Tampa Bay’s community radio station, WMNF, is providing free air time to candidates

Political signage outside the West Tampa Library in Tampa, Florida on Aug. 17, 2026. Credit: Ray Roa / Creative Loafing Tampa Bay It’s a tradition started by the late Rob Lorei, WMNF’s long-time news director: before elections we provide a platform for candidates to record a short message that we will play on the air. Each week, we will compile all the recent eligible recordings and play them on air during Community Speaks, which airs from 12:06 p.m. until 1:01 p.m. on Mondays on WMNF 88.5 FM (or the WMNF community radio app or on wmnf.org). Bookmark this page because if you miss the recordings when they air live you can listen to them on this page and see which candidates have made recordings. I’ll update it every Monday through Election Day. Candidates may leave a short voicemail at 813-819-7300. This is the outgoing message you will hear: “This is WMNF’s candidate recording line. As a public service, WMNF is giving free air time to candidates on the 2026 General Elect