University of Central Florida researchers using genetic information say that, with intervention, depleted flamingo populations in Florida can recover. 

A study led by biology graduate student Jessica Folsom used genomic data in determining the flamingo population and its genetics in Florida and proposes strategies to restore the population. 

Researchers found that flamingos in Florida and around the Caribbean display few genetic differences, including those held in captivity. 

Flamingos in Florida often fly in for a few months, but building a long-term breeding population would pose a challenge. 

“For more than a century, there were almost no conservation measures for flamingos in the U.S.,” said Steven Whitfield, a co-author of the study and a director at the Audubon Nature Institute. “That’s partly because flamingos were long considered a non-native species to Florida. With our work, we want to show they have always belonged here and there’s a scientific basis to support their recovery.”

According to the research, the long-term outlook for flamingos is “good,” but the existing population is not sufficient for recovery. “Moreover, habitat destruction, pollution and warming temperatures add to the challenges they face.”

“Natural recovery of the flamingo is unlikely in Florida without intervention,” Whitfield said in a news release. “But our study shifts that conversation. We can now confidently say ex-situ [managed in zoos or aquariums] flamingos are genetically compatible with wild populations, which opens possibilities for a future release program, even though logistical hurdles remain.”

Reintroduction, although, must be guided by policy, the researchers said. 

Lawmakers, for at least five years, have proposed replacing the mockingbird with the flamingo as the state bird.

In advance of this coming session, SB 150, filed by Sen. Gayle Harrell, a Republican from Stuart, passed the Environment and Natural Resources committee unanimously last month and has two more committees dates.

HB 11, an identical bill filed in the House by Republican Reps. Jim Mooney from Islamorada and Chip LeMarca from Lighthouse Point, passed the Natural Resources & Disasters subcommittee last month and has two more committees to pass.

Those bills would designate the scrub-jay as the state songbird, too.

“The flamingo is iconic to Florida. When I was growing up it was flamingos and palm trees. … But the awareness really comes with the conservation. The flamingo is now thriving in Florida,” Mooney said during a December House committee meeting.

Extirpation

Hunting and habitat loss during the 1800s resulted in extirpation of Florida’s flamingos by the early 1900s. Since then, the bird has shown “only faint signs of a true comeback,” according to the research. 

“Despite high vagility and the presence of nearby flocks in the Caribbean, the Florida population has yet to show substantial recovery,” the report says. 

“The ex-situ [managed] population had higher diversity compared to wild birds and were not significantly differentiated from the wild population, making these flocks possible sources for reintroduction projects,” the study says.

Flamingo representation is common in Florida, being displayed, for example, on state lottery branding and a ginormous piece of art in the Tampa airport.

“As a native Floridian who grew up in Tallahassee, Florida, I was fascinated and a little surprised to see the flamingo as a prominent state icon, yet I had never seen one in the wild,” said Folsom, the researcher who led the study. 

Hoffman said that zoo flocks, including Zoo Miami’s, were founded after a Hialeah horse racetrack owner released about 20 flamingos in the wild in the 1920s to boost his business. 

Flamingos are protected by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service List of Birds Protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 2023. That law makes it illegal to hunt, kill, sell, export, or transport any migratory bird without a permit from the federal government.

The study was published in the American Ornithological Society’s Ornithological Applications journal. 

According to a 2024 Audubon Florida report, “Our iconic American Flamingos blown in from Hurricane Idalia in 2023 continue to remain in Everglades National Park thanks to available forage and quality habitat—a bright pink indicator of the success of our Everglades conservation efforts.”

An Audubon survey found 101 wild American Flamingos in Florida in February 2024, nearly half in Florida Bay.

“Flamingos were historically numerous in Florida until the 19th century plume trade—when an ounce of feathers was worth more than gold—decimated wading birds in South Florida,” the Audubon report states.

“Even after legislation and Audubon wardens protected these birds, extensive draining and ditching of the Everglades destroyed their habitat. Now that restoration momentum is flowing in the River of Grass, we are hopeful that protected wetlands and improved water flow will create enough habitat resources for the Hurricane Idalia flamingos to survive and thrive here.”

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Alligator Alcatraz. Guns. Social media.

Legal battles about those and myriad other Florida issues remain unresolved heading into 2026. Here are 10 big legal issues to watch in the coming year:

Alligator Alcatraz: The immigrant-detention center in the Everglades dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” has spawned a series of court battles since Florida opened the facility this summer. For example, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is scheduled to hear arguments in April in a case that alleges violations of a federal environmental law. Other cases involve issues such as detainees’ access to attorneys and whether the state has withheld public records.

