St. Pete’s MLK celebrations receive Elite Event funding

While St. Petersburg’s MLK Dream Big Weekend does not fill local hotels like the four-day Reggae Rise Up music festival, it will now receive the same tourism funding.

Pinellas County Commissioners unanimously agreed to waive Elite Event criteria for the city’s celebrations honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The program awards project funding according to an event's impact on the local tourism economy.

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Creative Loafing has new ‘benevolent overlords’

For Ray Roa, editor-in-chief at Creative Loafing Tampa, the weekly publication’s recent acquisition is akin to lyrics immortalized by rock legends The Who: “Meet the new boss; same as the old boss.”

San Antonio-based Chava Communications recently acquired Creative Loafing Tampa (CLT) from Cleveland's Euclid Media Group. Officials did not disclose terms in the Aug. 11 announcement.