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In 2025, the most read stories on Creative Loafing Tampa Bay\u2019s website illustrate a readership extremely interested in police accountability, Trump\u2019s 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!). <\/p>\n
But your eyes went to more than just hard news, with stories about the SNAP shutdown, Hulk Hogan\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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Credit: Dave Decker \/ Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/p>\n
The race for Tampa\u2019s District 5<\/p>\n
City Councilmember Gwendolyn Henderson\u2019s sudden death last June<\/a> 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\u2019s recent years of rapid growth. <\/p>\n The special election for her replacement saw 13 candidates<\/a> plus a write-in, including Henderson\u2019s daughter (Ariel Amirah Danley), Crowbar owner Tom DeGeorge, former Tampa Pride head Carrie West and Pastor Elvis Pigott\u2014who later flashed a gun<\/a> 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<\/a>. Her win mirrored the later success of Zohran Mamdani, whose win for New York City mayor made ripples in Florida<\/a> with the message that young, progressive grassroots leaders stand a chance against establishment money.<\/p>\n Bradley\u2019s crash<\/p>\n A high speed chase that started on Interstate-275 ended with four dead and 11 injured<\/a> 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\u2014in which the pursuing vehicle attempts to cause the pursued vehicle to spin out of control\u2014about 2,000 feet from Bradley\u2019s 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\u2019s failed PIT maneuver<\/a> and the trial of the driver\u201422-year-old Silas Sampson\u2014are likely to develop well into 2026.<\/p>\n Mural combat<\/p>\n After Gov. Ron DeSantis lost many battles in 2024\u2014courts blunted his \u201cDon\u2019t Say Gay\u201d and \u201cStop WOKE\u201d laws\u2014he took the war to the roads. Following Trump\u2019s takedown of D.C.\u2019s \u201cBlack Lives Matter\u201d street mural, the Florida Department of Transportation decided that all street murals must go. That meant no more rainbow crosswalks<\/a> and pavement declarations that \u201cBlack History Matters.\u201d So, too, went non-political murals, like USF St. Pete\u2019s Bulls-themed crosswalk. A bright spot for some of the \u201cwoke\u201d included the City of Tampa erasing the city\u2019s infamous \u201cBock the Blub\u201d pro-police mural<\/a>. <\/p>\n Pastors Andy Oliver and Benedict Atherton-Zeman were arrested<\/a> for blocking state workers from removing St. Pete\u2019s \u201cBlack History Matters\u201d mural outside the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum. The mural was later repainted overnight by an unknown artist<\/a>, then re-erased by the state. Private pavement murals<\/a> have since popped up around Tampa Bay. As part of her \u201cLove Thy Neighbor\u201d project, Michelle Sasha rallied local painters to provide free Pride and Black Lives Matter murals to local property owners. \u201cWe\u2019re going to paint back thousands,\u201d Sasha told CL in September. \u201cHopefully they\u2019ll regret their decision, because now there\u2019s going to be way more rainbows than they were hoping for.\u201d<\/p>\n Cringe-a-mania<\/p>\n 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<\/a>. Though he was booed at his final WWE appearance in January and his newly-launched wrestling league struggled to sell tickets<\/a>, he maintained a large fanbase<\/a>\u2014many of which also wanted to \u201cMake America Great Again.\u201d 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n The real alphabet mafia<\/p>\n Trump and Elon Musk\u2019s brief fling left thousands of federal workers without jobs, and may have permanently changed the way Florida state and local governments interact. Musk\u2019s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led to DeSantis trying to create a copycat Commissioner of Government Efficiency (COGE). <\/p>\n That wasn\u2019t necessary, as his newly appointed state chief financial officer<\/a>, Hernando County Republican Blaise Ingoglia, quickly began audits of the state\u2019s largest municipalities\u2014including Tampa, Hillsborough, St. Petersburg and Pinellas\u2014for 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<\/a> against what Ingoglia claims is wasteful, like St. Pete and Pinellas\u2019 spending toward the St. Pete Pride parade<\/a>. 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 \u201cfinancial abuse, malfeasance or misfeasance.\u201d<\/p>\n Jolly times<\/p>\n David Jolly wants to be the next Dunedin native in the governor\u2019s mansion. After representing Pinellas County as a Republican in the House of Representatives from 2014-2017, he\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n There were signs<\/p>\n Anti-Trump \u201cNo Kings\u201d 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 \u201cto do so in a safe and responsible manner\u201d). 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\u2019s 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).<\/p>\n Charlie Kirk<\/p>\n 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 \u201cabhorrent\u201d behavior on their social media accounts since Kirk\u2019s death. He cited one instructor who he said posted \u201cgood riddance\u201d after Kirk was shot.<\/p>\n Clouded rainbows<\/p>\n 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\u2019t 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. \u201cI don\u2019t foresee a parade, but there are other events we can do,\u201d former Tampa Pride board member Mark Eary told CL. \u201cWe just need to get everybody on board.