Book Fights: Publishing companies, authors and parents are challenging state and local education officials in federal lawsuits after books were removed from school libraries because of alleged improper content. For instance, a case at the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals challenges a 2023 state law that led to books being removed. Two other pending lawsuits target Escambia County School Board decisions to remove or restrict access to books.

Guns: Nearly eight years after the measure passed following the mass shooting at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the U.S. Supreme Court is deciding whether to take up the National Rifle Association’s challenge to a law that prevents people under age 21 from buying rifles and other long guns. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has taken the unusual step of refusing to defend the law.

Immigration: A panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in October about a law that created state crimes for undocumented immigrants who enter or re-enter Florida. The state appealed after a U.S. district judge issued a preliminary injunction, ruling the 2025 law was likely preempted by federal immigration authority. It remains unclear when the appellate panel will issue a decision.

Marijuana: After falling short in 2024 of passing a constitutional amendment to allow recreational marijuana, the political committee Smart & Safe Florida wants to take the issue back to voters in 2026. But first, it needs to submit enough signatures and get Florida Supreme Court approval of the proposed ballot wording. The court review could turn into a fight, as Gov. Ron DeSantis and Attorney General James Uthmeier oppose allowing recreational marijuana.

Social Media Platforms: A U.S. district judge in 2026 is expected to rule on the constitutionality of a 2021 Florida law that placed restrictions on social-media platforms, such as preventing the sites from banning political candidates. Tech industry groups challenged the law, which passed after Facebook and Twitter, now known as X, blocked President Donald Trump from their platforms after Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Social Media Restrictions: Saying social media was harming children’s mental health, Florida lawmakers in 2024 passed a measure to prevent children under age 14 from opening accounts on certain platforms. Parents would have to give consent for 14- and 15-year-olds to have accounts on the platforms. Industry groups filed a First Amendment challenge and were backed by a district judge. The issue is pending at the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Transgender Issues: Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration and lawmakers in recent years have approved a series of measures aimed at transgender people, sparking legal battles. For example, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is weighing the constitutionality of a state law and regulations that restrict treatments for people with gender dysphoria. It also is considering a challenge to a ban on Medicaid coverage for hormone therapy and puberty blockers

Utility Rates: The state’s Office of Public Counsel and two consumer groups have gone to the Florida Supreme Court to challenge a decision by utility regulators to approve Tampa Electric Co. base-rate increases that began to take effect in 2025. Meanwhile, the Office of Public Counsel and consumer groups have indicated they likely will also challenge a November decision by regulators to approve a Florida Power & Light base-rate settlement.

Wetlands: In a case closely watched by conservation and business groups, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia is considering whether the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2020 improperly shifted permitting authority to Florida for projects that affect wetlands. A U.S. district judge sided with conservation groups that challenged the shift. Florida and business groups have defended giving authority to the state.

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Two critically acclaimed one-woman fringe shows are back on stage in Tampa Bay.

Gabrielle Leonore’s “My Life as an ‘Inspirational P*rn Star” and Emily Weitzman’s “Furniture Boys” both showed at Tampa and Edinburgh fringe festivals over the summer.

Leonore’s show is part standup, burlesque and character study with a PowerPoint presentation and a soundtrack punctuated by Olivia Rodrigo’s “Brutal”.

Weitzman’s “Furniture Boys” is an absurdist comedy about boyfriends who become, well, furniture. The show combines clowning and spoken word for a reflection on love and impermanence. The Guardian called it “shimmeringly silly, ingenuous, and ridiculous and revelatory.”

Tickets are $27 for “Straight from the Fringes,” showing Thursday, Jan. 8-Sunday, Jan. 11 in Clearwater.

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Creative Pinellas’ eighth Arts Annual exhibition will be its last.

The exhibition themed “From Now to Next” acts as its goodbye celebration as the publicly defunded arts program prepares to close its office and gallery space in Largo by Feb. 1.

A total of 122 works from 73 artists span the exhibition, including painting, sculpture, spoken word, ceramics, mixed media, assemblage, film, and a special site-specific installation from the artist BASK.

Some of the exhibit’s featured artists, like Miss Crit, aka Laura Spencer, credit Creative Pinellas with their success after being nurtured by the program.

“Creative Pinellas has always been there for me and our artistic community,” Spencer said in a release. “It’s an absolute honor and privilege to participate in the final exhibit at the gallery.”

