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Staff Writer, Tampa Bay Times

Bill Varian writes about Hillsborough County government and politics. He joined the Times in 1999 as a crime reporter in Citrus County after five years of writing about growth-related issues and city hall for the Tallahassee Democrat. A 1990 graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va., he also has worked at newspapers in Augusta, Ga., and Burlington, N.C.

Featured Statements

Rob Turner
stated on July 18, 2012 in an email interview with the Tampa Bay Times:

The property appraiser's budget "is $1 million less today than when I took office 16 years ago."

By Joshua Gillin • August 10, 2012
Sam Rashid
stated on July 26, 2010 in in a mailer.:

The sales tax increase, if approved, will cost taxpayers "up to $300 million per year, in perpetuity, to finance a rail system for the City of Tampa."

By Bill Varian • August 28, 2010
Josh Burgin
stated on August 20, 2010 in in a mailer.:

Property taxes "are now 18% higher than when (Mark Sharpe) first took office."

By Bill Varian • August 20, 2010
Mark Sharpe
stated on July 20, 2010 in a campaign mailer:

"Mark Sharpe has lowered property taxes by 17 percent."

By Bill Varian • August 19, 2010
David Caton
stated on November 5, 2009 in a mass e-mail:

If voters agree in November to approve a one-cent sales tax increase, that will give "Hillsborough County the highest sales tax of all Florida counties."

By Bill Varian • June 7, 2010