By Bill Varian, Times staff writer
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
TAMPA — One of the leading opponents of last month's transit tax referendum says he now would like to figure out a way to pursue expanded mass transit without raising taxes.
Al Higginbotham, recently selected as chairman of the Hillsborough County Commission, said he thinks the public wants to see local government invest in new transit. As an elected county leader, he said he feels it's his responsibility to see if there's a way to do it without hitting taxpayers in the wallet.
"I want to see — is there something we have missed, something we have overlooked that could be explored?" Higginbotham said.
The Plant City Republican, one of the few local elected officials to regularly use the county's bus system, spent the past several months as one of the speakers of choice against the transit tax ...