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Graham Brink - Viewpoints Editor
Graham Brink

Viewpoints Editor

My truck lacked AC when I first landed with the Times. Still, I loved pursuing stories along the backroads of Hernando County. It’s where I first began to appreciate the Times’ commitment to the Tampa Bay community. I’ve covered shady companies and way too many hurricanes. I’ve reported about Morocco after 9/11 and had a blast writing about racing a mountain bike 800 miles from the Okefenokee to the Everglades. I crossed over to editing for a dozen years and became the business columnist in 2018. Now I oversee the Viewpoints content and write a regular column. My wife makes me laugh. My son makes me want to change the world, at least our little part of it. The truck now has AC, but a good story still fires me up.

  1. Cutting down on speeding saves lives. Why doesn’t Tampa Bay do it? | Column
    • Viewpoints
    Traffic streams north and south on U.S. 19, north of Alderman Road, at dusk on Nov 7 in Palm Harbor.
  2. The Ybor crash adds to Tampa Bay’s legacy of pedestrian carnage | Column
    • Viewpoints
    Flowers and candles are seen on the sidewalk during a vigil for the victims of a crash that caused four deaths and at least 13 injuries at Bradley's on 7th in Ybor City last weekend.
  3. ‘Waylaid’ by a Florida sturgeon. What does it all mean? | Column
    • Viewpoints
    A sturgeon leaps out of the water on the lower Suwannee River in 2006
  5. Phil Gailey could tell a story. His friends and coworkers can too | Column
    • Viewpoints
    Phil Gailey in 2006.
  6. How to fix Social Security, as the retirement program turns 90 | Column
    • Viewpoints
    Social Security turns 90 on Thursday.
  7. Florida’s bear hunt elicits strong emotions, but facts still matter | Column
    • Viewpoints
    Florida's proposed black bear hunt would run for 23 days in December.
  8. The Dozier boys school’s violent legacy keeps getting worse | Column
    • Viewpoints
    A 1968 photograph shows the overcrowding of beds in a cottage at the Florida School for Boys, later named the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys.
  9. Why USF blew it by choosing Jim Leavitt for the Hall of Fame | Column
    • Viewpoints
    Jim Leavitt coaches the Bulls during a game in 2009.
  10. Gov. DeSantis bucks his party, protects $200M for wildlife corridor | Column
    • Viewpoints
    Photographer Carlton Ward Jr., left, and bear biologist Joseph Guthrie kayak in Everglades National Park in 2019, at the start of the 1,000-mile Florida Wildlife Corridor Expedition.
  11. Pinellas’ beach renourishment plan has a big flaw. Can we solve it? | Column
    • Opinion
    A section of Clearwater Beach south of Pier 60 shows signs of heavy equipment use from a beach renourishment in 2024.
  12. Should we arrest parents for letting young kids walk home alone? | Column
    • Opinion
    At what age should kids get to walk home alone, and who gets to decide?
  13. Florida was a shining example of open government. Not any more | Column
    • Opinion
    Exterior of the Governor's Inn in Tallahassee.
  14. Here are two ways to improve Florida’s divisive bear hunt | Column
    • Opinion
    Two of the 304 bears killed during Florida's last bear hunt in 2015.
  15. Why are Confederate Civil War leaders honored with Florida holidays? | Column
    • Opinion
    Democratic lawmakers in Florida have filed bills to repeal state holidays for Confederate President Jefferson Davis, left, and Gen. Robert E. Lee. It's unlikely the bills will be heard in the House. [Associated Press images]
  16. How will Florida manufacturing handle Trump’s tariffs? | Column
    • Opinion
    Making Progress
  17. Pinellas’ home assessment fiasco portends the state’s hurricane future | Column
    • Opinion
    With a toilet sitting in the middle of the room, Suzanne McDonald, 58, walks through her gutted Gulfport home in February, months after flooding from Hurricane Helene struck.
  18. Could a ‘crazy’ idea for keeping the Tampa Bay Rays in town work? | Column
    • Opinion
    An aerial drone view of the storm-damaged Tropicana Field. The Rays are playing home games at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa this season.
  19. Here’s how we can stop killing pedestrians in Florida | Column
    • Opinion
    A pair of cars speed through the intersection of Gulf to Bay Blvd at Belcher Rd S on Wednesday, Feb 12, 2025, in Clearwater.
  20. Too many people die crossing Tampa Bay streets. Here’s how to stop it. | Column
    • Florida
    At daybreak, a girl crosses Alt. US-19 at Delaware Avenue in Palm Harbor using a pedestrian-activated signal with a rectangular rapid flashing beacon.
  21. Too many people die crossing Tampa Bay streets. Here’s how to stop it.
    • Opinion
    A girl crosses US-19 ALT at Delaware Avenue in Palm Harbor during daybreak using a pedestrian-activated signal with a rectangular rapid flashing beacon.
  22. Airlines cut capacity on Canada to Florida flights after Trump drama | Column
    • Opinion
    Airlines like Air Canada have cut seat capacity to U.S. and Florida airports, including several Tampa International Airport.
  23. Here’s how Florida cheats innocent people sent to prison | Column
    • Opinion
    The state makes it hard for wrongly imprisoned people to receive financial compensation after spending time in Florida prisons.
  24. Is tearing down Interstate 175 in St. Petersburg a good idea?| Column
    • Opinion
    Interstate 175 in St. Petersburg