Axios Tampa Bay

August 05, 2025
Good day, Tuesday.
⛈️ You know the drill. Hot, with scattered thunderstorms and showers. 96°/78°.
Sounds like: "Entertainment," Phoenix
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Today's newsletter is 1,012 words, a 4-minute read.
1 big thing: "Too much of a good thing"
When federal health regulators last week announced plans to control a compound found in the kratom plant, they made one big distinction:
- "We're not targeting the kratom leaf or ground up kratom," Food and Drug Administration commissioner Marty Makary told reporters. "We are targeting the concentrated synthetic byproduct that is an opioid."
Why it matters: That's an important detail for Tampa Bay, which is home to so many kratom and kava tea bars that it's become known as the kava capital of the U.S.
The big picture: Search for "kava kratom bars" on Google Maps, and dozens of establishments pop up in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.
- Unlike smoke shops or gas stations advertising kratom-derived concentrates, these coffee shop-style retailers serve drinks often in the form of tea brewed from the kratom plant. (Kava is a separate plant also typically sold as a beverage.)
- In its native Southeast Asia, the kratom plant has long been used as a remedy for pain and opioid withdrawal symptoms as well as for its euphoric and energizing effects.
What they're saying: "Kratom tea is the closest form of kratom to the traditional use of kratom in Southeast Asia," said Chris McCurdy, a University of Florida medicinal chemistry professor who's studied kratom for more than 20 years.
- "The ingredients are usually only kratom leaf powder that are sold in kratom/kava bars," McCurdy told Axios.
Friction point: What regulators are targeting is a compound derived from the plant called 7-hydroxymitragynine, or 7-OH, that researchers have dubbed "legal morphine."
- It shows up in trace amounts in the plant, but the potency in 7-OH products like tablets, shots and gummies varies widely.
- Kratom leaf products are like a "light beer," McCurdy said. Extracting and concentrating 7-OH makes the potency closer to the grain alcohol Everclear.

Zoom in: Since those products hit the market in the last few years, "I've always said, 'Dude, this is gonna get kratom banned,'" said Cesar Calo, a Tampa kratom user who worked for six years at local tea bar Steep Station.
- "You're taking too much of a good thing and turning it into something dirty," he said.
- Calo is in favor of regulation, seeing it as a necessity to avoid an all-out ban, which would tank an industry that employs hundreds of people and offers what many users feel is a healthier alternative to alcohol and hard drugs.
What's next: The FDA's Makary declined to weigh in on whether regulators intend to target natural kratom down the line, saying the priority for now is 7-OH products.
The bottom line: When comparing the two, "we think it's night and day in terms of the public health risk," he said.
2. 🏡 Hurricane grant program reopens
Florida's hurricane-mitigation grant program, My Safe Florida Home, began accepting new applications yesterday for home inspections and grant funding to cover home-hardening upgrades.
Why it matters: Even if you are not selected for the first-come, first-served grant funding, a free inspection could still lower your insurance premium if your home has existing wind mitigation features, the Tallahassee Democrat reported.
How it works: The $280 million program prioritizes older and low-income residents before opening up applications to the wider public.
- The selected applicants will receive up to $10,000 each, either as a reimbursement after the work is complete or as a low-income grant.
Who's eligible: To qualify for a grant, a homeowner must first receive an inspection through the program.
- The home needs to be occupied by a homesteaded owner and also have a maximum insured value of $700,000, with an exception for low-income homeowners, among other requirements.
What's next: Group 1 (60 and older, low-income, below 80% of the median county income) can apply for an inspection or grant starting August 4.
- Group 2 (all other low-income) — August 18.
- Group 3 (60 and older, moderate income, below 120% median county income) — September 1.
- Group 4 (other moderate income) — September 15.
- Group 5 (general) — September 29.
- Inspection applications only.
3. The Pulp: DeSantis' DOGE eyes local governments
🔎 St. Petersburg is the latest local government under scrutiny by Gov. Ron DeSantis' take on DOGE. (Tampa Bay Times)
- State agents will travel to the city next week to learn more about its diversity, environmental and homeless initiatives.
Jeff Knight, the business mogul charged in April's fatal Clearwater ferry crash, pleaded not guilty. (Bay News 9)
4. 🐟 Spreading the news
Love it or hate it, tinned fish is trendy.
Why it matters: St. Pete's answer to the craze is BarBouni, a seafood and raw bar attached to Mediterranean restaurant Baba with an extensive tinned fish menu.
👋 Kathryn here. I am not a tinned fish person. It's a mental block. Sue me.
Yes, but: My boyfriend Winston wanted to check out BarBouni for his birthday last week, and who am I to deny a man his canned seafood?
Zoom in: A friend recommended he try the cod liver, so we ordered that tin ($14) along with some scallops in sauce and codfish in olive oil with chickpeas.
- Our server suggested spreading the liver on toast, which only made it grosser to me, but the birthday boy loved it.
- He even got me to try some, and I have to admit: It was good! Rich, mild and buttery. Plus, it's packed with vitamins and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
The bottom line: Tinned fish lovers, this is your dish. And to my fellow haters: You just might surprise yourself.
5. 😮💨 Taken in Tampa Bay
Our blood pressure is lowering just looking at this beautiful sunrise captured by reader Manny Fernández in Rocky Point.
- Have a photo taken in Tampa Bay? Hit reply or email it to [email protected], and it could be featured in a future newsletter!
🌲 Kathryn is off to Maine for two weeks! See y'all on the other side.
👋 Yacob is back from vacation.
This newsletter was edited by Jeff Weiner.
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