ve ever wondered what “Star Wars” might sound like if John Williams had written it for a circle pit, Galactic Empire has your ticket. The galaxy’s favorite cosplay metal band arrives with Athens, Georgia’s video-gameshredding outfit Bit Brigade in tow. The stop comes just weeks after the band droped Cinemetal , which assembles big-screen themes from across fandom and gives them a metal overhaul. The tracklist runs the gamut from “Superman” and “Batman” to “Harry Potter”, “Jurassic Park” and “Lord of the Rings.” New single “Avengers” finds the band stepping outside the Lucasfilm universe entirely to take on Alan Silvestri’s Marvel Studios score. Bit Brigade, which famously perform classic NES and Sega soundtracks live in sync with a gamer speed-running through the levels onstage, opens. Think “The Legend of Zelda” or “Mega Man” with face-melting solos. (Crowbar, Ybor City)—Sophia Lowrie
C Kaytranada w/Justice There are just a dozen dates on a new tour from electro icons Kaytranada 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 over the summer 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). (Benchmark International Arena, Tampa)
Marc Rebillet w/Capyac Rebillet was viral before AI-inspired content creators ruined the internet—and he’s back to show why. The 36-year-old loop daddy brought his manic brand of dancetronica to Ybor City in 2018 by taking over the patio at Carmine’s (seriously), and then moved the madness across the street to Orpheum just a few months later. The Dallas-based artist is back in the district in a few months, and again sizing up in venues. Famous for his one man show, the bespectacled Rebillet is famous not just for his improvisation onstage, but also for Jim Carrey-levels of facial distortion and energy that’s landed him on the biggest festival stages. And while haters may write off the schtick, Rebillet’s worked with a host of well-respected talent including Erykah Badu and Reggie Watts. (The Ritz, Ybor City)
C Vortxz w/Pet Lizard Last month, the Recording Academy (aka the folks behind the Grammy awards) counted Vortxz among its “6 Rising Latin Stars To Know Now.” FFO of The Strokes, the Houston trio was hailed for its “mix of new-wave indie, Rock en Español, and alternative rock,” and a dreamy track, “Esos Besos.” Emblematic of the dynamic nature of Texas’ indie music scene, this no cover show is a chance to see Vortxz in a tiny venue alongside of of Tampa’s most energetic pop-punk outfits. (The Bends, St. Petersburg)
SUN 16
Fran Snyder’s Song Connections w/ Dean Johanesen/Michelle Ingrham/ Madelaine Fran Snyder, without a doubt, has a knack for curating intimate songwriter shows. Curator of Tampa Bay’s beloved Listening Room Festival, Snyder heads to Palladium’s basement cabaret for an in-theround gig. (Side Door Cabaret at Palladium Theater, St. Petersburg)
Gwar w/Helmet/Dwarves/Blood Vulture Dust off your LARP gear and poncho, because Gwar (stylized in all-caps) is celebrating 40 years of gender non-conforming dinosaurs and mythological imagery. After founding frontman Dave Brockie’s viking funeral in 2014, the satirical-metal band put its pet tyrannosaurus rex Gor Gor to rest as well. But last summer, the dino—now a “20-foot tall trans-species prostitute” according to the group—was resurrected for a new project called The Return of Gor Gor, a seven-track outing that features live tracks and a few new studio cuts. (The Ritz, Ybor City)—JB
continued on page 42
C CL Recommends
Vortxz
Pill w/Kaonashi/Kitty Kitty Meow Meow Open your diamond eyes, because Sweet Pill is about to wrap up its year by headlining a trio of gigs in Florida, including a grand finale in Tampa. In terms of studio work, the five-piece has been taking a different route this year. Its new EP is a handful of rerecordings called Unraveled , a term that turned out to be Sweet Pill-coded for “acoustic.” As is tradition for a band’s acoustic era, the unplugged approach isn’t being met onstage at all. But considering how lead singer Zayna Youssef recently fractured her elbow after stage-diving while opening for Pool Kids in Philadelphia, there’ll probably at least be a sense of delicacy that isn’t usually on a punk stage, just for recovery purposes. On a positive note, Sweet Pill has never headlined a show in Florida, and the Ybor City stop will also feature fellow Philadelphian, “emo mathcore” outfit Kaonashi, and scream queen trio-slash-Girls Rock alum Kitty Kitty Meow Meow on the bill. (Crowbar, Ybor City)—JB
The Wade Garrett w/Kröna/Razor and the Boogie Men Just four months after his first show ever at FL Rules Fest, breakdown hardcore band The Wade Garrett is back for yet another stacked bill at this Ybor Heights scene staple. Shreddy Miami metal outfit Kröna opens alongside local heavyweight Razor and the Boogie Men. (Deviant Libation, Tampa)
WED 19
Black Flag w/The Queers A new Black Flag plays in the shadow of the Trop—and this time, three of four members were born after the year 2000. Guitarist Greg Ginn, the only founding member who remains in the seminal Los Angels-born quartet. Jokes aside, the new Black Flag members aren’t actually kids. However, the lineup has been the punchline of jokes in the punk world since its announcement in April, mainly due to the vast age difference between Ginn and his bandmates. (Ferg’s, St. Petersburg)—Stephanie Koithan
