Hillsborough County Commissioner Mark Sharpe's outspoken support of a transit tax in 2010 so angered some conservatives in the GOP that they "primaried" him — with Plant City Republican Josh Burgin challenging Sharpe in his re-election bid in August of that year.
Sharpe survived, but the tax did not, going down to a resounding defeat a few months later.
Since that time, even mentioning the words "light rail" has almost seemed verboten among county commissioners, which is why so much has been made about new discussions regarding transportation options that began last month between Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, the mayors of Plant City and Temple Terrace, and the County Commissioners.
The renewed talk is apparently already starting to concern fiscal conservatives. At HART's meeting on Monday morning, the un-elected Burgin (he was appointed to the transportation agency's board by Governor Rick Scott) expressed concerns about the likelihood that a new tax proposal could be in the making. If a new tax plan was in the works, he told county commissioners on the board, he hoped the proposal wouldn't be "too offensive" and turn off conservatives like himself.
This article appears in May 30 – Jun 5, 2013.