Researchers at the University of South Florida discovered a steep decline in sargassum, a brown seaweed found in large floating masses, despite huge swaths of it inundating beaches in Florida and beyond.

Researchers say high temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico may be to blame. 

After analyzing satellite data, researchers found the smelly seaweed had steep population declines in the Gulf and the north Sargasso Sea. 

Researchers have called it “fascinating” how the tropical Atlantic has seen an increase in sargassum over the past decade, but at the same time, the Sargasso Sea has seen a significant decrease in sargassum compared to its historical levels. 

When sargassum washes ashore and decays, it emits foul odors and disrupts coastal communities. 

But while it’s in the water, USF College of Marine Science assistant research professor Brian Barnes says it serves as an important habitat for marine life. 

“Just like we talk about deforestation and we talked about the, you know, losing rainforests in the Amazon and so forth. You know, this habitat has been called the rainforest of the sea. And we are losing it,” Barnes told WMNF.

Barnes said record high temperatures in the Gulf likely play a role in the decline. 

“As we’ve seen that increase in one specific area of the Atlantic Ocean, there’s been a decrease in the kind of historical footprint for sargassum. So one area is seeing a huge bloom, and other areas, essentially, sargassum has declined dramatically,” Barnes said.

While sargassum in the Gulf prefers temperatures between 68 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit, summer water temperatures in the Gulf have recently exceeded 86 degrees. 

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Picture this: you’re an aspiring artist or craftsperson who has finished several pieces. You figure you could make a little money from your hobby and sell them at a local market. It should be easy. All you need is your work and a table, right?  

Turns out, it’s complicated. It might be exciting to table at a big market where hundreds will encounter your work, but some of Tampa Bay’s biggest festivals have vending fees in the hundreds, or stringent requirements like obtaining sales permits and insurance certificates. 

These are some of the best places to start, according to experienced vendors.

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As COVID-19 numbers creep up, we’re looking for more stuff to do outside. Bonus points if it’s relaxing because life is stressful these days.

Enter Spacecraft (stylized “SPACEcraft”)—Mitzi Jo Gordon, Carrie Boucher and Bridget Elmer’s traveling art project. Don’t get too excited by the name though, Spacecraft won’t be flying you to the moon, where there’s no COVID, this fall. The acronym stands for Social Practice Activating Creative Environments.

So get that rocket image out of your head. Instead, imagine two metal shipping containers in a park; one is blue and green with the words “Read” and “Grow” on it, and the other is red and yellow for “Make” and “Play.” As their labels suggest, these are places where folks can gather, make arts and crafts, grow plants, play games, share stories, and make music together. The shipping containers are the creative environments. And ever since Spacecraft’s launch in Oldsmar in July 2020, they’ve been popping up in city and county parks all over Pinellas County.

The bright, colorful containers act as beacons, drawing people in before they even know what they’re walking up to.

"They know it's for them," Boucher said in a March 2021 interview for Creative Pinellas. "If it were just a single color and there was nothing on it, people would think it was park storage or something like that. But there's something about two colors and big words on the outside that tells people it's for them…It calls to them."

Spacecraft team member Liv Scully greets newcomers with a brief description of what it’s about: “Welcome to SPACEcraft. We are a traveling art project. Essentially, we took these shipping containers and turned them into outdoor classrooms, or places to do cool things.” She then introduces today’s programming and encourages guests to explore the space.

“I find that people get more excited once they see that all of this is for them,” Scully told CL. “That's what I tell them. I say, 'Here's what we're doing today, but we also have this entire space that's all for you, so anything you see inside, feel free to explore.’”

Pretty much any time you go to visit Spacecraft, there’s something to play with. At the very least, there’s the Lego wall at Make/Play and magnetic poetry at Read/Grow. But when the weather is good, there are fun extras like live music, unique crafting opportunities, and gardening workshops. Some of these extras, like Open Studio and seed planting, come courtesy of Spacecraft team members and others come courtesy of visiting artists. Gordon figures she’s worked with about 25-30 different visiting artists over the past year, and they’re always looking for more.

Haley Smith taught visitors how to make paper using recycled pulp from newspapers and blue jeans in Oldsmar, then how to stitch that paper into handmade journals in Lake Seminole Park. Noelle Stillman led nature photography and plant printing activities in Palm Harbor and Oldsmar. Outspoken Rhino created a chalkboard mural, and Brandy Stark introduced kids to wire sculpting in Lealman Park. And Two Happy Ukers and Giving Tree Music brought ukulele concerts and guided drum circles to several Pinellas County locations.

SPACEcraft added four more visiting artists at their most recent deployment in Gulfport’s Clymer Park—Tampa Bay singer/songwriter Emily Turnage, ceramic artist Calan Ree, and musical artists Jim Morey and Sommer Joy.

Ree, Morey and Joy often work at the same time, with Ree leading a pinch pot or mandala-making activity while Morey and Joy create a freeform musical experience with vibrating bowls and a trumpet. “It’s meant to be a meditative experience in the environment,” says Gordon. “It was really wonderful to see how people responded to their work in Gulfport in different ways. Some people would sit and work on mandala art while the music was playing in the background. Some people were laying down on the blankets and just staring up at the trees and letting the experience wash over them. We had some of our younger visitors coming and wanting to collaborate. They would grab a rain stick or a percussion instrument and kind of play along. I definitely recommend coming out to visit them."

When they don’t have a visiting artist for a particular session, Spacecraft team members host an open studio.

"The open studio put on by SPACEcraft's lead facilitators is always a big hit,” Scully told CL. “We usually pull out any materials that we have—papers, collage, glitter, googly eyes, Model Magic—all the fun stuff that either adults don't have or kids aren't always allowed to play with. They always love that free range to create with anything they see.”

