the city's housing chief Steve lions. A judge ruled the votes
 <~ ~ LaBrake was convicted of con- were miscounted, he said, and
 piracy, wire fraud and accept- the next year they changed
 mng bribes and gratuities, and the voting method from punch
 wentto jil.cards to electronic screens.
 VVVIFFAW"I was always a fighter," Joe In 2000, he switched parWAZ ANO said. "The on thing about Joe ties from Democrat to RepubK Robinson is that I'm coming lican and ran against former
 Dozens of cardboard boxes Then an occupational test the family. They really helped after you until I'm dead in the Mayor Pam Iorio for the Superand plastic storage bins are directed him toward another me grow my engineering ca- grave. I'm going to get justice. visor of Elections job, a race he stacked throughout Joe Robin- career track: engineer. reer." I was raised up with all that also lost. He joined a group of
 son's West Tampa living room When he got his results, he Fr~om TECO he headed to Superman stuff: truth, justice Democrats in a lawsuit against and there are even more in asked, "'What the hell is an en- Tallahassee, where he took a and the American way." the Supervisor of Elections
 other areas of the home, he gineer? I thought an engineer position as assistant superin- He added, "I'm like the that year as well.
 said. drives the train.' tendent of production. black Joe Redner. I just don't He also ran and lost
 Each box is filled with pa- He added, "There were no "I was' the second-highest have his kind of money." twice for the Hillsborough
 perwork documenting decades role models in [Tampa]. There ranking black in the city," he Joe has since liquidated all County School Board.
 of court cases and run-ins was nobody I could go talk to said. of his property in Ybor City But his tenacity and comwith various organizations, when I was in high school and But once again, he faced and Belmont Heights, but still mitment to the community businesses and other entities, ask what an engineer was." many- prejudices, he said. owns a significant amount of didn't go unnoticed. Gov. Jeb predominantly with the City of But the results of the test "I couldn't believe it. I left property in West Tampa. He's Bush appointed him to the Tampa over housing issues in didn't surprise him. TECO and I'm up here with also president and CEO of his Southwest Florida Water Manthe 1980s and 1990s, he said. "I was always good at math that redneck, good ol' boy own engineering consulting agement District's Northwest While he keeps. them -stuff," he said. firm, RHC and Associates, Inc. Hillsborough Basin Board
 partially to cover O A fl_ U* lflHe got involved Ironically, one of his big- and Hillsborough River Basin
 his ~ ~ ~ ot legalso baete- - wt h oa hp et clients has been the City Board, helping reserve millions
 59-year-old engineer ter of the National of Tampa. in grants* for Tampa. He was
 also has another Association for the "I told them, 'You'd better also appointed to the county'Is
 reason: One day he Advancement of Col- wear two hats with -me,' he Charter Review Board.
 plans to write a tell- ored People (NAACP) said. "I'll file an FBI complaint "That was the closest I'm
 all book about the when, a black work- with you, or sue you, or you're going to get to an elected officorruption he's wit- er was electrocuted going down and will be embar- cial run for me," he said.
 nessed in the city. .on the job. He even- rassed." Joe switched back to the
 "When I hit 65, I'll tulywsltg n i u-ins with the city Democratic Party in 2012,
 start writing it," he filed a discrimina- inspired Joe to run for public shortly before the Republican
 said. "In the mean- lolasiagainst office several times, though he National Convention came to
 time,. I'm just going the city, which was never won. town. He resigned from the
 to maintain all MY settled out of court. When he ran for City. Coun- party when they wouldn't work
 documents." By 1986, he was cil in 1995, Joe was disquall- with. him to involve more miBorn -in Lake- back in Tampa and fled from the race the day of nority businesses in the event,
 land, Robinson was toko rpry the election because he ac- he said.
 raised -in Tampa. His manager duties for cidentally signed up to run Today, he -serves as the
 mother, Thelma A. the homes owned by for District 6 though he really first vice president of the local
 Robinson, an edu- Ihis family. This led lie nDsrc .NAPcater. He's considercator who worked to a long-term legal That's when they institut- ing a run for president of the
 in Pinellas County battle with the City ed what he calls "The Robin- group in 2015..
 Sch Iools for 44 years, of Tampa. son Rule," which verifies that And he often mulls over all
 first brought Joe and When Mayor candidates live in the districts he's seen and done throughout
 his siblings two sis- Sandy Freedman where they sign up to run for his colorful life, and continues
 ters and a brother -, took office that same office. to organs the paperwork he's
 to Tampa's Central year, the city be- "In the headline in the [Tam- amassed for the book he hopes
 Park neighborhood gan using eminent pa] Tribune, the top says 'Greco to eventually write. thn
 in .1958. They later Adomain and other wins another election' and the He also knows onethn
 purchased a home tactics to acquire bottom half says, 'Candidate with absolute certainty: he rein West Tampa, Joe property owned by misses election by 100 feet,' grets nothing
 said, moving into minorities in the he said. "It's 100 feet from [my "You either like me or you
 "what everybody city, Joe said. Much home] to Armenia Avenue [the hate me in this town. There
 calls the Scaglione, of this property tak- border of the two districts.]" ain't no in between," He said.
 house on West Pal- en by the city was He lost a second bid for City "I don't care. I'm going to do
 mnetto Street in 1962, later redeveloped in Council in 1999 and filed a suit what I have to do. _. I am a'
 where he still lives "I'm like the black Joe Redner. I just don't Tampa Heights and against the Supervisor of Elec- fighter. I do not go down."
