In what one long-term observer of city politics said was the most diverse inauguration ceremony ever, Bob Buckhorn today was officially sworn in as the next mayor of Tampa.

Speaking to an overflow crowd at the Tampa Convention Center, Buckhorn was sworn in by former Hillsborough County Judge and prosecutor E.J. Salcines, with wife Cathy Lynch Buckhorn and daughters Grace and Colleen by his side. He then delivered a ten-minute address, much of it culled from the basic stump speech he gave at the conclusion of mayoral forums and expanded on in his victory speech ten days ago.

One of Buckhorn's largest applause lines came when he celebrated the diversity inside the Convention Center, saying, "Look around this room: Black, white, Hispanic, young, not so young, gays, straights, affluent and those who aspire to be that, men, women, white-collar, green-collar, blue-collar, male, female, Muslim, Christian, Jew, a city united by something bigger than just itself."

But he quickly segued into discussing the serious challenges that he inherits. "The housing market is weak, take home pay not keeping pace," he said. "City revenues declining. A $20 million budget deficit looming. Those are our challenges. Those are our circumstances. But circumstances are not destiny. Destiny is made, it is not dictated."

This article appears in Mar 31 – Apr 6, 2011.