This creative exploration—for both visiting artists and guests—is what Spacecraft is all about. It’s also one of the things visiting artist Calan Ree likes most about the traveling art project.

“The last time I was there I found a handful of paper bags and drew collage materials out,” Ree told CL. “We ended up with about five or six kids really getting into it and making super elaborate paper bag puppets—they were amazing. I think I want to do that again."

As with all groundbreaking art projects, Spacecraft isn’t always easy to describe. I’ve never experienced anything quite like it, and it’s always evolving. Words don’t really cut it here. The best way to understand is to visit yourself. 

"If you're looking for a place to be creative, just come and check it out,” says Scully. “That's the best advice I have for anyone. Come be a part of it. You'll understand it when you're there, just how special it is."

This week, the Make/Play container heads to Bear Creek Park after a successful run in Gulfport’s Clymer Park thanks to partnerships with the Gulfport Arts Center and the City of Gulfport. On the same day, Read/Grove moves from Lealman Neighborhood Park to Walter Fuller Park.

We don’t have the full schedule yet, but here are highlights to look forward to in the first two weeks Spacecraft is in St. Petersburg’s Bear Creek Park (60th St. N & 1st Ave. N) and Walter Fuller Park (7901 30th Ave. N). All programing happens from 5 p.m.-7 p.m—see a full list below.

• Saturday, Aug. 21 Jim Morey and Sommer Joy bring their sound bath experience to Bear Creek Park.
• Wednesday, Aug. 25 Florist Kali Rabaut of Sunrise Florals conducts a seed planting workshop in Walter Fuller Park. “Everybody will get to make their own seed-starting block made out of peat and compost,” Gordon told CL. “And then we’ll have different Florida hardy or Florida native seeds that can be planted and taken home.”
• Thursday, Aug. 26 Brittany Taft brings her community circle painting to Bear Creek Park. “Everybody who comes to that session gets to contribute to a large mural on paper that is comprised of dot and circle shapes,” says Gordon. “So each person is encouraged to add their dots and their circles to be part of the larger pattern.”
• Friday, Aug. 27 Sunya Masizame provides a relaxing instrumental response to the natural environment in Walter Fuller Park using looping and flute sounds.
• Saturday, Aug. 28 Calan Ree joins Jim Morey and Sommer Joy in Bear Creek Park.
• Wednesday, Sept. 1 Brittany Taft leads a book-making activity at the Read/Grow space in Walter Fuller Park.
• Thursday, Sept. 2 Giving Tree Music leads a guided drum circle in Bear Creek Park.
• Friday, Sept. 3 Sunya Masizame returns to Walter Fuller Park.
• Saturday, Sept. 4 Calan Ree, Jim Morey and Sommer Joy return to Bear Creek Park.

Follow SPACEcraft on Instagram or Facebook (@explorespacecraft) for weather cancellations, schedule updates, and to find out what Pinellas County parks they’re headed to next.

Support local journalism in these crazy days. Our small but mighty team works tirelessly to bring you updates on events happening in Tampa Bay and surrounding areas. Please consider making a one time or monthly donation to help support our staff. Every little bit helps.

Subscribe to our newsletter and follow @cl_tampabay on Twitter.

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In a lot of ways, you’ve got to feel bad for the Hard Rock Event Center. The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino’s 1,500-seat venue basically had just the fall of 2019 to host shows, and while gigs by Keith Urban and Smokey Robinson went off without a hitch, others like a much-anticipated September 2020 concert from Alicia Keys—who would’ve been supporting her seventh studio LP, due last March—were pushed back (Keys is now set to play there on Sept. 18, 2022).

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And while the casino waited until March 20, 2020 to close—three days after the governor ordered nightclubs to shutdown, and restaurants to operate at 50% capacity—Seminole Hard Rock’s reopening was undoubtedly one of the safest in the area, with the facility flexing its resources to make sure surfaces were cleaned obsessively all while security literally played the role of mask police.

As of publishing, a dozen events—including three comedy shows and one cage match—are listed on the Hard Rock Event Center’s website. Some are sold out, but that doesn’t mean you can’t wander around the casino where some great local musicians (Ivy Alex, John O’Leary, Leon Majcen, Claire VanDiver and DJs (Ekin, Xplicid, Flaco, Shannon C) enjoy residencies at the facility’s many lounges and restaurants.

Upcoming Hard Rock Event Center events

• Gary Allan Thursday, Aug. 26, 7 p.m. Sold out.
• Sugar Ray Thursday, Sept. 2, 7 p.m. $45 & up
• Vince Neil & Great White Thursday, Oct. 14, 7 p.m. $40 & up
• Ben Folds: In Actual Person Live For Real Tour Thursday, Nov. 4, 7 p.m. Sold out.
• ZZ Top Tuesday, Nov. 9, 7 p.m. Sold out.
• In This Moment w/Black Veil Brides/Ded/Raven Black Friday, Nov. 19, 5:15 p.m. $45 & up
• The Stylistics Sunday, May 8, 8 p.m. $30 & up
• Alicia Keys Sunday, Sept. 18, 8 p.m. $299 & up

Support local journalism in these crazy days. Our small but mighty team works tirelessly to share music news, events and concert announcements as the Tampa Bay music scene recovers from coronavirus shutdowns. Please consider making a one time or monthly donation to help support our staff. Every little bit helps.

Follow @cl_tampabay on Twitter and subscribe to our newsletter.

The post Tampa’s Hard Rock Event Center is getting in on the local live music restart, too appeared first on Creative Loafing Tampa.

