State Attorney Harry Lee Coe III was born in
1932 in
Brooklyn, but he grew up in
Lakeland,
Florida. He was a
Democrat, but many in the party don’t want to claim him. He acquired his
nickname "Hangin’ Harry" because of the tough sentences, often exceeding
sentencing guidelines, that he handed down as a
circuit court judge. Others seem to think his nickname comes from the vicious
curveball he threw as a
pitcher for the
University of Florida baseball team, and later for the
Tampa Tarpons.
Coe’s tenure as
Hillsborough County’s top
prosecutor has always been rocked by scandal. He was the victim of a rash of thefts (and of his own incompetence). From his car and office, he lost 20 pairs of
boxer shorts and
eight handguns. I never figured out why the State Attorney needs a
gun – the image of Hangin’ Harry shooting it out with criminals just boggles the mind.
The latest scandal involves missing computer records and $12, 000 in loans from two employees he supervised. Coe denied any wrongdoing. Though Coe earned $216, 000 in salary and his judicial pension, he was $157, 000 in debt. Many suspect
gambling debts since Coe is a frequent visitor to the
dog track.
Yesterday, Florida Governor
Jeb! Bush ordered the
Florida Department of Law Enforcement to investigate Coe. After Bush’s letter was released and delivered to Coe’s offices, Coe completely disappeared. He couldn’t be located by his staff or the media. This morning at about 11, Coe’s body was found in his car beneath the
Crosstown Expressway south of downtown
Tampa. He had apparently shot himself.
There are
crooks and there are
bureaucrats in politics, but there are rarely any genuine characters like Harry Lee Coe. I may not have wanted him in office, but I will miss the bizarre antics of Hangin’ Harry.