See an extended version of Music Week via cltampa.com/music. continued from page 41
C Men I Trust w/Evan Wright As a lesbian, I don’t usually trust men—but I do trust indie outfit Men I Trust to bring a crowd to this twonight stand. The band is well-known in the indie scene for self-producing its tracks and creating a lush, dreamy sound that transcends easy genre categorization. Emma Proulx’s distinctive, soft vocal style is a signature element of its music, weaving effortlessly through groovy basslines and shimmering synths. Its 2019 album Oncle Jazz and 2020 release Show Me How showcase Men I Trust’s knack for blending mellow rhythms with hypnotic melodies, making each track feel both intimate and expansive. (Jannus Live, St. Petersburg)—SL
Tyler Ramsey Last week, Tyler Ramsey shared plans to release a new album with Carl Broemel. Celestun, set for release on Jan. 15, brings together ex-members of storied Americana-rock bands (Band of Horses, My Morning Jacket), and fans might get to hear a little of the mostly-instrumental work at this intimate house show where the 51-year-old will presumably play a lot of his 2024 album New Lost Ages . (Jack Kerouac House, St. Petersburg)
THU 20
C Simon Grossmann w/Bebo Dumont Everyone needs a day at the beach, and Simon Grossmann’s “Copa del Mundo” is a low-key fix for that need. The VenezuelanAmerican songwriter arrives in good company, too. Bebo Dumont has produced for the likes of Kaytranada (coming to town on Saturday), Anderson .Paak, and others. His work on Rawayana’s ¿Quién Trae las Cornetas? even led to a Grammy Award for Best Latin Alternative Album. The multihyphenate Puerto Rican Cultura Profética member opens this show that is the next best thing to hopping on a plane to the Caribbean. (Crowbar, Ybor City)
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Jack Johnson has a new movie coming out in 2026 and will give Tampa Bay fans a taste of it when he hits the road this summer.
Last week, the 50-year-old songwriter, filmmaker, surfer and eco-activist announced a 43-date tour that includes an August swing through the southeastern U.S., marking his first Bay area show since 2022.
The run, which stops in West Palm Beach and Tampa, arrived with a new single (“Hold On To The Light,” with instrumental duo Hermanos Gutiérrez) that will appear in “Surfilmusic” (stylized in all-caps), a movie that will feature Johnson.
“The new film celebrates the lifelong friendships and ocean-driven community that shaped Johnson’s path, and features many of the surfers who appeared in the original films, including Kelly Slater, Rob Machado, and the Malloy Brothers,” a press release says. “It also captures the shared spirit of exploration and creativity that continues to inspire his music and environmentalism today.”
Lake Street Dive opens the Florida shows.
The “Surfilmusic” soundtrack finds Johnson not only teaming up with the Hermanos Gutiérrez but reconnecting with Beastie Boys and Beck producer Mario Caldato Jr., who worked with Johnson on several albums including his 2003 sophomore outing On and On , 2005’s In Between Dreams , and 2013’s From Here to Now to You
In the first trailer for the film with Chris Malloy, Johnson said that whenever he
thinks about creativity, friendship is the throughline. “None of us could have made it on our own,” he adds.
That connectivity extends to his approach to touring.
In a 2022 interview with Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, Johnson—who in the past has donated the entirety of tour profits to environmental organizations—said that he’s able to square the conundrum of touring with his commitment to a greener earth not just through obvious positive aspects of touring, but by activating and donating to local nonprofits in every city his tour visits.
“After we leave, there’s energy from the show, both in funding these groups—because every night we put money from the show into nonprofits—and then also, I think, more importantly, is connecting the fans and this younger energy with these established nonprofits so that after we leave, there’s all these new members of these groups,” he added.
In addition to the local contributions, Johnson’s ‘Ohana Foundation will split $2 from every ticket between Reverb’s Climate Project Portfolio and All At Once nonprofit partners working on environmental initiatives in communities near each concert and across the country.
Tickets to see Jack Johnson play Tampa’s MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre on Wednesday, Aug. 19 go on sale to the public Friday, Nov. 14—prices have yet to be announced. Come back next week for Josh Bradley’s weekly roundup of new concerts coming to Tampa Bay.—Ray Roa
NOVEMBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
DECEMBER 7 JUVENILE Jannus Live
DECEMBER
MARCH 10 STICKY FINGERS Jannus Live
Cage match
By Dan Savage
The fact that I am in an LTR with a partner who knows I’m bi, is fine with me exploring with other guys, allows to me seeing professional dominants, and has experimented with me over the course of our relationship is probably all down to what I have learned reading your column and listening to your podcast, Dan.
