About Us

In December 1945, C. Blythe Andrews re-opened the doors of the Florida Sentinel newspaper at 1511 Central Avenue. The original Florida!@

Sentinel was founded in 1919, In Jacksonville, Florida by Mr. Andrews’ father, General William W. Andrews. The newspaper folded during the Great Depression.
In 1959, Mr. Andrews bought the Tampa Bulletin, merging the two papers, becoming the Tampa Florida Sentinel Bulletin. With a staff of seven, consisting of his wife, John, two sons, C. Blythe, Jr. and W.W. (now a physician) and 3 others, the one-time weekly began publishing twice weekly.
In 1962, due to Urban Renewal, The Sentinel office was moved to its present location, 2207 C. Blythe Andrews Road. Mr. Andrews remained the publisher until his health failed in 1976. His son, C. Blythe Andrews, Jr., became editor-in-chief after his father’s death on April 2, 1977.
In December 1996, Mr. Andrews Jr., turned over the reins of publisher to his daughter, S Kay Andrews and his son C. Blythe lll, became president and comptroller, Mrs. Gwendolyn Hayes was named editor.
The Sentinel has been serving the Tampa community for 70 plus years.It is the only African-American publication a in Florida that prints twice weekly and owns all its own printing equipment. The Sentinel distributes throughout the U.S. through subscriptions, and has door-to-door and news rack sales in Hillsborough, Pasco, Polk and Pinellas counties.