Creative Loafing Tampa Bay sold, now under local ownership

San Antonio-based Chava Communications has sold Creative Loafing (CL) Tampa Bay to a group of current employees and two new partners.

It’s the first time in 18 years the local alt-weekly publication will be under local control. Chava Communications had owned it since 2023. Prior to that, it was owned by Cleveland-based Euclid Media Group from 2018 until 2023; SouthComm Inc., in Nashville, from 2011 to 2018; and the New York-based Atalaya hedge fund from 2009 until 2011.

The new owners include CL Tampa Bay Publisher James Howard, Editor-in-Chief Ray Roa, Senior Account Executive Anthony Carbone and Digital Editor Colin Wolf.

“We’re now our own overlords,” said Roa, who started at the publication in 2011 as a freelancer before being hired as music editor in 2016. “I’m really excited for the next chapter of a publication I’ve been reading for more than half of my life.”

Howard has been with the publication for 31 years, and Carbone has been there for 26. Wolf is returning to CL after a 10-month sabbatical.

“When this offer came in front of us, I knew we had the team to continue growing our publication, website, events, newsletters and audience for our readers and clients,” Howard said. “We’re proud of the journey we had with our past owners and grateful for this opportunity.”

The new partners include Tampa trial lawyer Mike Trentalange and John T. Fox, a public affairs consultant. Additional details about the deal were not disclosed.

Chava Communications will continue to operate the Orlando Weekly, San Antonio Current and the Local Culture Creative agency.

“We’re proud of the work accomplished at Creative Loafing Tampa Bay and excited to hand over the reins to a team that knows Tampa better than anyone. We look forward to continuing to collaborate on future projects,” Chava Communications co-owner Cassandra Wagner said.

The sale, announced late Thursday after the transaction closed, will not affect other CL staffers, including Creative Director Jack Spatafora, Marketing and Events Director Leigh Wilson and Managing Editor Selene San Felice.

The sale comes less than two months after the Tampa Bay Journalism Project launched. The project allows CL Tampa Bay and other community websites to collaborate to bring more news and information to readers across the Tampa Bay region without a paywall. The project is nonprofit and donor-driven.