Others, like Cristi López, will show their work for the first time. In the gallery’s closing announcement, she said being showcased in the last Arts Annual “affirms that I made a great decision in moving here.”

There is no cover for Arts Annual: From Now to Next, running through Jan. 4 in Largo.

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Drinking your weed has become tres chic these days, and Herban Flow wants to show you a lot of ways to do so.

More than 60 brands will showcase their THC-infused drinks, plus adaptogens, nootropics and alcohol-free libations at St. Pete’s Coliseum this weekend.

The event includes unlimited tastings in a product sampling hall, a wellness village with local businesses, live music and food. Tickets run $40-$60, and DDs get in free.

High and Dry Festival happens Saturday, Jan. 3 in St. Petersburg.

High & Dry Festival 2026 – Florida’s Premier Functional Beverage Experience

Time Sat., Jan. 3, 1-5 p.m.

Location The Coliseum, 535 4th Ave. N, St. Petersburg

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The Tampa Museum of Art closed 2025 with a celebration of multi-talented Japanese-American artist Jun Kaneko’s work, opening his first major presentation in Florida. But there’s still plenty of time to see the exhibit.

“Silence Before Sound” features nearly 50 pieces of Kaneko’s large-scale ceramic sculptures, paintings and works on paper, tracing back six decades of his work.

His creative process is shaped by moments of pause or “Ma,” a concept rooted in Japanese aesthetics that Keneko has said is essential to the balance of an artwork. 

The museum’s “Remix” monthly workshop series bases its next project on his work. On Jan. 29, guests can learn glaze painting on ceramic tile to create Kaneko-inspired art.

Tickets start at $5 for “Silence before Sound,” running through Aug. 23 in Tampa. The “Remix” workshop is $55.

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Chuck Redd, quite literally, is vibes—and he’s bringing them to Tampa Bay first thing next year.

The 67-year-old jazz vibraphonist is no stranger to the Tampa Bay area, and just played the Suncoast Jazz Festival, but is all the rage (and outrage) lately these days after he canceled a Christmas Eve show at Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center to protest President Trump adding his name to the building. 

Roma Daravi, current Kennedy Center spokesperson and Trump acolyte since at least 2016, says the center will sue Redd for $1 million, but in the meantime, the jazz composer who’s toured with Dizzy Gillespie and played both drums and guitar for Charlie Byrd is still gigging.

Tampa Jazz Club welcomes Redd to New Tampa Jazz Nights next month, where he’ll be backed once again by Best of the Bay-winning trio La Lucha.

Tampa Jazz Club: Chuck Redd

Time Sat., Jan. 17, 8 p.m.

Location New Tampa Performing Arts Center, 8550 Hunters Village Road, Tampa

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Redd isn’t the first artist to protest Trump, obviously, and joined the like of “Hamilton” and Rhiannon Giddens who’ve canceled or moved Kennedy Center shows over the president’s overhaul of the storied venue, which has included an overhaul of the board and a crackdown on so-called “woke” programming.

Tickets to see Chuck Redd play New Tampa Performing Arts Center on Saturday, January 17 are still available for $10-$35.

See Josh Bradley’s latest list of newly announced Tampa Bay concerts below.

Inhuman Condition w/Wretched/Trash Panda Friday, Jan. 9. 7 p.m. $17.67. Crowbar, Ybor City

Leftover Crack w/La Pobreska/Bad Future Thursday, Jan. 15. 6 p.m. $26.33. Brass Mug, Tampa

Zeta w/Discord Theory/Pet Lizard Friday, Jan. 16. 8 p.m. $17.67. Crowbar, Ybor City

Bolo Saturday, Jan. 24. 10 p.m. $25.96 & up. The Ritz, Ybor City

Rick Monroe and The Hitmen Sunday, Jan. 25. 7 p.m. $18.30. Brass Mug, Tampa

James McMurtry & Betty Soo Saturday, Jan. 31. 8 p.m. $30.30. Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa

Brooke Lee (opening for NeedToBreathe) Thursday, Feb. 5. 7:30 p.m. $127 & up. Hard Rock Event Center at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tampa

Teenage Bottlerocket w/Authority Zero/Billy Liar/Right On Time Thursday, Feb. 12. 7 p.m. $20. Brass Mug, Tampa

