HIL-CO 73
Warren Cason
55 pages- Open
June 12 & August 1, 2000

Cason talks about How he came to work with James McEwen as a partner in the firm of McEwen
& Cason (pages 1-3). He talks about how he left the law firm and opened up the Brandon State
Bank in January, 1961 (pages 4-5). He describes how his bank came to be part of Sun Bank
(pages 5-6), and goes on to explain how Sun Bank merged with Trust Company of Georgia to
become known as Sun Trust Bank (pages 6-7).

Cason talks about politics in the Hillsborough County area (pages 9-10). He discusses the plans
for transportation expansion that went on in the late 1950s and early 1960s (pages 10-11). He
talks about the primaries of the election of 1960 (pages 11-12). He discusses the Farris Bryant
campaign in Hillsborough County. He talks about who was working with him and who was
working against him (pages 13-15). He talks about the members on the Road Board and his own
term on the Road Board (pages 15-17). Carson describes the other elections he was involved in
over the years (pages 18-21).

Carson describes the crime scene in Tampa during the 1950s. He talks about the underground
gambling practice and the Mafia (pages 22-23). He talks about Sam Davis being a crime-buster
in Tampa at that time (pages 23-24). He recounts the growth of Tampa beginning with the
creation of a sanitary sewer district about 1954 (pages 24-26). He talks about his experience as
city attorney for the city of Tampa (pages 26-27).

Carson talks about his term on the Florida Road Board beginning in 1961 (pages 27-32). He
talks about how they paid off the Sunshine Skyway bridge (pages 29-31). He discusses the
peoples' feelings about Interstate 4 being built so close to town (pages 31-33). Carson talks
about the I-4 merge with 1-75 and how it came to need expanding (page 33-35). He describes
one preacher in particular who had a big problem with this road expansion (pages 35-56). He
talks about the changes to the roads in Tampa during this time and the battles and planning they
went through to get those changes (pages 36-40). He discusses the planners and the engineers
that worked on these roads (pages 40-42).

Cason talks about how urban renewal affected the different neighborhoods at the time (pages 42-
43). He discusses the issues they had and are having with the portion of 1-275 that has Tampa
International Airport on it and the expansion expectations everyone has (page 43-45). Cason
talks about the Tampa Port Authority and the transportation issues it brings (pages 45-47). He
discusses George B. Howell and the influence he had on shipping and banking in the Tampa area
(pages 47-49). He talks about the banks in the south and the pros and cons they had on society
(pages 49-52). Cason discusses the large developments in Tampa, particularly the airport, and
some of the issues people had with the developments being where they were (pages 52-55).