The Ybor City Stogie

Join us Today, 11–3

2026-03-21T11:01:00.000-04:00

Dear Stogie,

I’ll be joining from afar with a Bloody Mary in hand.

Columbia Restaurant, Ybor City, Tampa

11am-3pm today.

Honoring Julio Rodriguez.

Peace,

Asher

War with Iran? No thank you!

2026-03-17T18:11:00.001-04:00

Dear Stogie,

I won’t weep over the Ayatollah’s demise. I will, however, state my strong opposition to the war — from the “President of Peace” who decried President Obama who he thought was going to go to war with Iran.

You know what a chickenhawk is, right? I learned this from Jesse Ventura. Hint: Donald Trump is a chickenhawk! Too chicken to enlist and is war hungry as a politician with the lives of soldiers in his hands!

Someone who cheerleads war and military conflicts while having never served in a war zone, let alone in the military. Glad to see the term catching on with folks like Rep. Pat Ryan from NY. Use it. A lot.

As bad as the Iranian theocracy was, as much as they have funded horrible militant groups around the world, what will come from the ashes? How long will this war last? And how will post Japan/Germany nation building be any different from the failures we have seen time and time again? War is a racket.

Peace,

Asher

Julio Rodriguez, Celebration of Life

2026-03-04T11:26:00.006-05:00

Dear Stogie friends,

Please make it out on March 21st, 11am-3pm, to one of Julio’s favorites in all of Ybor, the Columbia Restaurant, where his own father once worked. Here is a message from his daughter, Gaby:

“Join us at the famed Columbia Restaurant to pay tribute to Julio Rodriguez, aka the Ybor City Stogie.

We'll be feasting on some of the Stogie's favorite foods in one of his favorite places, the Siboney Room. The Columbia held a special place in his heart, as it employed his father for 40 years, and served as his first job as a busboy, then bartender.

Come and go as you please from 11-3, and please bring a guest. The more, the merrier, as Julio enjoyed nothing more than a gathering of friends over excellent food and libations.

¡Viva la revolución! Stogie forever!

[Photo Credit: Kimberly DeFalco, 2019]”

With you in solidarity,

Asher

H.B. Plant High School Students VS ICE

2026-02-10T08:28:00.004-05:00

Let’s go, H.B. Plant kids!

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1CCcyoFuT5/?mibextid=wwXIfr

The first amendment in action. Hey MAGA contrarians, while they may be skipping class, they’re all actively getting a real time lesson (that many their age utterly snooze past) in the Bill of Rights!

Love to see this from my alma mater.

Peace,

Asher

Stogie Forever

2026-02-05T11:38:00.000-05:00

Dear friends,

https://medium.com/@kate_connolly/stogie-forever-114b4ab4307f

Please take time to read this thoughtful, tear jerking tribute to our beloved friend, Julio. It really encapsulates who he was and this is definitely one to read. It even comes with photographic evidence!

It was written by the incredible Kate Connolly, a dynamic consultant and leader who, like me, has been lucky enough to get to know Julio on a personal level.

Peace and Stogie FOREVER,

Asher

Keep the Stogie Lit

2026-02-05T11:13:00.001-05:00

Dear friends,

I cannot and will not accept letting the Stogie vanish by the wayside. Over the years, my involvement as a contributor has been sporadic due to my own schedule, however I feel the need to put in my dues to keep this wonderful blog alive.

That is precisely what Julio would want. If you are a leftist, and want to share news through this medium, or Ybor culture, please comment on this post. I need to communicate to find out how to work this; I am unclear on how to invite new contributors, and how to handle the management of this blog. That was Julio’s job. Like I said, I need to do a little digging relatively soon.

In the meantime, I will share and do my best to post as regularly as I can to this blog. Let’s keep the Ybor City Stogie lit.

Peace,

Asher

Julio Rodriguez: Father, Friend, Revolutionary

2026-02-02T14:10:00.002-05:00

Hello Tampa friends,

It is my deepest regret to announce the passing of Julio Rodriguez, a Tampeño legend and the founder of the Ybor City Stogie.

Julio and I met on a bus on the way to a Fight for 15 protest. He had his revolutionary sword — his quintessential camera — and over the next few years a cross generational friendship evolved. It spanned the hard fought campaigns of activist politicians such as Pat Kemp, Mariella Smith, Sky White, and Andrew Gillum. It traversed many up in smoke trips to Ybor City, in and out of fine establishments such as the Reservoir and NY NY Pizza (where we would often meet up with Glen Eich and Candy Lowe). It led him to the incredible adventure when Julio volunteered to drive me (and my two cats, and hedgehog) in a 20 foot U-Haul towing my old Chevy HHR from Tampa all the way up to Bennington when I made my interstate move. Julio was the definition of a mensch.

I recall Julio would always offer people experiencing homelessness some money merely for the opportunity to take a photograph of them; to encapsulate Tampa’s forgotten, lost, and most marginalized souls. Julio truly cared for marginalized people, and believed in progressive values, as well as democratic socialism. Julio would tell me stories of his Cuban roots and of his father who worked in the famed Columbia Restaurant.

Julio was big on riding the bus and advocating for public transit in Tampa. In the 2019 mayoral election, Julio and I started a last minute campaign to push for the Stogie’s mascot “Lenny” to a mayoral candidate to run against Castor and Straz. No write in option for the general election, unfortunately, much to my dismay. Julio sent me off to Vermont with a “Tampa Berner” shirt seeing as we both were supporter of Bernie’s. Julio used his power of photography and blogging to support many a genuine issue.

After the advocate for sex workers, Syd Eastman, passed away, Julio took it upon himself to ensure her memory preserved by creating a Sydney Eastman Courage Award to courageous individuals who supported empowering causes. And, Julio has used this very blog, the Stogie, to promote goodness and resistance to the kinds of evil we see now being perpetrated against people by a corrupt government.

Julio did not particularly like having his picture taken. I insisted on it a few times, during our last visits when I had flown down to Tampa. For him, it was more about the cause than it EVER was about him. That speaks volumes about Julio.

Gosh, I so wanted him to meet my son, and to see real progressives like AOC take command of our country’s deteriorating situation. Turn it from the brink. I believe we owe it to Julio to keep this going. Vote, organize, resist, inform, and when we need to, viva la revolution.

What more could I say? That I wish with all of my heart that I could have Julio come up to Bennington once more for a drink at Kevin’s? To go to one more protest with him? Share your thoughts, memories, and stories. Honor his memory. I am heartbroken and it will take some time to digest this news. Please keep Julio’s family in your thoughts.

Damn, I am going to miss you, Julio. Seemed like only days ago you were liking posts of mine (with my son, I think) on Facebook. This news hurts.

With a heavy heart,

Asher Edelson

¡Viva la humilde escriba!

Julio Rodriguez

05/27/56 — 01/30/26

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