Markus Schulz Saturday, Feb. 28. 10 p.m. $20.77 & up. The Ritz, Ybor City

Ventana w/Aeternum Thursday, March 12. 7 p.m. $18.30. Brass Mug, Tampa

Cult Member w/TBA Saturday, March 14. 7 p.m. $29.67. Crowbar, Ybor City

Ship Wrek Saturday, March 14. 10 p.m. $20.77 & up. The Ritz, Ybor City

FlyingFish w/Love Letter Sunday, March 22. 6 p.m. $24.06. Crowbar, Ybor City

Saturdays At Your Place w/Retirement Party/Kerosene Heights Sunday, March 29. 7:30 p.m. Crowbar, Ybor City

Billy Strings Wednesday, April 8. 7:30 p.m. $69.55 & up. Benchmark International Arena, Tampa

The Academy Is Saturday, April 18. 6 p.m. $51.25. The Ritz, Ybor City

Ottmar Liebert & Luna Negra Friday, April 24. 8 p.m. $44.50 & up. Bilheimer Capitol Theatre, Clearwater

Troy Doherty Saturday, May 2. 7 p.m. $31.97 & up. Crowbar, Ybor City

Evanescence w/Spiritbox/Nova Twins Friday, June 12. 7 p.m. $49 & up. MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa

Chicago w/Styx Wednesday, July 15. 7 p.m. $42 & up. MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa

Megan Moroney Friday, July 17. 7 p.m. Prices TBA. Benchmark International Arena, Tampa

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It’s curtains for Crowbar. After owner Tom DeGeorge announced the venue’s lease was ending in 2026, the last year became a series of goodbye shows.

Though there will still be a few gigs in the new year, the last 2025 show featured the unveiling of an honorary “Legacy” beer from Coppertail Brewing Company along with music from Emo Night DJs, Four Star Riot and the Soft Rock Renegades.

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In 2025, the most read stories on Creative Loafing Tampa Bay’s website illustrate a readership extremely interested in police accountability, Trump’s homegrown attorney general, immigration, elections, and the environment (you guys really care about what happens as FDOT makes plans to touch up the Courtney Campbell Causeway!).

But your eyes went to more than just hard news, with stories about the SNAP shutdown, Hulk Hogan’s death, Tampa rapper Doechii, and the defunding of Creative Pinellas being widely read, too. Below is a quick and dirty recap of some of the biggest stories from the last 12 months. Buckle up for 2026.

The race for Tampa’s District 5

City Councilmember Gwendolyn Henderson’s sudden death last June shocked and saddened much of Tampa. The District 5 representative frequently stood for residents of East Tampa who have long lamented the way their neighborhoods have been treated, especially during the city’s recent years of rapid growth.

The special election for her replacement saw 13 candidates plus a write-in, including Henderson’s daughter (Ariel Amirah Danley), Crowbar owner Tom DeGeorge, former Tampa Pride head Carrie West and Pastor Elvis Pigott—who later flashed a gun at a City Council forum. The final race came down to activist Naya Young, 33, and longtime Tampa politico Thomas Scott, 72. Despite Scott vastly out-raising her, Young won by a landslide with 61% of the vote. Her win mirrored the later success of Zohran Mamdani, whose win for New York City mayor made ripples in Florida with the message that young, progressive grassroots leaders stand a chance against establishment money.

Bradley’s crash

A high speed chase that started on Interstate-275 ended with four dead and 11 injured at a gay bar in Ybor City in November. While chasing a suspect allegedly suspected of street racing that night, Florida Highway Patrol made an unsuccessful PIT (precision immobilization technique) maneuver—in which the pursuing vehicle attempts to cause the pursued vehicle to spin out of control—about 2,000 feet from Bradley’s on 7th. The deceased victims were later identified as 25-year-old Christina Richards, 41-year-old Lisa Johnson, 53-year-old Sherman Jones and 53-year-old Marlon Collins. The fallout of the FHP’s failed PIT maneuver and the trial of the driver—22-year-old Silas Sampson—are likely to develop well into 2026.

Mural combat

After Gov. Ron DeSantis lost many battles in 2024—courts blunted his “Don’t Say Gay” and “Stop WOKE” laws—he took the war to the roads. Following Trump’s takedown of D.C.’s “Black Lives Matter” street mural, the Florida Department of Transportation decided that all street murals must go. That meant no more rainbow crosswalks and pavement declarations that “Black History Matters.” So, too, went non-political murals, like USF St. Pete’s Bulls-themed crosswalk. A bright spot for some of the “woke” included the City of Tampa erasing the city’s infamous “Bock the Blub” pro-police mural.