In March 2020, the music section of Creative Loafing Tampa Bay was a collection of stories about concerts, local and otherwise, that were still on “despite coronavirus concerns.” Before the month was over, the headlines shifted. An avalanche of concert postponements and cancellations followed along with news about record shops providing curbside pickup and all the sets local music fans could livestream.

Sadly, memoriams for Florida musicians who died from COVID-19 (DJ Griff Gotti, an alum of Ol’ Dirty Sundays) or were in critical condition after contracting the virus (part-time Gulfport resident John Prine, who passed on April 7) also found the page.

One big local story dropped in April (Downtown St. Petersburg’s State Theatre was renamed “Floridian Social Club”), but May was still mostly more arena and stadium show cancellations and postponements (Guns 'N Roses, Nickelback) and loud reminders that Tampa Bay’s independent live music venues were probably going to wither away on the vine without federal aid.

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Tampa Bay’s independent live music venues aren’t getting federal help and they might not survive

But it’s no secret that Florida didn’t stay closed for very long; to the state, the bottom line took precedence over the safety of residents, and without proper relief funding, venues almost had no choice but to play along.

Come July and August, spots like Largo Cultural Center and New World Brewery were holding outdoor concert series. In September, Cheap Trick’s Robin Zander played three reduced-capacity, socially-distanced shows at Ruth Eckerd Hall. Sister Hazel booked a drive-thru concert at Raymond James a month after that.

By December 2020, Tampa Bay's live music scene had withstood the pandemic, was booking buku—mostly masks-required—local concerts, and staring at a very uncertain future with the national touring industry still firmly on hold. Dance floors were even banned in Hillsborough County in an attempt to curb large gatherings (enforcement was lukewarm at the very best).

When Super Bowl LV weekend rolled into town, CL counted nearly 40 concerts that popped up out of thin air—from big game bashes with Gucci Mane, Flo Rida and Migos to small venue sets with local DJs. (I talked to music industry folks in L.A. the day after the Bucs won, and you could hear their jaws drop on the floor when I told them about the volume and nature of the concerts.)

For its part, CL started wading back into weekly live music previews around Thanksgiving and had revived a slimmed down version of “Music Week” before ringing in 2021.

Now, at Tampa Bay’s largest venues—Amalie Arena and MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre—big ticket shows from John Mayer to Rod Wave are slowly coming back to the schedule. There was even a controversial Teenage Bottlerocket concert where un-vaxxed ticket buyers had to pay $999 to get in. Festivals come roaring back in October. Relatively smaller clubs like Jannus Live have picked up huge acts (The Black Keys) and indie-darlings alike (Tennis, Thundercat) all while beloved local haunts like Hideaway Cafe, Crowbar, Hooch and Hive, and New World Brewery continue to mostly rely on strong local bills to keep their calendars robust.

With national tours starting to warm up to Florida, CL’s live music preview section may have to expand again. And while the live music scene is restarting in a big way, we should all resist the urge to say that “live music is back.”

“I feel like people are already taking things for granted  even though we're still wounded. We are wounded animals right now,” Tom DeGeorge, owner of Crowbar in Ybor City, told CL. “I am afraid to smile when people say ‘You’re back!,’ because I don’t want people to think we’re back. The moment you start thinking everything is OK, we stop fighting.”

To the casual observer, it’d be easy to peg DeGeorge as a pessimist, but it’s not hyperbolic to say that since the onset of the pandemic, his efforts locally—and, more importantly, together with the newly formed National Independent Venue Association (NIVA)—helped take the next step towards saving the American live music industry.

To make a long story short, I’ll refer to reporting from former CL music critic Eric Snider who wrote this just before Christmas last year:

Against all reasonable odds, a diehard group of about 40 independent venue owners and promoters marshalled their energies and got a $15 billion provision included in the $900 billion pandemic relief package that Congress passed and President Trump signed into law. It’s called the Save Our Stages Act, and it just might do what its name promises.

These people, who became instant lobbyists and called themselves “The Fuckers,” did the heavy lifting on behalf of a larger organization, the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), which hastily formed just a few weeks after the coronavirus shut down live entertainment.

It looks like The Fuckers’ efforts will save many of the small, for-profit venues that have been hanging on by their fingertips for the last several months. The bill also provides much-needed funds for mid-size venues, promoters, theatrical producers, and some museums and movie theaters.

Thanks to more relief funds secured after Joe Biden and Kamala Harris came into office, the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) is now worth over $16 billion.

There’s a reason cable news, plus outlets like the New York Times, Billboard, Time, Variety and more have come knocking on Crowbar’s door to talk to Tom.

On top of that, DeGeorge, who is NIVA’s Florida captain, spoke loudly about his desire to see local and state officials move to not only provide support for venues like his, but to put the safety of the public over a desire to pump money back into the economy. His Tampa-based “Safe & Sound” reopening model was even picked up by the City of Tampa and then the live music capital of America in Austin, Texas.

In June—a month-and-a-half after a glitch stalled the application process—when less than two dozen Florida applicants for the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant had been approved, DeGeorge not only brought attention to the issue, but also helped local operators stay calm and navigate the delay, which he actually anticipated.

“I told people, ‘Don’t be devastated if we don’t get to hit send tomorrow,’” DeGeorge told CL the day the applications went live in April. Even he didn’t get his application through. “I trust the SBA [Small Business Administration] when they say they're going to give us 'ample time' to go through the new FAQ section of the grant application before opening the portal.”

The patience and persistence paid off.

According to the SBA’s July 19 report on SVOG grant progress, nearly 500 venues in Florida have now been approved for more than $377 million in relief. The same report says that in the Tampa Bay area, just under 100 entities have been approved for SVOG funds to the tune of $99 million.

