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John Romano, Times Columnist

John Romano

Records have been destroyed and witnesses have gone missing, but Tampa Bay Times metro columnist John Romano would have you believe he was a product of the Pinellas County school system and the University of South Florida. He worked at the Evening Independent and the Palm Beach Post before being hired in the Times' sports department in 1985. Showing a remarkable lack of staying power, he has worked on beats covering USF, the University of Florida, Orlando Magic, Buccaneers and Rays before succeeding Hubert Mizell as a columnist in 2001. He became the metro columnist in 2012.

Email: romano@tampabay.com

Twitter: @Romano_TBTimes

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  1. Romano: Cutting food stamps sounds good to the guys wearing Gucci

    03/20/17PoliticsBy John Romano, Times Columnist

    This legislative crusade to take food stamps away from more than 200,000 Floridians seems to be motivated by two philosophical ideals:

    No. 1 — Limit spending.

    No. 2 — Nudge people toward self-sufficiency.

    Well, heck, who's going to argue with that? Lawmakers should always be careful when spending our tax dollars, and weaning people from government dependency is a no-brainer....

  2. Romano: The odd quality that separates Tampa Bay from most of America

    03/18/17PoliticsBy John Romano, Times Columnist

    We are divided, you and me.

    For that matter, so are you and a neighbor. You and a co-worker. Maybe even you and a family member.

    We, as a community in Tampa Bay, are about as divided as it gets in America.

    And that's not a bad thing. You might even say it's worth celebrating.

    I started thinking about this when I saw a headline on analyst Nate Silver's website fivethirtyeight.com the other day. It declared, "Purple America Has All But Disappeared.''...

  3. Romano: Bilirakis sees only what he wants to on health care law

    03/16/17PoliticsBy John Romano, Times Columnist

    Here's the problem with courage:

    It doesn't look good in small doses.

    You either have it all the time or you're faking it most of the time. And when your courage is dependent on convenience, people tend to notice.

    This is why Gus Bilirakis might want to brace himself for some sniping.

    The Republican congressman from North Pinellas got some well-deserved praise a few weeks ago when he stepped outside of Capitol Hill's safety zone and spent several uncomfortable weekends and nights listening to constituents talk about the country's health care laws....

    U.S. Rep. (R) Gus Bilirakis, left, along with U.S. Rep. (D) Kathy Castor talked to the audience about ongoing cancer research funding possibilities through a bi-partisan effort in Congress at the Moffitt Cancer Center's Stabile Research Building in Tampa in March 2016.

  4. Romano: Eliminating political interference would be a real teacher bonus

    03/13/17EducationBy John Romano, Times Columnist

    Two years later, we're still talking about teacher bonuses. As if this is the magical elixir that will suddenly lead to better schools, well-rounded students and happier lives.

    If you had not yet heard, the folks in Tallahassee are rolling out improvements to their "Best & Brightest" bonus plan for teachers. And by improvements, I mean upgrading the plan from truly idiotic to largely ineffective....

  5. Romano: Live with danger, or let go of a child?

    03/11/17 Human Interest By John Romano, Times Columnist

    It is a question with only one acceptable answer:

    What do you do when your children are in peril?

    You protect them. Always. Without hesitation and without remorse. That's supposed to be the deal when you become a parent. You should be willing to trade your happiness and health, if it comes to that, in exchange for their safety.

    Now let me ask you this:

    What do you do when your children are in peril . . . from one of your other kids?...

    Allison and Jeffrey Brown’s adopted nephew Nicholas was removed from their home last month after he threw a mirror at Allison and punched a wall.

  6. Romano: Lawmakers and utilities — once more into your wallets, dear friends

    03/08/17LegislatureBy John Romano, Times Columnist

    Think about the worst movie to ever come out of Hollywood.

    A film that was a proven disaster, without any redeeming value.

    And now imagine this:

    They're making a sequel.

    Apparently, that type of backward thinking went into a pair of energy bills being considered in the Florida Senate and House. Piggybacking on the billions of dollars that Florida customers lost on nuclear power gambles, there is now a pathway for the same kind of ripoff for fracking....

  7. Romano: It ain't my money, but MLS costs sound awfully high

    03/07/17 Local Government By John Romano, Times Columnist

    Kudos to the Tampa Bay Rowdies and owner Bill Edwards.

    So far, they've been spot-on in their quest to bring a Major League Soccer expansion team to the area. They've been up front about their intentions. They haven't tried to circumvent St. Pete's waterfront regulations. They intend on paying for Al Lang Stadium renovations themselves. They've even agreed to foot the bill for the May referendum on a potential 25-year lease with the city....

    The St. Petersburg City Council approved a May 2 referendum that would allow voters to decide whether to let the Tampa Bay Rowdies expand historic Al Lang Stadium to 18,000 seats. This artist's rendering shows a street view of what the expanded and upgraded Al Lang Stadium could look like. The Rowdies' goal is to position the franchise to make the jump to Major League Soccer in the coming years. [Courtesy of Tampa Bay Rowdies]

  8. Romano: The kid who went to prison has come home as a man

    03/04/17 Human Interest By John Romano, Times Columnist

    Redemption may or may not begin in a Waffle House off Interstate 75. This is the place Tim Kane chose last week for his first non-prison meal in 25 years. For 90 minutes, he sits and savors a lunch of greasy delight. There is no one to tell him chow time has ended.

