Creative Loafing Tampa

Ed Turanchik and HMS Global Maritime introduce proposal to bring high-speed ferry rail to Tampa Bay

Mitch Perry — Wed, 22 May 2013 14:01:00 -0400

Today, Tampa attorney and public transportation advocate Ed Turanchik along with officials from the Seattle based HMS Ferries laid out their vision of a public-private partnership to initiate Tampa Bay's first commuter, recreational and tourist passenger ferry service. The idea came from studies showing that thousands of commuters who live in South Hillsborough County and drive to MacDill Air Force Base on a daily basis would take a ferry service if it was an option.…

Tampa City Council members differ on the need for budget analyst

Mitch Perry — Wed, 22 May 2013 10:16:00 -0400

It has been years since crowds formed at City Hall for Tampa's annual late summer budget hearings. The last time citizens showed serious concern during those discussions was in the mid-aughts, when the region's property values were ablaze, creating bigger tax bills for homeowners.…

Mitch Perry Report 5.22.13 - Please welcome Anthony Weiner back to the political stage

Mitch Perry — Wed, 22 May 2013 07:53:00 -0400

For those of us who thrive on following elections, 2013 is a pretty dry year. Locally we've got the St. Pete mayoral and City Council elections coming up, with a big primary in August (with the Lens on the ballot) and the general election in November.…

Paradise found

Jon Palmer Claridge — Wed, 22 May 2013 04:01:00 -0400

Caretta on the Gulf redefines beach cuisine. by Jon Palmer Claridge One of the great perks of living on the Gulf Coast is the ability to be awed daily by breathtaking sunsets over the water. It’s a seductive lure for residents and tourists alike.…

Greece-y goodness

Katie Machol — Wed, 22 May 2013 04:00:00 -0400

Say “Opa!” to these Greek lamb sliders in pita pockets. by Katie Machol When it comes to burgers, quality meat can make a simple burger great, but flavorful additions will really put it over the top. Herbs and spices mixed into the meat, tasty toppings, quality cheeses and fancy buns will all contribute to making one stellar gourmet burger.…

Drinking it all in

Daniel Figueroa IV — Wed, 22 May 2013 03:59:00 -0400

A night of Beer, Bites & Brushes in the Warehouse District. by Daniel Figueroa IV The food was disappearing faster than it could come out. Florida Beer Company’s Thomas Barris shuttled trays of zucchini pasta out of the makeshift kitchen, deftly averting the long-haired tattooed guy, the woman in the cherry-blossom dress, and the guys in polos and cargo shorts.…

Get out your LGBT Memorial Day weekend calendar

Tiffany Razzano — Wed, 22 May 2013 01:46:00 -0400

If you're looking to make Memorial Day weekend plans, there are plenty of LGBT events in the Tampa Bay area.

On Wednesday, May 22, 4 — 7 p.m., join local elected officials and announced candidates at the Harvey Milk Day Meet and Mingle at The Birchwood Inn, 340 Beach Dr. N.E., St. Petersburg.…

Conservative protesters say "Down with the IRS" and "Fire Obama"

Chrystal Tacker — Tue, 21 May 2013 23:46:00 -0400

The corrupt attacks and denials follow “a pattern like Mussolini, Stalin, Hitler, and even Watergate. The Obama administration is as corrupt as it can be and we won’t stand for this.” Douglas Coggeshall, engineer and history buff, believes that history is repeating itself once again and he plans to stand up against the cycle.…

If DOMA goes away, then what?

Sharon Herman — Tue, 21 May 2013 22:23:00 -0400

On a national level, same-sex marriage could soon be recognized by the United States government. This means that federal benefits for married gay couples will be the same as heterosexual married couples.…

Landmark victory: American Journey has arrived

Nicole Abbett — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:43:00 -0400

Despite the sweltering heat, more than 100 people showed up to the dedication of the Adamo Drive Mural, American Journey, joining Mayor Bob Buckhorn and mural artist Michael Parker in a dedication ceremony to celebrate its official unobstructed view, allowing all a glimpse of Ybor City’s rich history.

[ Subscribe to the comments on this story ]

Jamie Dimon easily survives vote to split his duties at JPMorgan Chase shareholder meeting in Tampa

Mitch Perry — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:45:00 -0400

At JPMorgan Chase's annual shareholders' meeting in Tampa a year ago, the bank's CEO and chairman of the board, Jamie Dimon, was embarrassed when a close shareholder vote nearly stripped him of his chairman's job in the wake of the corporation's so-called "London Whale" trade loss, which ultimately cost Chase $6.2 billion.