Funds approved were based on loss, and DeGeorge said that nearly every local NIVA member was approved. He’s working to help secure money for the few still waiting, and after that he anticipates that some of the excess funding may be used in an additional round of relief for venues considered eligible entities.

At Hot Dog Party 15 on July 3—the first full-blown live music event I’ve attended at Crowbar since the onset of the pandemic—DeGeorge was surrounded by almost two dozen NIVA “Fuckers” from across the U.S. who’d come to not only strategize, but take a collective breath. He got emotional and told the crowd he was approved the night before.

The SBA report says Crowbar was approved for $278,697 in SVOG relief. Approvals in Tampa Bay ranged from $10 million to $4,884. The average amount awarded to local venues was $1,076,309, but it appears that only Amphitheatre Ybor Inc.—operator of The Ritz in Ybor City—was the only local club or small promoter to get more than $1 million.

Locally, some of the largest SVOG approvals went to entities like Feld Entertainment ($10 million), Ruth Eckerd Hall ($9.3 million), Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center ($8.1 million) and Amphitheatre ($1.4 million).

Most of these funds have yet to be distributed, but DeGeorge said he trusts the process will deliver the relief the way it’s supposed to.

All that said, SVOG funds and a growing concert calendar should not be mistaken for the end of live music’s misery.

As DeGeorge said, not one of these entities, big or small, is out of the woods. As we saw at a recent Foo Fighters’ L.A. show, one case of coronavirus on a tour can lead to a string of postponed (or canceled) dates; compound that into other big tours as well as relatively smaller indie jaunts, and you have another round of weeks and months of empty venues. Tours already famously skipped Florida, but how can live music fans expect a band, its crew and agents to take a chance on a state recently responsible for 20% of all new coronavirus cases in the U.S.?

Still, DeGeorge has simple advice for locals looking to be better stewards of the live and local music scene. “There’s not much we can do, but there are a few things,” he explained.

• Get vaccinated
• If you’re not going to get vaccinated, be careful and wear a mask
• If you don't feel good, stay home
• Don't ask to be on the guest list. “Pay for the shows, the industry and its workers have suffered enough. We need people to pay for the shows and pay for your drinks.”
• Tip

“Just appreciate that it’s back, and don't take it for granted,” DeGeorge said. “We have a long, long road ahead of us.”

That’s absolutely true for an industry that was first to close and last to open, but DeGeorge is committed to making sure no eligible independent venue gets left behind. He wants locals—from venue owners to promoters to music fans—to use their platforms to create change in the community and work hand in hand with city officials “to make them work for us for the proper amount of change.”

“All those things are important. I believe that we are still in a survival phase. And that's why those little things are so incredibly important. Because I do want to survive,” DeGeorge said. “After survival, that’s when we get to the thrive part of things.”

Support local journalism in these crazy days. Our small but mighty team works tirelessly to share music news, events and concert announcements as the Tampa Bay music scene recovers from coronavirus shutdowns. Please consider making a one time or monthly donation to help support our staff. Every little bit helps.

Follow @cl_tampabay on Twitter and subscribe to our newsletter.

The post Tampa Bay fans shouldn’t take the return of live music for granted appeared first on Creative Loafing Tampa.

Clearwater Jazz Holiday, which announced its lineup late last month, isn’t alone in its fall festival ambitions. Two weeks before the Jazz Holiday, downtown Tampa’s Gasparilla Music Festival (GMF) will hold its rescheduled and expanded dates on Oct. 1-3.

“There’s only going to be one stage on that extra day, Friday,” David Cox, Executive Director of GMF told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay when asked about the extra day his party is adding. That’s because a separate charity spin class is taking over Kiley Gardens, leaving the public to enjoy music on the mainstage at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park. You probably don’t have to worry about leaving work early either.

“It's gonna be kind of a mid-to-late afternoon start over there, so you won’t have to cut out too early to start pregaming—it'll be in full swing like by 5 p.m. on Friday,” Cox added. And for those attending all three days of GMF won’t have to worry about missing the Bucs take on the New England Patriots in the season opener either because the 2021 festival is going to wrap up on Sunday at right about kickoff.

“It’s so funny because there’s all these considerations we never had to think about before,” Cox said, laughing.

That’s an understatement.

GMF 2020 was the last large-scale event Tampa Bay hosted before the shutdown. The GMF team—which intentionally worked to not get ahead of itself so that it didn’t have to backtrack on any new dates—sees October as a busy month not just locally, but with music festivals happening around the U.S. The crew is also essentially planning two festivals at once since GMF 2022 is still on for March 11-12.

Clearwater Jazz Holiday CEO Steve Weinberger told CL booking his lineup was a challenge because all the other canceled 2020 festival bookings are essentially getting rescheduled. Cox said GMF experienced the same thing, but is also building a lineup and logistics for 2022 while it works to finalize the lineup for its four-day festival.

“Except for maybe one or two spots, we pretty much have the whole 2021 lineup in place,” Cox said. His team’s been patient with building it, especially with the sensitive situation every artist and festival was thrust into when live music shut down for a year. “We're not not putting a date on releasing it yet. We just want to make sure we get everything done right.”

And as far as what the lineup for GMF’s 10th anniversary will look like, Cox promises a bright spotlight on Florida artists—a big goal for organizers when they started to plan the comeback.

“Once the lineup comes out, and on the weekend of the festival, you’re really gonna see the tremendous amount of talent we have here, folks you maybe didn’t even realize lived in the state,” he said. “This is a Florida-based thing so I think that's really going to stand out this year.”

Beyond GMF and Jazz Holiday

October will close out with Reggae Rise Up—set for Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 21-24 at St. Pete’s Vinoy Park—featuring close to three dozen bands including Damian Marley, Tribal Seeds, Slightly Stoopid, Soja and Dirty Heads.

