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Stephanie Hayes - Columnist
Stephanie Hayes

Columnist

Please buckle in for a glamorous journalism biography. I left my job at a mall CD store to work here at 19, distributing faxes and running to Publix to pick up cakes for real reporters. Upon being the last warm body in the office, I got to write actual stories. The rest has been a wonderful journey. I'm now a columnist, writing on the proverbial "lighter side of life" and giving side-eye to Florida. Starting in 2021, my columns will be syndicated worldwide via Creators Syndicate. Before this, I was an editor overseeing arts and culture coverage. As a reporter, I’ve covered local governments, higher education, nightlife, obituaries and performing arts. How's that for variety? I'm a stepmom, fledgling novelist, amateur makeup artist and avid host of parties with too much food. Find me in Dunedin, coolest town in Florida.

  1. Passive-aggressive alerts from my Apple Watch in times of stress
    May 31• Opinion
    Check your fitness rings! It looks like you’ve been frozen in a state of overwhelm for the past 16 hours and are spiraling into an emotional pit of despair from which you will not emerge unless you make at least one meager attempt to move your body!
  2. 25-ish Tampa Bay spots for breakups, hangovers and feeling alive
    May 25• Opinion
    Tampa Bay Times reporters Gabrielle Calise and Helen Freund feel alive at Lassing Park in St. Petersburg.
  3. A message to America from inside Florida
    May 19• Opinion
    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a tour at North Baptist Church in Spartanburg on Wednesday April 19, 2023.
  5. Dear graduates: Here’s what no one tells you
    May 17• Opinion
    Gibbs High School graduates are pictured during commencement ceremonies at Tropicana Field, Monday, May 15, 2023 in St. Petersburg.
  6. Tampa Bay, what is the correct temperature on the thermostat?
    May 12• Opinion
    Is 72 the perfect Florida thermostat temperature? Are you a bog witch? Discuss.
  7. All the ways Florida appreciates teachers
    May 10• Opinion
    Why only appreciate teachers one week a year? Support should be a default when it comes to those guiding our youth through both quadratic functions and a variety of hormonal meltdowns.
  8. The guilt spiral of tipping in 2023
    May 5• Opinion
    Have tips gotten out of hand? Let's explore.
  9. Requiem for Bed Bath & Beyond
    May 2• Opinion
    Bed Bath & Beyond is going through bankruptcy and several South Florida stores have already closed.
  10. Drag is awesome. The callous Florida Legislature should check it out.
    April 27• Opinion
    Miss Koro of St. Petersburg displays a sign and cheers when speeches are given during the Drag Queen’s March at Cascades Park on Tuesday in Tallahassee.
  11. Ron DeSantis needs more exciting Disney threats
    April 21• Opinion
    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a news conference at the Reedy Creek Administration Building on Monday in Lake Buena Vista.
  12. In one Florida book ban, sense beat censorship. But what’s next?
    April 19• Opinion
    Natasha Shirer, on left, Tina Gudovic and Katherine Zervoudakis, all 17 and all juniors in the IB program at Palm Harbor University High School, hold their copies of the Toni Morrison novel "The Bluest Eye" while getting their picture made at the end of the Pinellas County School Board meeting, at 301 4TH St. SW on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023 in Largo.
  13. What it’s like on the Jolley Trolley’s ‘World’s Largest Brew Crawl’
    April 19• Life & Culture
    Best friends Laura Tannehill, Kathleen Gibbs, Denise Prost, Monica Dunavan and Karen Nemec of St. Louis, Missouri, enjoy a ride on the Clearwater Jolley Trolley’s Brew Crawl on Sunday.
  14. Are you there, God? Margaret is right on time amid Florida book bans.
    April 14• Opinion
    Rachel McAdams and Abby Ryder Fortson in "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret."
  15. As Tampa Bay weather heats up, say goodbye to these 5 things
    April 11• Opinion
    Dahlia the Corgi poses while her owners, Skye Tonnesen and Chris Scott, enjoy the weather at the Davis Island Dog Beach in Tampa in 2022.
  16. Let Swifties have their joy!!!
    April 7• Opinion
    Taylor Swift reacts after finishing a song during her first sold-out concert of three nights at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on March 31.
  17. ‘Ruby Bridges,’ parental rights and Florida’s deepening shame
    April 4• Opinion
    U.S. deputy marshals escort 6-year-old Ruby Bridges from William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans in this November 1960 file photo.
  18. As the St. Petersburg Stamp Club turns 100, why collecting lives on
    April 1• Life & Culture
    Collectors go through and find stamps for their collections at the St. Pete Stamp Club on March 25 in St. Petersburg.
  19. If only the Michelangelo mess in a Florida school was surprising
    March 24• Opinion
    Michelangelo's "David."
  20. Parking in Tampa Bay is such a ripoff
    March 24• Opinion
    Fans tailgate and mingle ahead of a Bucs game against the Dallas Cowboys near Bucs Beach on Jan. 16 in Tampa.
  21. Spring break 2023 is over, Tampa Bay. Reality is back.
    March 21• Opinion
    Welcome back! Did you miss them?
  22. Real question: Did millennials and Gen X drink water as children?
    March 14• Opinion
    The Kool-Aid Man, who raised us.
  23. Hey, Tampa Bay. Spring breakers are here to vacation where we live.
    March 10• Life & Culture
    People wait to claim their luggage at Tampa International Airport on Thursday.
  24. Florida is being run by 1980s movie bullies
    March 7• Opinion
    The Florida Legislature getting to work.