Evening Independent

This article is about the former Florida newspaper. For the Ohio newspaper once known as The Evening Independent, seeThe Independent (Massillon).

The Evening Independent

The front page of the final edition of The Evening Independent on November 7, 1986
Type	Daily newspaper
Founded	November 1907
Ceased publication	November 1986
OCLCnumber	2720408

TheEvening IndependentwasSt. Petersburg, Florida's first daily newspaper.The sister evening newspaper of theSt. Petersburg Times,it was launched as a weekly newspaper in March 1906 under the ownership of Willis B. Powell. In November 1907, it became a daily paper as theSt. Petersburg Evening Independent.

The newspaper was known for its "Sunshine Offer", which was first enacted in 1910 byLew Brownas a way to publicize St. Petersburg as "The Sunshine City". The paper offered copies free following days without sunshine in St. Petersburg. From 1910 until the paper folded in 1986, theEvening Independentmade good on its offer 296 times.

TheEvening Independentwas acquired by theTimesin 1962, when its previous owner, theThomsonnewspaper chain, threatened to close it down.Roy Thomsonhad originally bought theIndependentso he would have a place to moor his yacht.

TheEvening Independentwas merged into theTimesin November 1986, initially as part of theTimes's"City Times and Independent" section; the "Independent" name would soon be dropped.

Every issue of theEvening Independent,along with theTimes,is available for viewing onGoogle News Archive.