And in April, Tampa Bay Blues Festival is in the same park from April 8-10, with headliners like JJ Grey & Mofro, Jimmy Vaughn, Robert Randolph, Larkin Poe, Samantha Fish and more.

Support local journalism in these crazy days. Our small but mighty team works tirelessly to share music news, events and concert announcements as the Tampa Bay music scene recovers from coronavirus shutdowns. Please consider making a one time or monthly donation to help support our staff. Every little bit helps.

Follow @cl_tampabay on Twitter and subscribe to our newsletter.

The post Gasparilla Music Festival says 2021 lineup is pretty much set, provides details on Friday schedule appeared first on Creative Loafing Tampa.

Creative Loafing Tampa Bay’s inaugural cannabis issue is on stands now. Moving forward, Steve Miller will develop his cannabis column and we'll keep updating  this evolving local listing featuring reader-sourced recommendations for the best dispensaries and doctors—plus local CBD shops, cafes and bars.

Something missing? Pass the details to our editorial team by emailing rroa@cltampa.com.

DISPENSARIES

COLUMBIA CARE Serving the Tampa suburb of Brandon, with “proprietary, patent-pending medical brands” served in formats like hard-pressed tablets, suppositories, vapes, and lotions available online, in-store and even curbside. 2116 W Brandon Blvd., Brandon. 813-502-1122. 

CURALEAF Perhaps the most mentioned medical marijuana dispensary, Curaleaf operates in 23 states including Florida where it has nine Bay area locations that sell vapes, flower, topicals, capsules, tinctures, edibles and more. Multiple locations. 

FLUENT Five Bay area locations including South Tampa, Clearwater and St. Petersburg, selling gels, kief, flower, cartridges, topicals, drops and more. Express pick-up, including drive-thru, where available. Multiple locations.

GROW HEALTHY Frequently mentioned by readers as a favored dispensary with exceptional flower. Available across Florida with Bay area locations in Brandon, Lakeland, Largo and Sarasota (plus delivery all over). Multiple locations.

LIBERTY HEALTH SCIENCES Among readers, Liberty gets marked as an overall dependable spot that has four locations across Tampa Bay. Multiple locations. 833-254-4877

MEDMEN You can’t miss the big red storefront, and readers mention loving MedMen for its flower, which some customers choose to see and smell before buying. 326 5th Ave. N, St. Petersburg. 727-914-9393.

MÜV AltMed’s dispensary launched in Tampa in 2018 as the “Apple Store” of medical marijuana complete with a sprawling array of products including metered dose inhalers, topicals, shatter, flower and more. With four Bay area locations, a MÜV is never too far away. Multiple locations.

ONE PLANT Medical marijuana available in-store, for curbside pickup, and even delivery (free for orders of at least $100; $25 delivery fee otherwise). Hypur pay available. 150 22nd St. S, St. Petersburg. 877-308-3344. oneplant.us

SURTERRA WELLNESS Along with Trulieve, Surterra is a surefire place to get vegan edibles like chocolate, mints and gummies. Vapes, flower, gels, patches and more are just some of the other products available at four locations in the immediate Bay area (with others as far reaching as New Port Richey and Lakeland). Multiple locations.

TRULIEVE Trulievers live for Mini Mondays when customers can buy limited quantities of “minis”—popcorn-sized bud (aka 3.5 g of smokable cannabis) all individually labeled to show ingredients and potency. Two dozen Bay area location already open or on the way, including several in Tampa and St. Petersburg. Multiple locations. 844-878-5438.

VIDACANN Beloved by some readers for its topical selection, VidaCann has four Bay area locations with multiple strains and brands of flower, concentrate, capsules, syringes, tincture and vapes, too. Multiple locations.

DOCTORS

CANNA+DOCTORS Three locations in Tampa Bay, with fees as low as $190 for military vets. Saturday appointments available. Multiple locations.

CERTIFIED MARIJUANA DOCTORS About two dozen locations across the Sunshine State with Bay area representation in Largo and Tampa. Multiple locations. 844-420-7277 (PASS)

COMPASSIONATE CARE Osteopathic Dr. Joseph Dryer is out there west of West Tampa practicing direct primary care out of Oldsmar Town Center. His office even considers pediatric cases. 3980 Tampa Rd., Suite 206, Oldsmar. 813-491-4006.

DOCMJ A Clearwater-based company with 29 locations across Florida, including five in Tampa Bay. Jackie Rothman, Chief Operating Officer of Doc MJ, says that the company has processed more than 86,000 medical cannabis patients statewide in the last four years. Multiple locations. 888-429-0835.

DR. CANNABUS The Cannabus makes house calls and regularly pops up at bars and events across the Bay area as part of its extremely active event calendar. Appointments are also available online. 800-827-9927.

MARIJUANA DOCTOR There are five local locations for this chain of evaluation clinics with more than two dozen locations statewide. Multiple locations.

MEDICAL MARIJUANA DOCTOR As an added bonus, this office also offers immigration physical exams and emotional support animal services. 5700 Memorial Hwy. Suite 102D, Tampa. 800-620-2027. marijuana420doctor.com

MIRACLE LEAF HEALTH CENTERS Locations in Brandon and St. Pete sell Delta-8 but also provide medical marijuana approval six days a week. Multiple locations.

MY FLORIDA GREEN Open five days a week in downtown St. Pete’s Edge District just a few blocks from Tropicana Field. 1114 Central Ave. Suite. K, St. Petersburg. 833-665-3279.

TRICHOM HEALTH CENTER Walk-ins accepted (call ahead preferred). Staff will also visit patients at home, Hospice and nursing homes for reasonable prices. 6530 Park Blvd. N, Pinellas Park. 727-330-2773.