Pastors Andy Oliver and Benedict Atherton-Zeman were arrested for blocking state workers from removing St. Pete’s “Black History Matters” mural outside the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum. The mural was later repainted overnight by an unknown artist, then re-erased by the state. Private pavement murals have since popped up around Tampa Bay. As part of her “Love Thy Neighbor” project, Michelle Sasha rallied local painters to provide free Pride and Black Lives Matter murals to local property owners. “We’re going to paint back thousands,” Sasha told CL in September. “Hopefully they’ll regret their decision, because now there’s going to be way more rainbows than they were hoping for.”

Cringe-a-mania

Tampa Bay lost one of its biggest icons when Hulk Hogan died in July. The wrestling legend, born Terry Bollea, died of a heart attack at 71-years-old in his Clearwater home. Though he was booed at his final WWE appearance in January and his newly-launched wrestling league struggled to sell tickets, he maintained a large fanbase—many of which also wanted to “Make America Great Again.” In the month leading up to his death, Hogan and his wife, Sky, battled rumors that he was dying after complications from a neck surgery. It was one of more than two dozen surgeries Hogan underwent to alleviate back and neck pain after his WWE career. Over the fall, Hogan’s family requested an investigation into whether his care teams at Tampa General and Morton Plant Hospitals committed malpractice in treatment leading up to his death. No suit has been filed yet.

The real alphabet mafia

Trump and Elon Musk’s brief fling left thousands of federal workers without jobs, and may have permanently changed the way Florida state and local governments interact. Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led to DeSantis trying to create a copycat Commissioner of Government Efficiency (COGE).

That wasn’t necessary, as his newly appointed state chief financial officer, Hernando County Republican Blaise Ingoglia, quickly began audits of the state’s largest municipalities—including Tampa, Hillsborough, St. Petersburg and Pinellas—for the rebranded Florida Agency for Fiscal Oversight (FAFO). FAFO reviewed spending by 11 local governments, claiming to have found more than $1.86 billion in alleged wasteful and excessive spending. Local governments have pushed back against what Ingoglia claims is wasteful, like St. Pete and Pinellas’ spending toward the St. Pete Pride parade. The fight is somehow really about property taxes, which DeSantis has said he wants a ballot initiative to substantially reduce for homestead properties. In the legislative 2026 session, Ingoglia is pushing a proposed law that would give him authority to recommend removal of any elected official for “financial abuse, malfeasance or misfeasance.”

Jolly times

David Jolly wants to be the next Dunedin native in the governor’s mansion. After representing Pinellas County as a Republican in the House of Representatives from 2014-2017, he’s now running for governor as a Democrat. Charlie Crist, who held the same congressional seat and was also a Republican when he was governor from 2007-2011, failed to beat DeSantis in the last election. Jolly faces an even redder Florida and a different GOP opponent. Eyes are on Trump-endorsed Byron Donalds and former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner to see who will land on the November ballot. Lt. Governor and former Tampa Senator Jay Collins is rumored to also be vying for the seat.

There were signs

Anti-Trump “No Kings” protests brought tens of thousands of people to the streets this year, and of course, the governor took the chance to go on a right wing podcast to talk about hitting protestors with cars (Tampa police for its part, asked anyone demonstrating “to do so in a safe and responsible manner”). The resistance is alive in Florida. WMNF raised more than $280,000 during an emergency fundraiser last summer after DeSantis and Trump cuts left the community radio station with a $230,000 funding gap). One of Creative Loafing Tampa Bay’s photographers, Dave Decker even got swept up in it when he was arrested last month while covering an ICE protest in Miami (he spent more than a day in jail, and charges were just dropped last week).

Charlie Kirk

The brutal September murder of the right wing agitator rippled all the way to Florida where vigils brought out mourners and Jesus Christ cosplayers, while teachers and government employees saw themselves among those targeted for online comments about the killing. Florida House Rep. Berny Jacques (R-Seminole) posted to social media a letter he sent to Pinellas Superintendent Kevin Hendrick, calling on him to fire teachers who have conducted “abhorrent” behavior on their social media accounts since Kirk’s death. He cited one instructor who he said posted “good riddance” after Kirk was shot.

Clouded rainbows

The future of Tampa Pride is up in the air after a September announcement that the celebration would shutdown for a year. The board blamed anti-DEI politics and added that it wouldn’t renew the contract of its president and co-founder Carrie West. But locals from every part of the LGBTQ+ community have been coming together to see what a Pride celebration in Tampa would look like. “I don’t foresee a parade, but there are other events we can do,” former Tampa Pride board member Mark Eary told CL. “We just need to get everybody on board.”

