# charlie crist (blogs) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 2 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover charlie crist. Page: Feed: --- ## [Pride bubbles up beneath the tar](https://stpetecatalyst.com/pride-bubbles-up-beneath-the-tar/) _2026-08-25 · Aaron Styza · St Pete Catalyst_ As the black covering has worn, portions of the colored design beneath it have become easier to see. ## [Could booming tourism help ease Pinellas’ budget squeeze?](https://stpetecatalyst.com/could-booming-tourism-help-ease-pinellas-budget-squeeze/) _2026-08-25 · Matthew Reed · St Pete Catalyst_ The Tourist Development Council discussed whether tourism dollars could play a larger role if voters approve Amendment 3. ## [Bricks and Minifigs St. Petersburg location reopens for LEGO fans](https://stpetecatalyst.com/bricks-minifigs-st-petersburg-location-acquired/) _2026-08-25 · Michael Connor · St Pete Catalyst_ A celebration is scheduled for Saturday. ## [Brush to canvas: News from the art community](https://stpetecatalyst.com/brush-to-canvas-news-from-the-art-community-19/) _2026-08-25 · Bill DeYoung · St Pete Catalyst_ Phoenix-born Ed Mell left a lucrative New York career in commercial design to paint the canyons, deserts and big skies of his home turf, the American Southwest. Mell, who died two years ago at 81, was a modernist who depicted the landscapes as bold, geometric forms. So well-regarded was his vision that a Mell painting \[…\] ## [Mosquito-borne dengue fever detected in Pinellas](https://stpetecatalyst.com/mosquito-borne-dengue-fever-detected-in-pinellas/) _2026-08-24 · Cora Quantum (AI) · St Pete Catalyst_ Tampa Bay has reports 10 locally acquired cases of the illness. ## [Tampa International Airport bails out of privatization talks](https://stpetecatalyst.com/tampa-international-airport-bails-out-of-privatization-talks/) _2026-08-24 · Bill DeYoung · St Pete Catalyst_ The program would put passenger security screenings into the hands of a private company. ## [St. Pete Beach cites public beach rights in sign lawsuit](https://stpetecatalyst.com/st-pete-beach-cites-public-beach-rights-in-sign-lawsuit/) _2026-08-24 · Matthew Reed · St Pete Catalyst_ The city says its ordinance regulates the size, structure and location of signs rather than the message written on them. ## [Seminole High School undergoing $57M renovation](https://stpetecatalyst.com/seminole-high-school-undergoing-57m-renovation/) _2026-08-24 · Michael Connor · St Pete Catalyst_ The effort is expected to be completed in July 2027. ## [Novelist Dominic Trimboli imagines a new role for Earth](https://stpetecatalyst.com/novelist-dominic-trimboli-imagines-a-new-role-for-earth/) _2026-08-24 · Bill DeYoung · St Pete Catalyst_ 'The Destroyer of Worlds' is the first in a series combining history and science fiction. ## [What’s yr take on Cassavetes?? Songs about THE movies](https://humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2026/08/22/whats-yr-take-on-cassavetes-songs-about-the-movies-2/) _2026-08-22 · humanizingthevacuum · Humanizing The Vacuum_ One of my few attempts at songwriting, “Gregory Peck” praised the actor for wearing pressed suits, his kind mien, and his dullness. The last point mattered to twenty-year-old me: I wanted a big, courteous, pretty guy with whom I’d enjoy an open relationship while meeting in his library for port and a debriefing. Film has \[…\] ## [profullstack on Ko‑fi (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/4lE3Np4zqc1q) _2026-08-22 · **Sponsored**_ Open the creator's Ko‑fi page. ## [‘Cherished assets’: Pinellas weighs parking increases at beaches](https://stpetecatalyst.com/cherished-assets-pinellas-weighs-parking-increases-at-beaches/) _2026-08-22 · Aaron Styza · St Pete Catalyst_ “These parks are some of the most cherished assets in the county and they should be accessible." ## [Treasure Island starts putting a price on what it can live without](https://stpetecatalyst.com/treasure-island-starts-putting-a-price-on-what-it-can-live-without/) _2026-08-22 · Matthew Reed · St Pete Catalyst_ “The safety building seems to be like a runaway freight train. The price just keeps going up and up and up and up.” ## [Rays’ $2.361B Tampa ballpark moves closer