Bob Henriquez
Hillsborough County Property Appraiser
Assumed office
January 8, 2013
Preceded byRob Turner
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 58th district
In office
November 17, 1998 – November 21, 2006
Preceded byDeborah Tamargo
Succeeded byMichael Scionti
Personal details
Born (1964-09-23) September 23, 1964
Tampa, Florida
Political partyDemocratic Party
Alma materPrinceton University (A.B.)

Bob Henriquez (born September 23, 1964) is a Democratic politician who currently serves as the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser. Prior to his election as Property Appraiser, he served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 58th District from 1998 to 2006.

History

Henriquez was born in Tampa, Florida, and attended Princeton University, graduating with a degree in political science in 1986. After he graduated, he began working as an urban planner for the Hillsborough City-County Planning Commission and the Hillsborough County Planning and Growth Management Department, and as an assistant football coach at Tampa Catholic High School. Henriquez was the head coach at Tampa Catholic from 1990 to 1999 before he took an assistant coach position at Jefferson High School. He returned to Tampa Catholic in 2005 as head coach once again.

Florida House of Representatives

In 1998, when first-term Republican State Representative Deborah Tamargo, who had first been elected in a special election the year prior, ran for re-election, Henriquez ran against her in the 58th District. During the campaign, Tamargo sent out controversial campaign literature that asserted that Henriquez could not understand problems like child abuse because he did not have children of his own, to which Henriquez said, "The Lord has not seen fit to bless our marriage with any children yet." "[1] Ultimately, Henriquez defeated Tamargo by a wide margin, winning 56% of the vote to her 44% in one of the few bright spots for the Florida Democratic Party that year.[2] Running for re-election in 2000, he was opposed by Eddy Calcines, a hairdresser and the Republican nominee, and he campaigned on his productivity in the legislature, noting, "Relationships are so important in Tallahassee. So much of what we do is not partisan. If you are into law-making and policy-making, there is not much room for an ideologue."[3] Henriquez did not have a difficult time dispatching Calcines, winning re-election with 62% of the vote.

In 2002, Henriquez faced Hector Vila, the Republican nominee and a small business owner who ran in the Republican primary in 2000, but lost. Henriquez campaigned on continuing his emphasis on improving public education, providing assistance to seniors, protecting the environment, increasing economic prosperity, and improving public safety, and argued that his experience made him the best candidate.[4] He defeated Vila in a landslide, winning 63% of the vote to Vila's 37%. When Henriquez ran for his final term in the legislature in 2004, he was opposed by Republican James Riis, whom he defeated in a rout with 70% of the vote. He was not able to seek re-election in 2006 due to term limits.

Florida Department of Children and Families

On April 3, 2008, Bob Butterworth, the former Attorney General of Florida and the Secretary of the Florida Department of Children and Families, announced that Henriquez would serve as the circuit administrator for the Department in Pasco and Pinellas Counties. Butterworth praised Henriquez as "a strong local leader whose passion for serving the community made him right for the job," and Henriquez asserted that there was not any room for error on the job, noting, "You can't be 99 percent successful in this agency. You have to be 100 percent successful."[5] Henriquez held the position from 2008 to 2011, when Rick Scott became governor.

Hillsborough County Property Appraiser

In 2012, it emerged that the incumbent Hillsborough County Property Appraiser, Rob Turner, had sent "dozens of pornographic emails" to the human resources director in his office, an ex-girlfriend of his who then filed a sexual harassment claim against him. Henriquez jumped into the race and won the Democratic nomination, as did State Senator Ronda Storms, who challenged Townsend in the Republican primary. Storms defeated Turner decisively in the primary and squared off against Henriquez. As the general election got underway, Henriquez campaigned on his ability to manage the office effectively, saying, "I'm not an appraiser by trade, but I feel like I have the requisite experience to run the office effectively and efficiently,"[6] and was able to fundraise his campaign as Storms's campaign momentum stalled.[7] The Tampa Tribune endorsed Henriquez over Storms, praising him for his "appropriate experience and personality for a job in which objectivity and restraint are needed" and his "detailed plans for improving the appraiser's office."[8] During the campaign, Henriquez was criticized for evaluations he received from his time at the Department of Children and Families, where his superior, though praising him for "running an efficient organization," urged him to "instill more of his own management styles and pursue goals for the circuit beyond maintenance of a once-troubled and recovering system of care."[9] Ultimately, Henriquez defeated Storms by a wide margin, winning 52% of the vote to her 43%.[10]

References

  1. ↑ Burkett, Elinor (2000). The Baby Boon: How Family-Friendly America Cheats the Childless. New York: The Free Press. p. 133. ISBN 0-7432-4264-5.
  2. ↑ "Republican majority grows in state House". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. November 5, 1998. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
  3. ↑ Sandler, Michael (November 1, 2000). "District 58 Florida House". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
  4. ↑ Nguyen, Dong-Phuong (October 31, 2002). "District 58 State House: A native son is guaranteed to be elected to serve the 58th state House District in Tampa". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
  5. ↑ Abel, Jonathan (April 3, 2008). "DCF introduces 6th circuit leader". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on December 10, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
  6. ↑ Varian, Bill (May 25, 2012). "Ronda Storms, Bob Henriquez to challenge Rob Turner for Hillsborough County property appraiser". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
  7. ↑ Varian, Bill (November 6, 2012). "Bob Henriquez defeats Ronda Storms for Hillsborough property appraiser". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Bob Henriquez for property appraiser". Tampa Tribune. September 25, 2012. Archived from the original on December 9, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
  9. ↑ Salinero, Mike (September 8, 2012). "Henriquez's DCF tenure unremarkable, documents show". Tampa Tribune. Archived from the original on December 9, 2014. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
  10. ↑ "2012 General Election Official Results" (PDF). Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
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