Editorial Writer

I grew up in Tampa, a fourth-generation Hillsborough resident, and did everything from bag groceries and mow yards to work in a funeral home. After college, I covered state and local government for The Ledger in Lakeland, and came to the then-St. Petersburg Times in 1996 after five years as a projects reporter at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Covering the city where I was raised is like watching a split screen; big wins still require connections and respect for local traditions. My wife, Sue, and I live in Riverside Heights with our Lab, Finnegan.