to approval](https://stpetecatalyst.com/rays-2-361b-tampa-ballpark-moves-closer-to-approval/) _2026-08-22 · Rick Mayer WUSF · St Pete Catalyst_ The Rays increased their commitment by $100 million, with a corresponding decrease in the public contribution. ## [Embarc Collective to host Glaring Gap Summit next week](https://stpetecatalyst.com/embarc-collective-to-host-glaring-gap-summit-next-week/) _2026-08-22 · Michael Connor · St Pete Catalyst_ “I think that if we can educate people on how to think about things or how to see opportunity, they will take that with them in their everyday lives.” ## [Five ways to give back and get involved in your community](https://stpetecatalyst.com/five-ways-8-22-26/) _2026-08-22 · Amy Kagan · St Pete Catalyst_ Channel your energy into giving back to the community. ## [Devo-lution in real time: The Mark Mothersbaugh interview](https://stpetecatalyst.com/devo-lution-in-real-time-the-mark-mothersbaugh-interview/) _2026-08-22 · Bill DeYoung · St Pete Catalyst_ One of the most misunderstood bands of the post-punk/new wave era (mid 1970s to early ‘80s), Devo is best remembered today for somewhat mechanical music blending synthesizers and guitars, bass and drums, and stylized visuals including matching bright yellow jumpsuits, and (later) red plastic hats that looked like upended flower pots. Sure, the look was \[…\] ## [I turn on my computer: Songs about Technology](https://humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2026/08/22/i-turn-on-my-computer-songs-about-technology/) _2026-08-22 · humanizingthevacuum · Humanizing The Vacuum_ The extent to which rock critics skew left-liberal is inversely proportional to their attitudes about technology. I still chuckle over Anthony DeCurtis’ review of Big Country’s debut The Crossing (1983): Here’s a big-noise guitar band from Britain that blows the knobs off all the synth-pop diddlers and fake-funk frauds who are cluttering up the charts \[…\] ## [Pinellas eyes campus reserves to save Weedon Island](https://stpetecatalyst.com/pinellas-eyes-campus-reserves-to-save-weedon-island/) _2026-08-21 · Aaron Styza · St Pete Catalyst_ “\[The state\] needs to take responsibility for what they own." ## [St. Pete’s $45 million federal windfall is coming to an end](https://stpetecatalyst.com/st-petes-45-million-federal-windfall-is-coming-to-an-end/) _2026-08-21 · Matthew Reed · St Pete Catalyst_ The city received $45.4 million through ARPA, the government's response to the economic fallout from Covid-19. ## [The gangrene of toxic parents](https://humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2026/08/21/the-gangrene-of-toxic-parents/) _2026-08-21 · humanizingthevacuum · Humanizing The Vacuum_ Celeste Marcus’ column “Cutting Your Parents Off Isn’t the Answer” has kicked around on social media since it went live at the beginning of the week. As Bryan Ferry sang, you can guess the rest. A self-described lesbian and a member of a “politically conservative Orthodox Jewish community” with robust pro-Palestinian views, Solomon shares a \[…\] ## [Home of the Agentic Pull Request (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/Whlkti4BKXAM) _2026-08-21 · **Sponsored**_ CLI-first, TUI-ready toolkits and a moshscript installer — join the waitlist ## [A $500 lifeline for St. Pete foster youth is running out](https://stpetecatalyst.com/a-500-lifeline-for-st-pete-foster-youth-is-running-out/) _2026-08-21 · Matthew Reed · St Pete Catalyst_ The city contracted with Ready for Life, a nonprofit that works with young adults transitioning out of foster care. ## [Global dance music gets a new home in Clearwater](https://stpetecatalyst.com/global-dance-music-gets-a-new-home-in-clearwater/) _2026-08-21 · Chelsea Rivera · St Pete Catalyst_ “They're coming in droves and they’re all in high school. But they know these bands, and they've been itching to see them." ## [County commissioners explore local e-bike regulations](https://stpetecatalyst.com/county-commissioners-explore-local-e-bike-regulations/) _2026-08-21 · Michael Connor · St Pete Catalyst_ In 2025, there were 11 fatalities in Pinellas County involving electric-assisted vehicles. ## [Arts Alive! podcast: Writer Tamara