CBD + DELTA-8 SHOPS, CAFES AND BARS

BLISS WELLNESS MARKET Apothecary carrying CBD, adaptogens and functional mushrooms. 13721 N Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa. 813-435-3991

CHILL CAWFEE Coffee shop and hemp social that basically has its own Peruvian roast along with shelves stocked with hemp and CBD products including bath bombs and medical grade oil-based tinctures. Owners will also help you organize a “cannabis wedding.” 3407 Lithia Pinecrest Rd., Riverview. 813-549-9068

DIGNITARY CAFE Owned and operated by former Buccaneer and current radio and podcast personality Ian Beckles, this South Tampa cafe caters to creatives and also carries CBD products like NuAqua CBD-infused water. 4817 S West Shore Blvd., Tampa. 813-999-4968

D’Z B’Z INC. Tampa-based veteran-owned makers of CBD orange blossom honey, including hard candy and honey pops. 813-650-7529

RAW SMOOTHIE CO. Two locations in Tampa have thee absolute best smoothies and acai bowls to keep your day on a healthy track, and will also add CBD to your order to help you just chill the fuck out. The RSC crew also does corporate catering and serves up its macros to help keep that Noom app in check.

THEE THREE HOUSE A jungle-themed bar and restaurant in South Tampa with “The Herbalizer,” a chamomile-infused Grey Goose cocktail with CBD oil, St. Germain, elderflower liquor, honey, lemon, rosemary and cinnamon. 1809 W Platt St., Tampa. 813-855-5778

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The post Tampa Bay’s best medical marijuana dispensaries and doctors according to CL readers appeared first on Creative Loafing Tampa.

The parking lot of a Widespread Panic show, public parks, street corners, I have bought cannabis in many places. The one thing those transactions all had in common was that they were never legal. Years ago, I smoked a lot, and I never got the allure of medical marijuana. Sure, I knew it had real tangible medical benefits. However, I never understood why we were all pretending that marijuana was still some big, bad, scary evil. I also assumed medical marijuana would be an overpriced inconvenience that would be a bigger hassle than making small talk with a chatty dealer. I was squarely in the recreational legalization camp, hoping we could just skip the whole medical "charade." Years ago, I also used to think I would run a marathon, so needless to say, my "years ago" viewpoints left a lot to be desired.

Any significant cultural shift takes time, and cannabis acceptance is no different. Generations of "Reefer Madness" propaganda needed to be undone so the cloistered citizens of the moral majority don't get their cancel culture-fearing, healthcare-withholding sensibilities in a bunch. The good news is that the perception of marijuana as a society eroding evil has fallen rapidly. Over two-thirds of the American public are now pro-legalization, increasing more than 100% since 1969. The Florida Supreme Court even had to block voters from chiming in whether to legalize recreational adult use of marijuana in 2022.

This increased public acceptance of cannabis is mirrored by its legal status. There are only two states that still have full prohibition. I'm looking at you, Idaho and Nebraska. In the higher 48 states, marijuana is either medically or entirely legal. 

As the public perception of marijuana started to shift towards legalization, my own habits had me moving away from cannabis. After a couple of bad experiences with edibles where I managed to get high enough to punch a hole into the space-time continuum, I thought that maybe marijuana wasn't for me. Pre-medical marijuana, I didn't know the dosage of anything I was taking. In my youthful exuberance, I consistently overindulged. If every time you drank liquor, you drank the entire bottle of Jagermeister, you would probably think that maybe drinking wasn't for you. That is precisely the mistake I was repeatedly making. One brownie makes me feel good; two will make me feel great! Uh oh, time no longer has meaning, and I am losing track of my own being as it melts into the great ether that is this universe. Eventually, I turned my back on marijuana, convinced that it was simply "not for me."

Years went by, I quit drinking alcohol, and my low-level anxiety issues blossomed into a full-blown panic disorder. I went to a psychiatrist, focused on meditation, changed my diet, and tried various other distractions. Some were effective, others not so much. If anyone wants a stack of adult color books and coloring pencils, I got a deal for you. After a couple of years, things began to normalize. I stopped renewing my Xanax prescriptions and was seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. But as anyone that has ever suffered from anxiety knows, it will rear its head again at unexpected times and in unexpected ways. When these times would come, I had more tools to deal with it, but I would still find myself white-knuckling my way through too many days. That is when I began exploring cannabis and CBD for relief.

I had doubts; I mean, I have anxiety, that kind of comes with the territory. If you show me a good idea, I will find the flaw. It's a real treat. So I began what I was sure would be a journey through red tape, high prices, and bureaucratic delays. 

I booked my appointment with a doctor through Doc MJ—a Clearwater-based company with 29 locations across Florida. Jackie Rothman, COO of Doc MJ, told CL that her company has processed more than 86,000 medical cannabis patients statewide in the last four years.

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Readers share Tampa Bay's best medical marijuana dispensaries, doctors plus CBD cafes, shops and bars.

One of their operators gave me a call and talked me through the entire process. He was knowledgeable and friendly. We spoke on a Friday, and I had an appointment to see the doc the following Wednesday. Immediately I was encouraged. They got me in to see a doctor faster than my general practitioner ever has. The day of my appointment came, and the experience was streamlined to perfection. My appointment time was 3:30 p.m., and I saw the doctor by 3:35 p.m.—unheard of! No waiting room after the waiting room, no long delay. We talked for a bit about my experiences with anxiety and my past treatments. He offered me some suggestions, answered my questions, and provided me with a bevy of information. I was out before 4 p.m. I finalized the process online at home, sent the state their money, and waited. A week later, I got an email with my approval and my ID card, which meant I could go to the dispensary. 

