Ever seen this little beauty scooting around town? It’s Sweeping Beauty – our mini street sweeper that’s designed to help keep our bike lanes safe & clean from debris. Did you know that street sweeping has stormwater benefits? It captures litter, sediment, and fallen leaves before it enters the storm drains protecting our waterways from these pollutants.
Florida Republican wants to ban ‘woke’ flags, including Palestine, LGBTQ and others
Sen. Randy Fine, R-Brevard County, issued a news release that said the bill would “ban the use of fictional country flags like ‘Palestine,’ pro-violence ‘Black Lives Matter’ flags, woke and pro-grooming ideological flags, and the flags of any political candidates in government buildings.”
John Costin is a world-famous artist. His art works are in the Tampa International Airport and many other famous building and institutions around the world. He has been featured many times on England’s BBC. All his art starts with a very old process of etching on copper. Then dusted with charcoal dust and transferred to paper. Then John spends many hours adding color. The results are specular. For the 1st time in 11years, John and his wife opened up their Gary-Ybor Studio to the public.
John’s at studio is located in the oldest building in Gary and could easily be the oldest in all of Ybor City.
Join Tampa Pride in celebrating 2024, coming to a close and a new start in 2025 with our esteemed Mr. and Miss Tampa Pride 2025 , Niomi L Knight and Amari Lavish. We are thrilled to announce a new year of exciting events, including the upcoming 5k Rainbow Run and Family Fun Day on March 8, 2025, and the Tampa Pride Festival and Diversity Parade on March 29, 2025.
Let us usher in the new year together with pride and joy!
We invite you to be part of the festivities as we honor and celebrate the incredible diversity and spirit of the LGBTQ+ community in Tampa. Join us in commemorating the achievements and progress made while looking forward to the promising future ahead. Let us unite in solidarity and joy, embracing every color of the rainbow with love and acceptance. Together, we can create a more inclusive and compassionate world for all.
Finally, a Holiday movie for adults! “Black Doves” lives up to and surpasses the hype. Why is it that European films, have no problem making characters LGBTQ? This film is a classic example of this.
On behalf of Tampa Pride, we sincerely express our gratitude for recognizing the Tampa Pride Diversity Parade as one of the top 5 events in the 2024 year review.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to all the sponsors and individuals who have played a vital role in making the Diversity Parade a reality. Your support is truly appreciated, and we are grateful for your contributions
This Saturday @ Southern Nights Ybor City
Holiday Spirt @ Bradley’s on 7th
The Great Elephant Migration on Miami Beach – The Only Florida stop.
This is a carefully planned drone shot with red caution cones and security to fly my drone straight up and straight down without flying over people, The Herd will be there until December 8th! Between 36th and 37th street on Miami Beach.
These are life like reproductions made of branches from an invasive plant species, metal bases and other materials Photo by Lee Smith Photography
From Richard Gonzmart – Columbia Restaurant Ybor City
The grand chandelier in the historic Don Quixote dining room at the Columbia in Ybor is decorated for the holidays. For five decades, this elaborate chandelier has graced the room.
Purchased at an auction for $3,000 in 1972 from the Eden Roc hotel in Miami Beach, the chandelier’s worth was appraised in 2004 by a lighting expert at $250,000.
The chandelier has five layers of curved brass arms, each holding a candle-shaped light.
The chandelier has 360 small prisms and 105 large prisms that hang from 15 arms. Long sparkling prisms dangle from each candle base like icicles. Others, shaped like sea shells, are worth more than $500 each.
After discovering the fixture’s worth, research revealed the chandelier’s story: It was crafted in France in the late 1800s and took a craftsman close to two years to complete. In 1956, it arrived in Florida, where it hung in the Eden Roc. At the time, the hotel was a luxurious destination for celebrities, including Elizabeth Taylor, Lucille Ball and Ann-Margret.
When the hotel closed for renovations in the 1970s, the Columbia’s third-generation owners, Cesar and Adela Gonzmart, purchased the chandelier for their restaurant.
Columbia Hall of Fame employee George Guito, who worked at the restaurant more than 60 years, brought the chandelier to Tampa and spent nearly four days hanging it in the Don Quixote, which opened as Tampa’s first air-conditioned dining room in 1934.
The chandelier was a natural fit in the Don Quixote room, a large dining room where painted tile artwork dots the walls and flamenco dancers in bright dresses entertain crowds.
In 2005, the light was refurbished in time for the restaurant’s 100th anniversary. Eighty-four of those prisms were replaced at a cost of about $15,000. Three years ago, the chandelier was removed and cleaned during restoration of the dining room’s ceiling.