Lush](https://stpetecatalyst.com/arts-alive-podcast-writer-tamara-lush/) _2026-08-21 · Bill DeYoung · St Pete Catalyst_ Stopping by the Arts Alive! podcast studio today is author Tamara Lush, a.k.a. Tara Lush, who’s written somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 books (she’s not sure of the exact number). Lush is among the gaggle of authors who’ll be at the FloridaRAMA Literary Festival Saturday, to meet, greet and otherwise hobnob with readers, and \[…\] [Listen](https://media.stpetecatalyst.com/uploads/2026/08/Arts-Alive-Lush-final.mp3) ## [Places This Week: An Intracoastal and Gulf-front estate](https://stpetecatalyst.com/intracoastal-and-gulf-front-estate-lists-for-10-million/) _2026-08-21 · Amy Kagan · St Pete Catalyst_ The Catalyst’s weekly roundup of notable Pinellas County real estate news. ## [The best song intros](https://humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2026/08/20/the-best-song-intros/) _2026-08-20 · humanizingthevacuum · Humanizing The Vacuum_ Listening to Ron Carter’s bass part on “Excursions” for the 200th time on a plane last week, I envisaged a project whereby I looped the introductions to favorite songs, forever. Some of these below are brief. The most fraught and delicious ones (“I Need a Lover,” “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” “Mother of Pearl”) have \[…\] ## [Largo’s ‘downtown activation plan’ will include Dead Bob’s](https://stpetecatalyst.com/largos-downtown-activation-plan-will-include-dead-bobs/) _2026-08-20 · Matthew Reed · St Pete Catalyst_ Commissioners also signed off on a lease with Vachelli Modern Italian, a Tampa restaurant. ## [Art damage: ‘Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma’](https://humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2026/08/20/art-damage-teenage-sex-and-death-at-camp-miasma/) _2026-08-20 · humanizingthevacuum · Humanizing The Vacuum_ An ambitious queer director, Kris Williams (Hannah Einbinder) gets sent by the studio, in search of profitability for “woke,” to the Pacific Northwest to make a reboot of Camp Miasma, the title for a series of Friday the 13th-inspired cheapo horror films. Kris’ problems with the series’ transphobic presence do not mitigate her affection for \[…\] ## [Fairfield highlights St. Pete’s homeownership gap](https://stpetecatalyst.com/fairfield-highlights-st-petes-homeownership-gap/) _2026-08-20 · Aaron Styza · St Pete Catalyst_ "Closing this transaction was like landing a SpaceX rocket in the Pacific Ocean in the middle of a tsunami on a dinghy ..." ## [‘Rest and Re-create’ women’s healing initiative expanded](https://stpetecatalyst.com/rest-and-re-create-womens-healing-initiative-expanded/) _2026-08-20 · Michael Connor · St Pete Catalyst_ “If we rest, we allow ourselves the benefit of rediscovering who we are, who we’re meant to be and we can fully live out our purpose.” ## [Trade Smarter With IBKR (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/2gQABBg3hqbM) _2026-08-20 · **Sponsored**_ Join Interactive Brokers through a referral and access low-cost global trading. ## [St. Pete resident gives back through junk removal business](https://stpetecatalyst.com/st-pete-resident-gives-back-through-junk-removal-business/) _2026-08-20 · Michael Connor · St Pete Catalyst_ “After completing several jobs, I noticed how many perfectly usable items were ending up in the landfill.” ## [Weekend spotlight: Whole lotta rock](https://stpetecatalyst.com/weekend-spotlight-whole-lotta-rock/) _2026-08-20 · Bill DeYoung · St Pete Catalyst_ The Catalyst’s every-Thursday guide to Tampa Bay entertainment and the arts. ## [I need to score: Songs about drugs](https://humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2026/08/19/i-need-to-score-songs-about-drugs/) _2026-08-20 · humanizingthevacuum · Humanizing The Vacuum_ Bernard Sumner of New Order and about 6000 rappers can write about the highs and consequences of drug-taking, which means I could easily quadruple this list. I listen to these tunes most because they’re catchy and their musical complements catch the contradictions in this foul behavior. 