But this afternoon, with more scrutiny on the banking superstar than ever (and rumors that he might bolt if the shareholder vote were successful this time around), only 32.2 percent of the shareholders voted to split his duties, thus insuring that the 57-year-old Dimon won't be leaving Chase anytime soon.…

Environmental Activist Bill McKibben speaks at Eckerd College's 2013 Graduation

Samuel Johnson — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:37:00 -0400

Sunday, May 19, marked the Golden Anniversary of the annual Eckerd College graduation commencement in Saint Petersburg. More than 500 graduates, their families and well-wishers, the faculty and the board of trustees all gathered under a circus-styled big top for the ceremony.…

"It's Monsoon season, bitches!" The CL interview with RuPaul's Drag Race winner, Jinkx Monsoon

Brian Frederick — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:48:00 -0400

RuPaul's Drag Race has turned American on to plenty of fishy and glamorous drag queens during it's five seasons, but none have stolen more hearts than campy theater queen, Jinkx Monsoon. Jinkx (performed by Jerick Hoffer) went from this year's underdog, all the way to winner, crowned by RuPaul herself.…

Mitch Perry Report: Fluoride on the ballot again, but a long way from Pinellas County

Mitch Perry — Tue, 21 May 2013 08:09:00 -0400

Last year, the issue of the Pinellas County Commission's 2011 vote to remove fluoride from the water supply exploded, partially because of the Tampa Bay Times editorial page that raged against the four commissioners who supported that measure — John Morroni, Norm Roche, Neil Brickfield and Nancy Bostock. (Times writers Tim Nickens and Dan Ruth ended up receiving Pulitzer Prizes for the editorial campaign.)

With Bostock and Brickfield running for re-election last fall, the issue hung around their necks like an albatross, and was used in every possible campaign forum or event by their respective Democratic opponents, Janet Long and Charlie Justice.…

Hillsborough County Democrats elect a new chairman

Mitch Perry — Mon, 20 May 2013 21:28:00 -0400

The much maligned Hillsborough Democratic Party is coming off one of its best performances in years. They not elected Barack Obama by a bigger margin than in 2008, but they were also successful in winning one tight House race (Mark Danish in District 63), and nearly another (Gail Gottlieb narrowly lost out to Republican Russ Spano in HD 59).…

Adamo Drive Mural ready to be unveiled

Nicole Abbett — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:26:00 -0400

Join Mayor Bob Buckhorn and Tampa community leaders this Tuesday, May 21, to celebrate the newly finished Adamo Drive Mural. The dedication is taking place at 2 p.m. which will include a preliminary session with the artist, Michael Parker, and a reception afterward.…

Tampa Tea Party member says she's been negatively affected by IRS on two separate occasions

Mitch Perry — Mon, 20 May 2013 11:50:00 -0400

Before it was revealed earlier this month that the IRS has been scrutinizing conservative groups seeking a tax-exempt status, the biggest issue the agency has dealt with in the past year is refund fraud and identify theft — a problem that has exploded in the Tampa Bay area.

As a co-founder of the Tampa 9-12 Project chapter, Karen Jaroch has already gone public about the ordeal she felt her group underwent when applying to the IRS three years ago.…

HART to use $1.2 million to add bus hours on nights and weekends

Mitch Perry — Mon, 20 May 2013 11:13:00 -0400

Talk about doing more with less.

The proposed fiscal year 2014 operating and capital budget for Hillsborough County's transit agency will come in nearly 27 percent lower than last year.…

Pet-A-Palooza 2013: Pics from the pet party

Chip Weiner — Mon, 20 May 2013 10:47:32 -0400

Cute and cuddly were everywhere Saturday at Pet-A-Palooza, held at Raymond James Stadium. Pet challenges included Twiggy the water-skiing squirrel and a dog diving dock.…

Middle fingers fly as American Idiot invades the Straz Center

Brian Frederick — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:27:00 -0400

Between the head-banging, strobe lighting and angst-filled lyrics, American Idiot might be better suited to an arena rock setting than the musical theater. But punk rockers are wont to rock where punk rockers choose, especially if the setting is less than appropriate.…

Mitch Perry Report 5.20.13: The President's agenda wasn't in good shape before Benghazi/AP/IRS …

Mitch Perry — Mon, 20 May 2013 08:06:00 -0400

Can we end the pretense espoused by such conventional wisdom proprietors as MSNBC's Joe Scarborough that the various problems hitting the Obama White House "threaten" his second term agenda? With the exception of immigration, Republicans (particularly in the House) have not really shown any interest in working with the president whatsoever (though on budget issues they're sort of forced to) since his re-election.…

The Amazon Trail: Fleeing Flatonia

Lee Lynch — Mon, 20 May 2013 00:50:00 -0400

We fled Flatonia, Texas like it could pursue us.

We’d be back home in the Pacific Northwest in just a few days and, we hoped, bed bug-less.…

Beating around the bush with 'natural' adult model, Sativa Verte

Shawn Alff — Sun, 19 May 2013 16:07:00 -0400

Amid a Vegas convention hall filled with surgically enhanced and chemically remastered porn stars, Sativa Verte is labeled a "fetish" or "alternative" model. A more accurate term for her is "natural," due to her minimal use (and need for) beauty products and her un-landscaped patches of body hair.…

All scandal, all the time for the next month in Washington?

Mitch Perry — Sun, 19 May 2013 13:02:00 -0400

Scandals like the I.R.S. targeting the Tea Party in recent years are custom made for cable news and its network equivalents, the Sunday morning talk shows. Add in the revelation about the Justice Department's seizure of the records of nearly 100 people at The Associated Press, and oh yes, Benghazi, and let's just say that programming decisions weren't a challenge for Sunday show producers this week.…

Hands Across the Sand draws a line against oil drilling and fracking

Terrence Smith — Sat, 18 May 2013 18:25:00 -0400

At the Bilmar Beach Resort on Treasure Island, hundreds gathered for the fifth edition of Hands Across the Sand, a gathering of those opposed to offshore drilling and and the use of dirty fuels. The event was one of four in the Bay Area.…