    Or maybe it begins in a stuffy chamber in Tallahassee. This is the place officials gathered last fall to hear the pleas of prisoners seeking parole. In an extraordinary decision, they ignored an investigator's recommendation of a 2027 parole date and instead ordered Kane be released as soon as possible....

    Tim Kane gestures while discussing his past Friday, March 3, 2017, at a transition house in Tampa. At the age of 14, Kane, along with two other teenagers were convicted of murder. Kane was released from prison as part of the Second Chance for Children in Prison Act. Now 39, Kane will spend 18 months in transitional programs before being released in 2018. (CHRIS URSO | Times)

  9. For a Better Florida: Romano says welcome back to the lamest show on earth

    03/02/17LegislatureBy John Romano, Times Columnist

    In these, the final days of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, it is helpful to point out that you need not wear a bright orange wig and a red nose to have the heart of a clown.

    You need only be elected to the Florida House of Representatives.

    Yes, in this case, it is the sideshow that never ends. How many clowns can you squeeze into a Volkswagen? Not as many as you can get to sponsor a gun bill in the Florida House....

    Except for the big floppy shoes and red noses there are many similarities between the world-famous Clown Alley of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and the Florida House.

  10. Romano: Will we consider it justice if Curtis Reeves walks?

    03/02/17CourtsBy John Romano, Times Columnist

    Most people seem to think "stand your ground'' is a pretty good law.

    Politicians swear that's true, and the polls typically back up the concept. We like how it makes us feel safer. We like the idea that it gives us an upper hand against the bad guys.

    We like it right up until the moment we see someone else using it.

    When prosecutors drop charges against two teenagers allegedly involved in a gunbattle that left eight people wounded during a holiday parade, then "stand your ground'' seems a little nutty....

    Curtis Reeves Jr. takes the stand to testify during his "stand your ground" hearing at the Robert D. Sumner Judicial Center in Dade City, Florida, on Tuesday, February 28, 2017. Reeves, a retired Tampa Police Department captain, shot and killed Chad Oulson, 43, over the use of his cellphone during a confrontation inside the Cobb Grove 16 theaters in Wesley Chapel, Florida in 2014. [OCTAVIO JONES | Times] 


  11. Romano: Hey voters, Tallahassee wants to stiff you again

    02/28/17PoliticsBy John Romano, Times Columnist

    Remember that kid from the old neighborhood?

    The one who could never lose gracefully? When a game was over, he would always complain something wasn't fair, and if the rules weren't changed he was going home.

    You know what you call that kid today?

    A state legislator.

    Because it sure seems as if lawmakers have a wicked childish streak in them whenever they don't get their way....

  12. Romano: From the shadow of pill mills, a new drug crisis emerges in Tampa Bay

    02/24/17 Public Safety By John Romano, Times Columnist

    Their lives were surely greater than a medical examiner's final summation. You would think a world of hopes and memories were tucked safely away in every one of their hearts.

    And yet the stories told in investigative recaps sound like a bleak and repetitive nightmare:

    Found on the bathroom tile. Found in a friend's car. Found in a cheap hotel. A syringe nearby. Plastic baggies nearby. A straw nearby. Fifty-three years old. Thirty-four years old. Eighteen years old....

    Six years past the peak of the pill mill epidemic (this 2007 photo shows a victim of that crisis), Pinellas is going through another killer drug crisis.

  13. Romano: So I guess Twitter is Florida's new field of honor

    02/23/17PoliticsBy John Romano, Times Columnist

    Just so you know, this little skirmish between Gov. Rick Scott and Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran is not unprecedented.

    In fact, men of a certain conceit have been taking shots at each other for years in Florida. Sometimes, literally.

    Leigh Read, who was rumored to be the next leader of Florida's territorial legislature in 1839, got in the crosshairs of Augustus Alston because Read didn't think government money should bail out private business interests. And, no, I couldn't possibly make this up....

    This little skirmish between Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran, left, and Gov. Rick Scott is not unprecedented, John Romano writes. In fact, men of a certain conceit have been taking shots at each other for years in Florida. Sometimes, literally. [Times files]

  14. Romano: Bet you'd like to ride me out on a rail — except we don't have any

    02/20/17 Local Government By John Romano, Times Columnist

    Did you catch the special report on public transit in the Tampa Bay Times this weekend?

    Fascinating stuff, right? It took a boring topic and brought it to life with numbers, research and anecdotes. If you missed it, I highly recommend you look it up.

    In the meantime, I'll sum it up for you in three words:

    Dang, we're abnormal.

    Not just a little different, or slightly out of step. When it comes to mass transit, the Tampa Bay area is flirting with an off-the-charts approach compared to the rest of the country....

    5. Bus riders come and go recently at the Brandon Town Center Mall, a Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority transfer stop location.

  15. Romano: Doesn't medical marijuana deserve a free market too?

    02/18/17PoliticsBy John Romano, Times Columnist

    Around here, free market is the answer.

    And it doesn't even require an actual question.

    Education gap? Let the business community fix it. Health insurance? Keep the government out of it. Minimum wage? Leave it up to the job creators.

    Yes, free market competition will always be the solution in Tallahassee.

    Except when it comes to medical marijuana.

    Apparently, that's an industry in serious need of a government-sponsored cartel....

    Trulieve manager Brian Powers, left, helps customer Ricky Parks at the medical cannabis dispensary on Dale Mabry in January. Parks was diagnosed with lung cancer more than three years ago and said this is the only thing that helps him. Trulieve has three dispensaries open in Florida and plans to open 4 more in the state by the end of the year.