Out of sheer excitement, I drove to the closest dispensary. It was a Curaleaf location. First things first, there was a buy-one-get-one special. You guys, there are specials. BOGO marijuana, it was enough to make my 19-year-old self tear up. You know those really great bartenders or sommeliers that listen enthusiastically to what you like and patiently guide you through the options to make sure that you get what you are looking for? Yeah, that was the type of guy that worked with me. We talked for a while, and I walked out with a couple Indica vape cartridges, a battery to use them with, and some fast-acting hybrid edibles with exact dosages. Armed with these products and guidance, I was able to enjoy marijuana without having to question my existence in this universe. 

Medical marijuana has far exceeded my hopes. Finally, I know what works for me. I know exactly how much to take, and I can manage my anxiety effectively without needing any pills. Sure there are side effects, the Grateful Dead makes more sense to me than ever before, but nothing good comes without a few side effects. 

Recreational marijuana legalization seems like an inevitability, but I will be saying mea culpas for my short-sightedness between taking puffs of Orange Kush Cake until then.

Support local journalism in these crazy days. Our small but mighty team works tirelessly to bring you news on how coronavirus is affecting Tampa and surrounding areas. Please consider making a one time or monthly donation to help support our staff. Every little bit helps.

Subscribe to our newsletter and follow @cl_tampabay on Twitter.

The post Tampa comedian Steve Miller got a medical marijuana card and finally has control of his anxiety appeared first on Creative Loafing Tampa.

By Hillary Van Dyke and Josh Bean

In our attempt to focus on the root causes of inequality in the Tampa Bay area, we recognize the significance of economic vitality. We know, through looking at local and national data, that a variety of systemic barriers prohibit equitable access to homeownership, employment, educational attainment, transportation, healthcare, and more.

Therefore, it is our mission to make it easier to help all people spend their money at Black-owned businesses. The saying that “When America gets a cold, Black people get the flu,” highlights how Black people are historically the most vulnerable to systemic failure.

RELATED
Black business directory Green Book of Tampa Bay has quadrupled in size since launching in late 2019

In being intentional in the way you choose to spend your money, you not only help these businesses—which are just a few of the roughly 2.5 million Black-owned businesses in the country, most of which are sole proprietorships and small businesses—but you uplift your entire community.

While this is in no way a full list of Black-owned businesses in the Tampa Bay area, these are some of the companies we have covered over the last couple of years on our Instagram and Facebook. We’ve arranged them into categories, described one business in each category and listed the rest.

Follow us @greenbooktb, or visit our website greenbooktampabay.org, to learn more. 

Who We Use

• Debonair Prints Specializes in graphic design and screen printing, and we just love the work they have done for us! Be sure to check out their Instagram (@debonairprints) to see their work. Oh, and visit the Merch tab on our website greenbooktb.org to order a Green Book t-shirt.  debonairprints.com
• Astute Observations Astute did our logo astuteobs.com
• Creative Courtois This web development team did our website and logo work for our website development grant. creativecourtois.com
• The Deuces Live A community partner in St. Petersburg deuceslive.org
• One Community St. Pete Another community partner in St. Petersburg onecommunitystpete.com
• SpeedPro St. Petersburg SpeedPro did our business cards speedpro.com
• Staples Co This team played web developer for our website development grant. staplesco.com

Black History

• Madame Fortune Taylor Walking Tour  This historical walking tour starts at the Tampa Bay History Center and is centered on Madame Fortune Taylor, namesake of the Fortune Taylor Bridge in Tampa. Not only is Taylor a legendary Black business woman and a fascinating historical figure, but the tour is also led by thee Gloria Jean Royster, a local historian. tampabayhistorycenter.org
• African American Heritage Trail afamheritagestpete.org
• Best Richardson African Diaspora Literature & Culture Museum bradlcmuseum.com
• “Black Pioneers of the Sunshine City” Watch on YouTube via The Weekly Challenger News
• Central Ave Black History Walking Tour tampabayhistorycenter.org
• Curtis Museum of Pinellas curtismuseum.org
• Dr. Carter Woodson African American Museum woodsonmuseum.org 
• Perry Harvey Sr. Park tampagov.net

Arts & Entertainment

• Black Business Bus Tour The legendary Candy Lowe’s bus tour of Black-owned businesses is an absolute blast. Not only do you get to tour businesses, the event ends with a market of other Black-owned businesses. Follow @blackbusinessbustour on Insta to stay-up-date for when these exciting events start back up. blackbusinessbustourflorida.com
• The Afro Market Exchange @theafromarketexchange on Instagram
• Black Water Theatre @bw_theatre on Instagram
• Indie Noir Market indienoirmarket.com
• Indie Reece indiereece.com
• Nick Davis ndartlife.com
• Shadcore @shadcoreofficial on Instagram
• Singles Pop Up thesinglespopup.com
• Tampa Bay Collard Green Festival tampabaycollardgreenfestival.org
• Queen of Ex @queenofex on Instagram 
• Zulu Painter zulupainter.com

Food & Beverage

• Three Generations Food Truck Chef Melly’s soul food truck is addictive, seriously ridiculous, and the Instagram page (@threegenerationsfoodtruck) is a whole trap of yummy goodness! chefmellys.com
• Irv City beardofirv.com
• Brea’s Coffee breasmobilecafe.com 
• Mr. B’s Soul Food Restaurant @eatatmrbs on Instagram
• Heavenly Treats heavenlytreats100.com
• Heavy’s Food Truck heavysfoodtruck.com
• J New & Moms Catering jnewmomscatering.com
• Lorene’s Fish & Crab House (727) 321-7297
• PattyCakes pattyecakes.com
• Psalms Brittle Co. psalmsbrittle.com
• Ray’s Vegan Soul raysvegansoul.com 

