My Hard Times in Tampa

The Sunsets Are Still Free, But Economic Change Has High Costs

 

We hear so much about presidential candidates–and so little about life in the states that elect them. In “Beyond the Circus,” writers take us off the trail and give us glimpses of politically important places. Today, Tampa.

At some point in late 2009, my young daughter became concerned about all the stores and restaurants closing in our neighborhood. She used the line she uses to this day to express concern–“there’s one thing I’m a little worried about”–and then went on to explain her worry that we’d wake up one day to …