 today. "have his kind of money." parts of Ybor City, in ___________ __________Despite it being a particular the Hills- Dies
 deed-restricted area "The ab- and science," he said. It just borough County Community "The Costantino family haDivrs
 stract says no one of African- happened that he was also College, he added, been doing business in $5,000 Sign-On Bonus! Great
 American descent can stay "good at running my mouth "The city used aggressive Ybor City since 1906" Pay! Consistent Freight, Great
 there," he said the family was and communicating. Most en- code enforcement [because] Miles on this Regional Accouht.
 able to move into the house. gineers couldn't do that." they wanted to acquire prop- Werner Enterprises:
 because of the ties Clarence Once he switched majors, erty," he said. "[The City] came 1-855-517-2507
* Robinson, Joe's stepfather, he saw his GPA improve dras- up with a scam to use code
 had with Nick Scaglione. tically. After graduating with a enforcement liens to run upMeiaTchogst
 Thelma slowly began to ac- B.S. in mechanical engineering fines" against land ownersMeiaTchogst
 quire more property through- in 1977, he briefly worked for whose property they wanted to ~,in Lutz, FL:
 out Ybor City, West Tampa 'Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rap- acquire. .Perform all diagnostic testing and
 and Belmont Heights. At one ids, designing circuit boards, Personally, Joe racked up ,,quality controls; prepare reagents,
 point, she owned as many as before returning to Florida at millions of dollars in fines from' report results according to estab40 houses, which were rented the request of his mother. the City. lished policies anid procedures;
 for additional income. While helping Thelma man- -"It literally bankrupted mi e FRAN COSTANTINO review and oversee moderate to
 "She wanted to build wealth Age the family's properties, Joe four or five times to stop it," BROKER high complexity testing. Night shift.
 for her family dbwn the road," began searching for an engi- he said. "I went all the way ~ OWeek nights vary. Requires work
 Joe said. "She's a very smart neering job in Tampa Bay. Fol- down -and I was living off $20 IOS ANINO every other weekend. Requires
 -woman." lowing a stint at Honeywell, he a week. They were targeting M PCOMPANY Eligibility for Florida Medical TechWhen Joe 'attended Tam-. landed at the Tampa Electric us because we were Afnican- '-~-'nologist License:' Mail resumes to:
 REAL ESTATE SERVICES S.Jsp' optl 01W r
 pa-area schools in the 1960s, Company in November 1978. 'American and we were build-S.Jsp'Hoitl301WDr
 many were just starting to be- "I can thank TECO for help- ing wealth." Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Tampa,
 come integrated. He first at- ing me launch my career in en- So he started fighting back, 2216 4TH AVE. E. FL 33607, Attn: Angel Brown.tended the all-black St. Peter gineering," he said. he said, both on his own and TAMPAP,FL 33605
 Claver School, for which the While at TECO, Joe earned through a group he helped.Pao-ernd
 family converted to Catholi- his Professional Engineering form, Property Rights Protec- PHONE: 813 241-6767 COMMUNITY COLLEGE
 cism, in order to attend, then licens e in 1982, served as lead tion Group, Inc. Reference Librarian (Job # 0355)
 moved on to St. Joseph Catho- over teams of engineers and "There were millions in FAX: f813-241-6858 Srn ilCmu
 lic School and eventually Tamn- worked on multi-million-dollar liens," Joe said, "and we chal- oSco rn Comit Colepu CC
 pa Catholic High School. projects. lenged them, these illegal col- is now accepting applications. For more
 "We were one of the first But Joe left the company in lections." information and to apply online visit our
 blacks to go there," Joe said. 1985 following his allegations He couldn't always afford CITY OF TAMPAwestotwwpced/o.Th
 "We helped integrate a lot of of racial discrimination at the an attorney, so he did meticu- PUCAaGDPRMN pplication closing dote is 1/24/14. THE
 places in this city." state's energy powerhouse. lous research to learn as much INVITATION TO BID COLLEGE IS CLOSED JANUARY 20 IN
 He excelled in both academ- He was awarded a severance as he could for his own legal Pursuant to Chapter 69-1119, Special OBSERVANCE OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER
 ics and track in high school, package for dropping a lawsuit defense. After 15 years, his Acts, Laws of Florida, sealed Bids will KING, JR. DAY. EOE/ADA Compliance
 He holds the school record in against the company, he said. personal litigation with the city be received by the Director of Purchasthe 100-yard-dash 9.8 sec- "I wanted to be the presi- was finally settled in 2000. Ing, City of Tampa, In his office until:
 onds to this day because the dent of TECO," he said.. "I "I went to rock bottom fight- 3:00 PM ON 1/27/14 __________race was discontinued, wanted to be on the board of ing the city," he said. "I'm still FORD REPLACEMENT PARTS ---Afte grduaingfro Ta- drectrs.Tha dram ameto eelig te efecs o tht lng- then and thereafter to be publicly After raduaing fom Ta- director That ream ame t feelngopenedfeandofread.lngBidendocuments. BareocClinical Cl Pharmacistaistin pa Catholic in 1972, he went an end when I saw the dis- term denying us the opportu- available at the Purchasing Departon to the University of Iowa. crimination going on." nity to make a living and own ment (Phone No. 813/274-8351). Tampa, FL:
 "ymom stressed educa- Still, he likens the company a business. Still catching up it Is hereby made a part of this Prevents, identifies, and resolves
 "M nvitation to Bid that the submission of inrinr mhmqtaqqp