BBQ 

• Grillin n Chillin I know you’re wondering why there is a food category, and a BBQ category, but honestly, BBQ had to be its own thing. And while we love so many of the BBQ spots we have tried out, there is something about having ribs while beachside that hits different.  Check them out on Instagram (@grillin_n_chillin). grillinchillingstpete.com
• Al's Finger Licking Good Bar-B-Que alsybor.com
• Atwater’s Best BBQ & Soul Food Atwater's Best BBQ & Soul Food on Facebook
• Bubba’s Q Food Truck @bubbasqfoodtrucks on Instagram
• First Choice BBQ firstchoicebbq.com
• Jazzy B’s BBQ jazzysbbqtampafl.com
• Rack City Ribz rackcityribz.com
• Red’s BBQ Food Truck @redsbbqfoodtruck on Instagram
• The Rib Shack Largo ribshackbbqlargo.com
• Saucin Wings @saucinwings on Instagram
• Trust Me BBQ @trustmebbq on Instagram

Hair & Beauty

• Central Station Barbershop Central Station Barbershop are the founders of the Barbershop Book Club. They provide fresh cuts and encourage students to read during their haircuts and while they wait. Through their creativity, this program has grown to other barbers throughout St. Pete! Definitely check out their social media feeds for some feel good content! @centralstationbarbershop1 on Insatagram 
• Aesthetic by Vicki aestheticsbyvicki.com
• Annie’s Beauty Supply Store anniesbeautysupply.com
• Blue Hibiscus Organics bluehibiscusorganics.com
• CurlyCoilyTresses curlycoilytresses.com
• Custom Beauty Spa “Custom Beauty Spa” on Booksy
• Cyble’s Hair Care Salon 727-871-4393
• Eyelash Icon eyelashicon.as.me
• King Essential Beard Oil @kingsessentialbeardoil on Instagram
• Queen Steams Beauty & Spa queensteams.com
• Seraye Wellness @serayewellness on Instagram

Media & Such

• The Weekly Challenger Did you know there is a Black-owned and operated newspaper that has been in existence for over 50 years in the Tampa Bay area? Visit the Weekly Challenger website to subscribe and stay in the know. theweeklychallenger.com
• Agent X: The Movie agentxthemovie.com
• All Tea, No Shade podcast soundcloud.com/allteanoshade 
• Altitude Collective podcast thealtitudecollective.com
• Always Truth Incorporated alwaystruthincorporated.com
• “Church Folks” TV series Available on Amazon
• Outdoorsy Diva podcast and blog outdoorsydiva.com
• Paige Tucker paigetucker.com
• Podcast Pedagogy podcastpedagogy.xyz
• The Power Broker Magazine powerbrokermagazine.com
• St. Petian stpetian.com

Services & Things

• Bark Bar Treats My dogs are obsessed with the dog treats from Bark Bar! Check out their Instagram (@barkbartreats) barkbartreats.com 
• A.Tailor’d Picnics atailordpicnics.com
• America’s Most Reliable Movers amrmovers.com
• Event Heroes of Tampa Bay eventheroesoftampabay.com
• Garrett’s Lawn Care and Tree Service gplawncare.com 
• Ge’odor Lux @GeodorLux on Instagram
• Groovy Puppy Tampa thegroovypuppytampa.com
• Kingdom Elite Services kingdomeliteservices.com
• Moore Eventful Event Hall mooreeventful.com
• Snappy Notary Solutions snappynotarysolutions.com
• Sonshine Detailing sonshinedetailing.com
• Vibrant Hues Events vibranthues.events

Shopping

• 1Pier St Pete Stall  The 1Pier Stall is an all-female collective of nine retailers selling hand-crafted and uniquely sourced products at the St. Pete Pier. This project is possible through the work of One Community St Pete and is history-making! 1pierstpete.com
• Afribera afribera.com
• Accent Styles Boutique accent-styles.myshopify.com
• Body Butters by Design bodybuttersbydesign.com
• Candice’s Exotic Trends candicesexotictrends.com
• Cultured Books culturedbooks.org
• Gallerie909 @gallerie909 on Instagram
• Natural for a Reason gumroad.com/naturalforareason
• PositiviTee shoppositivitee.com
• Pure with Love pure-with-love.square.site
• Seraye Wellness @serayewellness on Instagram

Wellness & Medical

• Inspire Beyond Counseling Marco Bernard is a therapist who helps adults through trauma, but along with being a therapist, he is an author of the most intriguing audiobook “The Next Move: In Translation.” Check out his Instagram (@iam_marcobernard) marcobernard.org
• 3 Gems Birth Services 3gemsbirthservices.com 
• BodybyCord Fitness @bodybycordfitness on Facebook
• Body Rehab by B bodyrehabbyb.com
• Ligon Dental Group ligondental.com
• Home Again Counseling homeagaincounseling.com
• Grind + Cycle grindandcycle.com
• Meeyogi Tribe @meeyogitribe on Instagram
• Pop Nutrition @popnutrition on Instagram
• Tampa Bay Afrofit tampabayafrofit.com
• The Well for Life thewellforlife.org

Disclaimer: Green Book of Tampa Bay does not assume responsibility for any product or service offered and is not in any way responsible for monitoring any transaction between you and third-party providers or services. 

Support local journalism in these crazy days. Our small but mighty team is working tirelessly to bring you up to the minute news on how Coronavirus is affecting Tampa and surrounding areas. Please consider making a one time or monthly donation to help support our staff. Every little bit helps.

Subscribe to our newsletter and follow @cl_tampabay on Twitter.

The post Green Book of Tampa Bay founders share more than 100 local Black-owned businesses you can support right now appeared first on Creative Loafing Tampa.