\u201d<\/p>\n Chronister chronicles<\/p>\n Hillsborough\u2019s 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 \u201csupported by internal investigations, prior disciplinary actions, civil lawsuits, public records, or statements from personnel involved.\u201d <\/p>\n Chronister pushed back on the letter and Stahlschmidt\u2019s calls for the investigation in a statement to CL, adding that he has full trust in HCSO\u2019s Professional Standards Bureau to conduct an inquiry. The gov\u2019 didn\u2019t say a peep about it, and Chronister opted for an internal investigation, which ended with the sheriff saying the cheaters made choices that were \u201cwrong\u201d but \u201cnot malicious.\u201d OK.<\/p>\n The SNAP gap<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Sorry, Shilo<\/p>\n Shilo Sanders, son of NFL legend Deion, spent time in Bucs camp as an undrafted free agent and was ultimately cut\u2014but not before telling fans that he loves the food at Water Street hotspot Boulon Brasserie. \u201cIf I got free food from here, that would be the best NIL deal in the world,\u201d he said of an eclectic, hefty, order that included the restaurant\u2019s Best of the Bay winning blue crab beignets.<\/p>\n Creative Pinellas<\/p>\n It\u2019s an awkward moment for arts and culture in Pinellas County, punctuated with the September defunding of the county\u2019s 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\u2019t enough to save the nonprofit. The remaining staff will soldier on, but how the arts get funded in 2026 will be telling.<\/p>\n Sun rising<\/p>\n 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\u2019t as sunny at the club right now (our side is dead last, with just one win), the future of pro women\u2019s soccer in the Bay area is still bright.<\/p>\n Swamp things<\/p>\n 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 \u201cBoiled Peanuts\u201d from the album Alligator Bites Never Heal.<\/p>\n Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.<\/a><\/p>\n Follow us:\u00a0Google News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0NewsBreak<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Reddit<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook\u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0BlueSky<\/a><\/p>\n Recent Stories<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \n\t\t\t\t\tIt was a hard, weird year of news. \t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t This article appears in Dec. 25 \u2013 31, 2025<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n \t![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Bradleys-Ybor-City-crash-Photo-by-Dave-Decker-16.jpg\")
Bradley\u2019s on 7th in Ybor City, Florida on Nov. 8, 2025. Credit: Dave Decker \/ Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Street-Murals-19.jpg\")
The anonymously repainted Black History Matters mural outside the Woodson African American Museum. Credit: Dave Decker \/ Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/hulk_hogan-7.webp\")
Michael Nicholas Diaz poses for a portrait in front of Hogan\u2019s Hangout in Clearwater Beach, Florida on July 24, 2025. Credit: Photo by Dave Decker<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/blaise_ingoglia_govgonewildx.webp\")
Blaise Ingoglia (L) and Ron DeSantis in Tampa, Florida on July 16, 2025. Credit: Photo via GovGoneWild\/X<\/a><\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1766782333_363_castor-19.webp.webp\")
David Jolly at the Cuban Club in Ybor City, Florida on Aug. 20, 2025. Credit: Dave Decker \/ Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/No-Kings-October-2025-Photo-by-Dave-Decker-147.jpg\")
Credit: Dave Decker \/ Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/charlie-kirk-45.jpg\")
Terry Turnblom positions himself on a cross at a Charlie Kirk vigil in Dunedin. Credit: Dave Decker \/ Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Tampa-Pride-300.jpg\")
Tampa Pride president Carrie West (left) at the diversity parade on March 30, 2025. Credit: Dave Decker<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Hillsborough](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/pride-23-86.webp\")
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister at the 2023 Pride Parade in Ybor City. Credit: Dave Decker \/ Creative Loafing Tampa Bay<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/EBT-SNAP-rblfmr-shutterstock_2206680489.jpg\")
Credit: rblfmr \/ Shutterstock<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/shilo_sanders_youtube_boulon.png\")
Shilo Sanders at Boulon Brasserie in Tampa, Florida. Credit: Screengrab via Shilo Sanders\/YouTube<\/p>\n![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Creative-Pinellas-Dont-Silence-Art-Photo-by-Sandra-Dohnert-courtesy.png\")
Visitors at Creative Pinellas\u2019 \u2018Reclamando Our Untold Stories\u2019 exhibit, which is moving to Allendale United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg, Florida. Credit: Photo by Sandra Dohnert c\/o Creative Pinellas<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/tampabaysun-ftlauderdaleunited-uslsuperleaguefinal-ryankern813.webp\")
Tampa Bay Sun FC at Riverfront Stadium in Tampa, Florida on June 14, 2025. Credit: Photo by Ryan Kern<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ACL_2025_Saturday_Doechii-2989.jpg\")
Doechii Credit: Tracy May<\/p>\n
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