Epiphanies come in many forms. And apparently Tampa's own Daddy Warbucks, David Straz, had a spiritual awakening when he fell off his Gulfstream on the way to the Hamptons.
At the age of 75, the retired financier and philanthropist finally discovered his inner Thomas Jefferson meets Franklin Roosevelt. David Straz looked in the mirror and saw Adlai Stevenson staring back at him.
Try this on for size: David Straz - Democrat. How, catchy.
Now let's not get too cynical. The worst kept secret in the city is that Straz will shortly announce his intention to run for the nonpartisan office of mayor of Tampa in 2019.
And in Tampa, mayors who are Republicans are about as rare a sight as a Glazer picking up a dinner tab.
RELATED COVERAGE David Straz is now a Democrat. Is mayoral bid one step closer?
Thus it was that Straz declared he was switching his political identification from no-party to Democrat. We can now safely assume that Straz is waking up every morning humming, Happy Days Are Here Again, all but certain to join former Hillsborough County Commissioner Ed Turanchik and former Tampa police Chief Jane Castor, along with others, on the mayoral hustings.
And what a conversion this has been for Straz. After all, the potentate has been a generous contributor to the Republican Party of Florida, as well as the campaigns of Republican Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi and the state's junior U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio.
Oh, and let us not forget Straz has admitted he voted for President Donald Trump. We're not exactly in Camelot territory here.
But now Straz has distanced himself from the Juan Peron of Mar-A-Lago, sending out spokesperson Leslie Spencer, to note the candidate-in-waiting will not be voting for Trump in 2020, adding Straz, "... simply does not agree with his values."
Or put another way, Straz is attempting to say, "Sure, I have been a deep-pocketed sugar daddy of Republicans, including the Yosemite Sam of the West Wing. But try not to notice."
What? It took Straz this long to figure out he had been supporting an egomaniacal fibber with the attention span of a newt? Amazing, isn't it, how personal political ambition can clarify the mind?
Ask just about any Florida Democratic politician whom they admire the most, and they'll likely respond with the likes of FDR, or John Kennedy, or Lawton Chiles, or Bob Graham, or even Barack Obama. Straz was leaving nothing to chance, citing Tampa City Council members Yoli Capin and Frank Reddick. Yep, he's running.
As well, check-off the obligatory Democratic Party boxes in support of a ban on assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, while advocating for enhanced background checks on gun purchases. That's all very nice, although current state law, which is being challenged in court, prohibits local governments from imposing their own gun laws.
There is no question Straz will emerge as a formidable candidate. He certainly has all the money in the world to spend in television advertising, consultants and a political machine.
We can pretty well rest assured when he formally announces his candidacy, Straz will say all the right things about how much he loves Tampa and simply wants to give back to his adopted town. And let us all stipulate his remarks will be heartfelt.
However being a walking ATM for other politicians and parties is not quite the same thing when it's your shoe leather that's being worn out. It remains to be seen if Straz will be able to generate the same retail enthusiasm of running for office in Tampa that is so necessary to actually win on election day.
David Straz is a serious man who succeeded in the serious business of banking and earned some very serious money. He is an impressive chap, with an impressive resume.
And as we have recently learned, Straz is also a pragmatist, willing to throw his lot in with a political party he heretofore opposed with his checkbook as recently as 2016.
Maybe all this demonstrates is that David Straz is an astute, impressive, opportunistic pol who will do whatever he needs to do to win after all. This is going to be fun.