Given all the other things I’ve indulged in, chastity play would seem like a pretty simple one to cross off, except for one thing: my anatomy. When I was an infant, I had an undescended testicle that needed to be operated on. Neither of my balls hang particularly low and they can very easily withdraw back into my body; one of them is also quite small. I am also a “grower” whose cock goes from very small to pretty big. Because my balls can be tight to my body, I can’t find a chastity device I can use. Cock cages are held in place by rings behind the balls but are painful for me to wear and sometimes my smaller ball pops out of it, which is painful. And because my soft cock is small, it’s easy to “slip out.” The pro Dom I see did manage to get me in a cage once, but I couldn’t safely wear it for longer than twenty minutes due to how much it hurt. I’ve purchased a CB6000, which wasn’t comfortable, and then bought some other models from different companies without any luck. I’m reluctant to keep spending money on cages in the hopes that maybe one will fit me. They’re expensive, Dan, and they’re not things a guy can return! Do you have ideas or suggestions? Or do I just have to accept that my wasn’t built to be locked up?—Lusting Over Caging Kick
nothing—and they’re consequently expensive. But if you keep buying mass-produced cock cages in the hopes of finding one that fits, LOCK, eventually you’re going to have spent more money on cock cages you can’t wear (or return) than you would’ve spent on one that was designed for your body.
“The first thing we tell clients is to come to Montreal or meet us at a kink event and get measured in person,” said Christopher. “And it’s not always just the cock ring that’s a problem. The scrotal gap—the distance between the cage and the cock ring that anchors it to the body— as well as cage length and diameter all play into a cage fitting properly. The material the cage is made of, as well as its finish can also be a factor, as they affect how the body moves within the device and how your skin reacts to it.”
Steelwerks also makes male chastity devices that don’t have cock rings at their base—cages that just enclose the head and shaft—but to wear one of those, LOCK, you’re gonna have to do more than just open your wallet.
SAVAGE LOVE
“We refer to these cages as ‘minimalist devices,’” said Christopher. “They don’t have a cock ring—but they do require an established cock piercing. Our most popular minimalist cage is the Schandmaske. It’s a cage that completely covers the head of the cock and a portion of the shaft. While the Schandmaske does allow for a partial erection, it gives you the feeling of being under strict control and it’s invisible under most attire.”
“I cannot tell you how many times I have heard this exact same story,” said Christopher Miers at Steelwerks. “Only a small percentage of guys have a ball that didn’t drop, but it’s not as uncommon as some would think. Your reader definitely shouldn’t give up on a chastity lifestyle as there is always a solution!”
Christopher has been designing and making custom stainless steel and titanium cock cages for a quarter of a century, LOCK, and he’s yet to encounter a cock that couldn’t be locked up.
“We work very closely with our clients to ensure all needs are met so our clients can have a comfortable life locked,” said Christopher. “And we’ve made plenty of cages for men who can’t find the perfect fit in a mass-produced cage. I don’t want to get into all of these devices—however, regarding your reader’s specific issue with the CB6000, it has a very wide and thick cock ring, which causes almost all users discomfort.”
Unlike mass-produced cages (which work just fine for some men), each male chastity device Steelwerks sells is made by hand and fitted to each individual client’s junk—they don’t call Steelwerks cages the Rolls Royce of male chastity devices for
Lots of guys who don’t have your issues— “showers” with low-hanging balls who can comfortably wear cages anchored around their balls with a cock rings—find they can slip out of chastity devices; some of these guys choose to get their cocks pierced, as it’s the quickest way to take chastity from symbolic play (they wear the cage to remind themselves they’re not supposed to touch their cocks) to actual chastity (the cage prevents them from touching their cocks).
“But my experience has taught me that a wellfitted cage can prevent slipping out in ‘growers’ and ‘showers,’” said Miers, “so it’s possible to securely wear a chastity cage without being pierced. So, piercing isn’t for LOCK, he shouldn’t be discouraged. While lots of cages are mass produced these days—unfortunately—there are still a few custom companies out there. And while a custom cage may be more expensive, you’re likelier to enjoy long-term chastity success with a custom product.”
To learn more about Steelwerks—and to see their products—follow @steelwerksextreme on Instagram or visit steelwerksextreme.com.
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
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November 21, 2025 at 9:30 a.m. at 41 Emerald Lane, Leesburg, FL 34748. ICARD, MERRILL, CULLIS, TIMM, FUREN & GINSBURG, P.A. Alyssa M. Nohren FL Bar No. 352410 2033 Main Street Suite 600 Sarasota, Florida 34237 Telephone: (941) 366-8100 Facsimile: (941) 366-6384 anohren@ icardmerrill.com smenasco@icardmerrill.com Attorney for County Life of Ohio LLC
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KICK OFF THE HOLIDAY SEASON
November 20 • 6-9 pm @centro_ybor
Holiday magic is taking over Ybor! Join us for a night of festive fun the whole family will love. Enjoy live music from Lexie Hayden, snap a pic with Santa and watch snow fall from the balconies. Stroll the night market, sip hot cocoa and celebrate Ybor’s annual tree lighting!
