Winner: Jane Castor Elected Mayor Of Tampa cltampa.com
Second Place: Clearwater Beach voted best beach in the United States abcactionnews.com
Runner Up: Black Crow Coffee first zero waste coffee shop in St. Pete cltampa.com

See all winners from Best of the Bay 2019.

Critics' Picks

Best New Hotel

Best #BecauseGulfport

Best Holy Shit Maybe It All Isn’t A Dumpster Fire

Best Pay No Attention To What’s Behind The Curtain

Best Well, At Least We Had Fun When We Thought We Had Hope

Best Set Yourself On Fire Instead, Bitch

Best No Shit?

Best “Fuck You” To Oil Companies

Best Truly Inclusive Tattoo Experience

Best We’re Going To Miss You For A Long Damn Time

Best Rock Star Duck

Best Lemonade From Lemons

Best The Air Force Actually Does Have To Hold A Bake Sale

Best Euro-Chill

Best Painfully Elongated Construction

Best Local Dennis Kucinich

Best Reason To Bum Your Mom’s Tampa Bay Times Login

Best Bureaucratic Bullying

Best Guy Who Found His Dream Job

Best Municipal Stans

Best Stay Home

Best Local Meme Whore

Worst Jim Crow Imitation

Best Glad That’s Over

Best Off-Air Drama

Best Get Off My Lawn

Best Social Media Troll

Best More Inspiring Than The Women’s World Cup

Best Non-Negotiable Car Wash

Best Florida Man Trend

Best Reason To Go Green

Best Clearwater Community Activist

Best “Are We Breaking Up?”

Best Thunderstruck

Best Make Your Own Market

Readers' Picks

Best Beach Town

Best Bizzaro Local News Story

Best Celebrity Charity Event

Best CEO

Best City: Tampa, St. Pete Or Clearwater?

Best College Hangout

Best Community Center

Best Community Garden

Best Coo

Best Cosplayer

Best County

Best Dog Park

Best Environmental Organization

Best Florida College Team

Best Instagrammer

Best LGBTQ+ Organization

Best Local Activist

Best Local Afternoon Radio Show

Best Local Blogger

Best Local College Or University

Best Local Columnist

Best Local Couple

Best Local Influencer

Best Local Internet Radio

Best Local Morning Radio Show

Best Local Morning Tv Show

Best Local News Story

Best Local Nonprofit

Best Local Personality To Follow On Twitter

Best Local Philanthropist

Best Local Podcast

Best Local Politician

Best Local Pro Sports Team

Best Local Radio Personality

Best Local Radio Station

Best Local Scandal

Best Local Sportswriter

Best Local Tv Newsperson

Best Local Up-And-Coming Radio Personality

Best Mayor

Best Mover & Shaker

Best Nature Trail

Best Neighborhood, Hillsborough

Best Neighborhood, Pinellas

Best Networker

Best Organized Bike Ride

Best Place To Instagram A Selfie

Best Place To Volunteer

Best Public Golf Course

Best Skate Spot That’s Not A Skatepark

Best Sports Coach

Best Walking Tours

Best Waste Of Taxpayer Money

Best Web Developer

See all winners from Best of the Bay 2019.

Couple Arrested Having Sex Outside O’maddy’s

When the Gulfport police arrested a St. Petersburg firefighter for having sex with a woman — consensual sex, on his own car, nonetheless — part of us died inside. Sure, public intoxication is a crime, we guess, but sweet Jesus, in this era of #metoo can we not just appreciate a grown woman and a grown man getting carried away in the most consensual way possible without ending a career? All you need is love, and, well, there but for the grace of god go I, amirite, readers? 

See all winners from Best of the Bay 2019.

Tampa Bay Rays

It was an interesting summer for the Tampa Bay Rays, and we can’t help but admit that we’re still hurt about the news that the MLB has given the team — which started playing baseball in St. Petersburg in 1998 — permission to begin exploring a plan that would allow the Rays to split home games with Montreal. Some fans rallied and packed the Trop a few times after the news, but this definitely feels like breaking up, guys. mlb.com/rays

See all winners from Best of the Bay 2019.

Florida Voters Pass Amendment 9

Was there ever really a chance Big Oil was going to fight Amendment 9, which banned offshore drilling in Florida? If so, Florida voters sent a message loud and clear: Go drill yourself, Big Oil. Even if it means we can’t vape in public places, you can’t have our waters. 

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Winner: Clearwater Beach visitstpeteclearwater.com

Second Place: Anna Maria Island annamaria.com
St. Pete Beach stpetebeach.org/

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Winner: Florida Man cltampa.com
Second Place: Alligator breaks into kitchen in Clearwater cltampa.com
Runner Up: Mayor of Port Richey arrested cltampa.com

See all winners from Best of the Bay 2019.

Fdot

TBX. TBNext. “It’s not a toll lane!” The FDOT has wanted to expand I-275 and put the health of neighborhoods underneath and around it in jeopardy for years now, and it finally, kind of, got its way in June when the Hillsborough County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) approved moving forward with two controversial projects that would add a lane to I-275 between MLK and Bearss and also add a flyover ramp from southbound I-274 to I-4. With enough money, a large entity can eventually beat the will of concerned residents any day. 

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Winner: Apple A Day Prom appleaday.org/prom/

Second Place: 13 Ugly Men 13uglymen.com
Runner Up: Dancing with the Stars  dancingforcharity.com

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Winner: Jeff Vinik nhl.com/lightning
Second Place: Stella Myers (RIP)
Runner Up: Stellie Bellie of Curv Exchange curvexchange.com
Runner Up: Jeff Conner linkedin.com

See all winners from Best of the Bay 2019.

Winner: St. Petersburg stpete.org
Second Place: Tampa tampagov.net
Runner Up: Clearwater myclearwater.com

See all winners from Best of the Bay 2019.