TAMPA, Fla. — What is an influencer? While the word may conjure images of 20-something semi-celebrities hawking makeup to their even younger fans, this corner of the social media world is so much more than catering to millennials with disposable income.

If you see a T-shirt you like online, you’ve been influenced. If you hit your feed looking for a new restaurant to try out, you’re being influenced. If you learn about a new cause or charity you’d like to support, that’s influence.

What You Need To Know

  • Social media influencers come in a variety of ages, hobbies and styles

  • Tampa Bay is home to many successful Instagram influencers

Like most major metros, Tampa Bay has its own fair share of online personalities trying to stand out from the crowd. From mommy bloggers to food stylists and beyond, here’s a diverse list of 10 of the area’s most popular Instagram accounts.

CARLTON WARD

 
 
 
 
 
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A large male Florida black bear stops to drink from a swamp creek at Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge. This photo is from earlier in the @pathofthepanther project with @insidenatgeo at one of my favorite camera trap sites. This summer the rains have been slow to start and this section of swamp connected to the Fakahatchee is still dry. I haven’t seen it stay dry that long since 2015. That should change any week now. I’ve fallen in love with South Florida’s ever-changing swamps. And of course I love the bears who live there. Seeing them in my photos and videos motivates me to work harder to inspire protection of the Florida Wildlife Corridor. There is still a connected habitat network that can allow these southern bears to occasionally travel and breed with bears in Central Florida, which can still travel and breed with bears in North Florida. But those connections will soon be lost to development if we don’t accelerate the pace of land conservation. Check out @pathofthepanther and @fl_wildcorridor to learn more. #everglades #bear #floridawild #keepflwild @usfws

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National Geographic photographer and wildlife activist Ward has amassed a huge Instagram following on the strength of his captivating images of Florida flora and fauna. 

THE BRAMFAM

Family vlogger Bramty Juliette is probably better known for documenting her clan's daily lives on YouTube, but this Instagram account is a lively and touching companion... and a great place to showcase merchandise by the family, which is rumored to now be worth more than $1 million.

JEN BURBY

 
 
 
 
 
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Howdy! My name is Jen. I like going to fancy restaurants and ordering filet mignon, but am just as content killing a bag of cheddar and sour cream Lays in my living room. I didn’t grow up fancy and because of that, I’d rather hang with down-to-earth people than other pretentious people in the same profession as me. I once got turned down from a waitressing job at Red Lobster because I didn’t know how many pints were in a quart. My first car (in 1998) was a 1986 Ford Escort that didn’t have air conditioner and literally jumped when I hit 35 MPH. If I’m in a dive bar and Sweet Child of Mine comes on the jukebox, I’ll lose my mind. I enjoy my job, but routinely fantasize about traveling Route 66 in a vintage Airstream. I am enjoying not having anything scheduled during quarantine and making my kids learn how to entertain themselves instead of me micro managing their social lives. I am 38 years old and still wear zit cream and a retainer at night. I love my kids, but occasionally hide from them. Where my tribe at? 🙌🏻🤗

A post shared by Florida Family • Jen Burby (@champagnesupernovablog) on

Attorney and mom Jen Burby runs the blog The Champagne Supernova, where she dishes on everything from organic wine to what books she's currently reading.

LAUREN SCHWEC

This young entrepreneur helps other influencers maintain their own stylish, high-profile social media presences through her company Social Curation.

CHEF TONY

Chef Tony, who works at Tampa’s Thai Prime, fills his feed with mouth-wateringly stylized presentations of sushi and other dishes. Don’t scroll hungry.

TIFFANY ROSE

 
 
 
 
 
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Tropical Vibes 💜💖 _ Please tag the brands below! _ Products used: @morphebrushes 24a artist pass palette @ilmakiage foundation and concealer @benefitcosmetics precisely my brow pencil @hudabeautyshop demi matte "mogul" @iconalashes "make him miss me" _ #creativemakeup #springmakeup #glammakeup #underratedmuas #benefitcosmetics #makeupjunkie #morphebrushes #makeupartist #makeupdolls #hudabeauty #featuremuas #makeuplover #powerofmakeup #makeupartistworldwide #allmodernmakeup #morphebabe #summermakeup #1minutemakeup #makeupart #makeupoftheday #maryhadalittleglam #wakeupandmakeup #pinkmakeup #makeupvideos #beautyinfluencer #tampainfluencer #maximalists #tampamakeup

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This young Tampa resident is firmly within the health-and-beauty influencer space, and specializes in unique and exotic makeup looks.

ST. PETE FOODIES

This popular account and Facebook group reviews the latest and greatest amid the 'Burg's thriving restaurant scene, with delicious images to boot.

NINA WINTERS

Tampa Bay resident and international award-winning bronze sculptor Winters shows off her evocative works of art in this account.

BRITTANY ABAJIAN

Abajian's colorful "Style Me Britt" Insta feed splits the difference between family, lifestyle and fashion.

MATTHEW MCGEE

He doesn’t have the largest number of followers on this list, but actor, comedian and drag performer McGee is beloved by a wide swatch of Bay area theatergoers. The Scott and Patti shows he puts on with his “son”—played by Scott Daniel—are legendary for their music, comedy and ribaldry, and his Insta feed is a constant source of feel-good fun.