Chronister chronicles

Hillsborough’s Sheriff Chad Chronister got the big headlines this year, after multiple high-ranking deputies resigned or got fired in the wake of an academic cheating scandal. One of his former detectives even called on Gov. Ron DeSantis to start an independent investigation. In a six-page letter, James Stahlschmidt detailed allegations of academic dishonesty, abuse of taxpayer and charity funds, retaliation, domestic violence and other forms of misconduct perpetrated by command staff at HCSO, which he claims can be “supported by internal investigations, prior disciplinary actions, civil lawsuits, public records, or statements from personnel involved.”

Chronister pushed back on the letter and Stahlschmidt’s calls for the investigation in a statement to CL, adding that he has full trust in HCSO’s Professional Standards Bureau to conduct an inquiry. The gov’ didn’t say a peep about it, and Chronister opted for an internal investigation, which ended with the sheriff saying the cheaters made choices that were “wrong” but “not malicious.” OK.

The SNAP gap

Three million Floridians rely on the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a federal program best known as SNAP. More than a million of those people are children. When the government shutdown hit the month-long mark last October, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis responded to calls to safeguard the program for his constituents by passing the buck. Local restaurants, however, ditched politics and banded together to make sure kids could eat when benefits ended by offering free meals.

Sorry, Shilo

Shilo Sanders, son of NFL legend Deion, spent time in Bucs camp as an undrafted free agent and was ultimately cut—but not before telling fans that he loves the food at Water Street hotspot Boulon Brasserie. “If I got free food from here, that would be the best NIL deal in the world,” he said of an eclectic, hefty, order that included the restaurant’s Best of the Bay winning blue crab beignets.

Creative Pinellas

It’s an awkward moment for arts and culture in Pinellas County, punctuated with the September defunding of the county’s designated arts agency, Creative Pinellas, which saw county commissioners vote 5-2 to revoke funds despite 244 emails and more than 50 well-researched in-person pleas weren’t enough to save the nonprofit. The remaining staff will soldier on, but how the arts get funded in 2026 will be telling.

Sun rising

Last June, in front of more than 5,000 fans packed into a sold-out Riverfront Stadium at Blake High School, Tampa Bay Sun FC dominated play in the first-ever USL Super League championship match, earning a 1-0 overtime win over Ft. Lauderdale United FC. It was a shining moment, and while things aren’t as sunny at the club right now (our side is dead last, with just one win), the future of pro women’s soccer in the Bay area is still bright.

Swamp things

All eyes are on Crowbar this year (the lease is up this summer, signaling the end of a 20-year run for the famed Tampa music venue), but a special talent from 2910 E Genesee St. dominated local music headlines. Tampa rapper and Blake alum Doechii took home a 2025 Grammy award for Best Rap Album and staged one hell of a homecoming show for 6,500 fans who sold-out Yuengling Center just seven miles away from the address mentioned in “Boiled Peanuts” from the album Alligator Bites Never Heal.

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Tampa Legals

Notice of Public Sale Notice is hereby given that the undersigned will sell, to satisfy lien of the owner, at public sale by competitive bidding on www.storagetreasures.com. ending on January 9, 2026 at 10:00 am for units located at Compass Self Storage 1685 Hwy 17 N Eagle Lake Florida 33839. Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at time of sale. All Goods are sold as is and must be removed at the time of purchase. Compass Self Storage reserves the right to refuse any bid. Sale is subject to adjournment. The personal goods stored therein by the following may include, but are not limited to general household, furniture, boxes, clothes and appliances, unless otherwise noted. Unit 2054 Darline Felix-Auguste Unit 3025 Nicholas Carsley Unit 1029 Timothy Ephriam Unit 1038 Oscar Moran. Run dates 12/25/25 and 1/1/26.

Notice of Public Sale Notice is hereby given that the undersigned will sell, to satisfy lien of the owner, at public sale by competitive bidding on www.storagetreasures.com ending on January 6th, 2026 at 10:00 am for units located at: Compass Self Storage 2291 S. Frontage Rd, Plant City, Florida 33563 Purchases must be made with cash only and paid at the time of sale. All goods are sold as is and must be removed at the time of purchase. Compass Self Storage reserves the right to refuse any bid. Sale is subject to adjournment. The personal goods stored therein by the following may include, but are not limited to general household, furniture, boxes, clothes and appliances, unless otherwise noted. Unit 2003 Beunca Mitchell Unit 2054 Mercedes Milton Unit 3050 Shontia Lowman Unit 3135-3151 Richard Wood. Run Dates 12/25/2025 and 01/01/2026

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