“These were a gift from a friend that
reflect my love and commitment to
Pinellas County and the Tampa Bay area.”
“Pinellas County Urban League president
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Watson Haynes recently gave me these after a
meeting with their board discussing problems
like GED prep classes, low income energy
assistance and other initiatives critical to
empowering the Pinellas County community.”
“Shortly after 9/11, I flew to New York with
Congressman C.W. (Bill) Young along with
Gordon England, the Secretary of the Navy, for a
meeting. On the return flight, the Secretary said
to me, ‘I’ve been looking at your cufflinks all
day, and I really like them.’ I took them off and
gave them to Secretary England, then went out
and bought a new replacement pair.”
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“These were a gift reflecting my love of baseball. They are made
from a ball that was used in a Tampa Bay Rays game.”
“These were given to me during
the campaign leading up to the
Special Election, and they served
as a reminder that the race was
about Pinellas County. I wore
them on election night (March 11,
2014), when I was sworn in
(March 13), the first time I was in
the speaker’s chair, and I have
worn them each time I’ve gone to
the White House. I feel like the
initial campaign was about
advancing the interest of Pinellas
County, and the cufflinks are
a constant reminder of the
community I serve.”
“These cufflinks were
given to me by several of the
U.S. Marshals as a token of
appreciation for the work
I was doing with Mark
Lundsford. At the time, we
were fighting to get the U.S.
Marshal Service additional
money in order to go after
sexual predators.”
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MARCH/APRIL 2015 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE 95
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