1. New Order – True Faith 2. D’Angelo – \[…\] ## [Dems in array?](https://humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2026/08/19/dems-in-array/) _2026-08-19 · humanizingthevacuum · Humanizing The Vacuum_ We tried the moderate old former Republican in the 2022 gubernatorial race. We’re trying the moderate old former Republican in the 2026 gubernatorial race. Let’s try the younger Black leftist woman for Senate. It can’t hurt. I have no illusions about Florida. Treebeard’s lament from The Two Towers rolls around my head often: “It is \[…\] ## [Tax reform could slash bus, ferry service across Pinellas](https://stpetecatalyst.com/tax-reform-could-slash-bus-ferry-service-across-pinellas/) _2026-08-19 · Matthew Reed · St Pete Catalyst_ The overhaul could jeopardize ferry service and eliminate many of the county’s 40 bus routes. ## [Crist wins big over Welch, but the mayor’s race will go to a runoff](https://stpetecatalyst.com/crist-wins-big-over-welch-but-the-mayors-race-will-go-to-a-runoff/) _2026-08-19 · Steve Newborn/WUSF · St Pete Catalyst_ The battle for St. Peterburg mayor will be a runoff between incumbent Ken Welch and former governor and congressman Charlie Crist, who scored a significant victory in Tuesday’s primary. Crist claimed 35% of the vote to Welch’s 20.5% to head the nonpartisan race of six candidates. Since neither got more than 50%, both will advance \[…\] ## [Local entrepreneur launches Casico Creative marketing firm](https://stpetecatalyst.com/local-entrepreneur-launches-cascio-creative-marketing-firm/) _2026-08-19 · Michael Connor · St Pete Catalyst_ Founder Cassandra Bernard serves as the marketing manager for spARK Labs by ARK Invest. ## [Author Matt Lettelleir says success is behind an ‘Open Door’](https://stpetecatalyst.com/author-matt-lettellier-says-success-is-behind-an-open-door/) _2026-08-19 · Bill DeYoung · St Pete Catalyst_ Hospitality, Matt Lettelleir contends in his new book The Open Door, has all but gone the way of the dodo and the passenger pigeon. As the cost of living goes up, and the hustle for bucks becomes more competitive, the unhurried, personal experience gets lost. Always, Lettelleir insists, there is hope that generosity, civility and \[…\] ## [I won’t give up on my life: Songs about the night](https://humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2026/08/18/i-wont-give-up-on-my-life-songs-about-the-night/) _2026-08-19 · humanizingthevacuum · Humanizing The Vacuum_ I have been one acquainted with the night. I have walked out in rain—and back in rain. I have outwalked the furthest city light. I have looked down the saddest city lane. I have passed by the watchman on his beat And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain. When the sun goes down, rock ‘n’ \[…\] ## [Treasure Island staff pulled into city manager dispute](https://stpetecatalyst.com/treasure-island-staff-pulled-into-city-manager-dispute/) _2026-08-18 · Matthew Reed · St Pete Catalyst_ Treasure Island’s investigation into allegations against City Manager Charlie Van Zant has raised an uncomfortable question inside City Hall: How freely can employees speak when the complaint involves the person at the top of the city’s administration? City emails obtained by the Catalyst show three commissioners sought to interview employees about Vice Mayor Tammy Vasquez’s \[…\] ## [The inequities of adjunct professorships](https://humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2026/08/18/the-inequities-of-adjunct-professorships/) _2026-08-18 · humanizingthevacuum · Humanizing The Vacuum_ I knew adjuncts worse off than me two decades ago: in the years before online courses they’d wake up and remind themselves which of three college and university campuses they had to visit in one day. Lucky enough to work in an administrative position, I regarded this part-time teaching as extra but essential money. Adjuncts \[…\] ## [The best songs about actors](https://humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2026/08/17/the-best-songs-about-actors-2/) _2026-08-18 · humanizingthevacuum · Humanizing The Vacuum_ Readers will look at the top entry and think, ‘lol wtf.’ But John Grant’s thick rattling synth jam reconstructs an actor’s image in queer form with the thoroughness of a Pet Shop Boys approach to same, and as of 4:30 p.m. EST it’s the song I want to keep listening to. The list: 1. Cornershop \[…\] ## [Purgatorial: ‘Her Private Hell’](https://humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2026/08/17/purgatorial-her-private-hell/) _2026-08-17 · humanizingthevacuum · Humanizing The Vacuum_ Calling Her Private Hell a bad film does me no favors because this is the kind of “difficult” film I want to defend against pedants who prefer biopics starring Judi Dench. I should have expected no less from Nicolas Winding Refn, the wannabe perv who made Drive (whatever) and Only God Forgives (Hague-level offense) and \[…\] ## [The best songs alluding to Shakespeare](https://humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2026/08/16/the-best-songs-alluding-to-shakespeare-2/) _2026-08-16 · humanizingthevacuum · Humanizing The Vacuum_ A couple weeks after reading Clinton Heylin’s Despite the System, I needed a monthly excuse to revisit Orson Welles films. In an hour I’ll re-watch Othello for the first time since a 1992 reissue sent a bowdlerized yet accepted edition of Welles’ Shakespeare adaptation to theatres; it earned good reviews anyway. Please watch Welles’ own \[…\] ## [Dave Marsh — RIP](https://humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2026/08/16/dave-marsh-rip/) _2026-08-16 · humanizingthevacuum · Humanizing The Vacuum_ If readers in 1990 lived in a small town or in a small town like Miami posing as a city, the B. Daltons and Waldenbooks at the local mail saved your life. Dadeland and International malls carried three books of rock criticism: Christgau’s Record Guide: The 1980s; The Trouser Press Record Guide, edited by Ira \[…\] ## [Ranking #11 U.S. edition: 1967-1969](https://humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2026/08/15/ranking-11-u-s-edition-1967-1969/) _2026-08-15 · humanizingthevacuum · Humanizing The Vacuum_ Every time I post a rundown of hits from the sixties I have to say, Goddamn it and restrain my nostalgia, but, really, any chart with Mother Popcorn and I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night) and Is That All There Is will draw attention. Immune to Simon and Garfunkel, I placed Scarborough Fair \[ \] ## [Walk the dinosaur: ‘The End of Oak Street’](https://humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2026/08/15/walk-the-dinosaur-the-end-of-oak-street/) _2026-08-15 · humanizingthevacuum · Humanizing The Vacuum_ Had my screening of The End of Oak Street taken place at night instead of 9 a.m., I hope the audience would ve applauded loudly when Ewan McGregor turns into an amuse bouche for an Allosaurus. The latest film by David Robert Mitchell, director of the excellent It Follows and the unseen by me Under the \[ \] ## [Ranking #6 singles U.S. edition: 1965-1967](https://humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2026/08/15/ranking-6-singles-u-s-edition-1965-1967/) _2026-08-15 · humanizingthevacuum · Humanizing The Vacuum_ Because aging potbellied men ran the music biz and constituted part of the audience during the High LBJ Era, The Men in My Little Girl s Life exists. It so happens that I was watching The Apartment with dinner a few minutes ago and Mike Douglas attitude towards women was Fred MacMurray and his four dwarves. \[ \] ## [My favorite novels about adolescence](https://humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2026/08/13/my-favorite-novels-about-adolescence/) _2026-08-14 · humanizingthevacuum · Humanizing The Vacuum_ By necessity incomplete, this list of old, new, and new-ish favorites treat adolescence as a hinterland whose borders recklessly separate childhood and adulthood when, really, to some degree we should ve held on to medieval notions about children as young or little adults. Maybe I knew I was queer by adoring Judy Blume and especially Louise \[ \] ## [Criticism in an age of discontent](https://humanizingthevacuum.wordpress.com/2026/08/13/criticism-in-an-age-of-discontent/) _2026-08-13 · humanizingthevacuum · Humanizing The Vacuum_ Jill Mapes, formerly of Pitchfork and whom I know from Pop Conference, wrote an elegy for Brooklyn Vegan, Alternative Press, Revolver, and Goldmine that doubles as an elegy to an ideal: the full-time music journalist. The way I read it her essay comes across as a mea culpa for failing to consider the utility of \[ \]