Life and politics from the Sunshine State's best city

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Joe Henderson - page 8

Joe Henderson has 239 articles published.

Joe Henderson has had a 45-year career in newspapers, including the last nearly 42 years at The Tampa Tribune. He covered a large variety of things, primarily in sports but also including hard news. The two intertwined in the decade-long search to bring Major League Baseball to the area. Henderson was also City Hall reporter for two years and covered all sides of the sales tax issue that ultimately led to the construction of Raymond James Stadium. He served as a full-time sports columnist for about 10 years before moving to the metro news columnist for the last 4 ½ years. Henderson has numerous local, state and national writing awards. He has been married to his wife, Elaine, for nearly 35 years and has two grown sons – Ben and Patrick.

Joe Henderson: Sunshine law should remind leaders that people of Florida are citizens, not serfs

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

The irony of the state Constitutional Revision Commission trying to avoid sunshine laws is almost too rich to describe. If allowed to happen, that would be a dark day indeed. But that’s exactly what CRC Chair Carlos Beruff is proposing, even as the commission continues a series of town hall meetings designed to take public input into the process. Beruff, who ran a bare-knuckles campaign for the Republican nomination in the 2016 U.S. Senate race but ultimately crashed when Marco Rubio…

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Joe Henderson: Jeff Brandes’ push for criminal justice reform just makes sense

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

State Sen. Jeff Brandes has the right idea. No politician wants to be tagged with the label of weak on crime, but with Florida’s prison system costing taxpayers more than $2 billion a year, maybe there is a better and more reasonable way to deal with some lawbreakers. Give Brandes, a Republican, credit, not only for his willingness to explore those options but also bucking the trend in his own party while doing so. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently…

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Joe Henderson: Frank Deford’s passing deserves a moment of pause and reflection

in Apolitical/Top Headlines by

There are important things going on in the state today; I probably should pay more attention to them. Will Gov. Rick Scott wield his veto pen? The nation’s policy on Cuba is attracting attention; 55 U.S. senators signed a letter urging travel restrictions on visits to that island nation be lifted. That stuff, and more, will still be there tomorrow. Right now, though, I want to talk about Frank Deford. He died Sunday at his winter home in Key West.…

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Joe Henderson: If some Democrats don’t care about ‘issues’ maybe that’s leaders’ fault

in 2017/Top Headlines by

Um, Sally Boynton Brown? If you’re trying to explain why Democratic voters didn’t turn out in sufficient numbers last November to deliver Florida to Hillary Clinton, I suggest a different approach than saying basically “they don’t get it.” That’s not a direct quote from the newly hired executive director of the Florida Democratic Party, but it is the essence of her intemperate remarks at a progressive caucus gathering in Broward County. The Miami New Times, on the scene at the…

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Joe Henderson: When NFL suddenly needed a Super host, it knew who to call

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

It wasn’t luck that Tampa was selected Tuesday to host its fifth Super Bowl. When the National Football League learned the new stadium being built in Los Angeles won’t be ready in time for the game in 2021, it had to find a city not only ready to step in on short notice, but one with a proven record of excellence. Tampa checks all the boxes, and that’s because the team Rob Higgins has assembled at the Tampa Bay Sports…

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Joe Henderson: FDOT’s Tampa Bay transit plan has new name, but really needs new ideas

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

Transportation issues in the Tampa Bay area have been well-documented and they will get worse before they get better — assuming, of course, “better” ever comes. The Florida Department of Transportation wanted to attack the problem with a plan called Tampa Bay Express, or TBX. I’ll simplify: It called for building more roads, including 90 miles of highway people would have to pay tolls to use. A lot of people hated that idea and they raised such a ruckus that…

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Joe Henderson: We already term limits. They’re called ‘elections’

in Statewide/Top Headlines by

I am not a fan of term limits. I understand the argument from those who say we need a law that limits the power of incumbency. They say the longer a politician stays in office, the more likely they are to accumulate so much recognition and money that it becomes almost impossible to beat them. What they’re really saying is that voters need protection from themselves. I have a problem with that because it still comes down to this basic…

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