A similar vintage GMC Yukon, not the mayor's. Image: IFCAR
Call it “the spoils of war:” Tampa, FL mayor Bob Buckhorn is now driving a 2005 GMC Yukon Denali formerly owned by Charles Melvin Fox. Fox, it seems, gave up his ride when he was arrested on five counts of sex trafficking and numerous other charges. When mayor Buckhorn wanted a sensible SUV to haul his family around, the Tampa police offered up Fox’s old Yukon.
The mayor’s swapped the truck’s spinners for a set of factory alloy wheels, and we’re guessing that the interior was (relatively) unmodified. While a free car is always a good thing, grabbing a ride that was previously owned by a pimp isn’t our idea of ideal family transportation. Did anyone from the motor pool inspect the interior with a black light? How thoroughly was the inside scrubbed with disinfectant before the mayor got the keys? Would you want your kids sitting in the back seat?
We have no idea how much the mayor of Tampa earns each year, but we’re pretty sure it’s more than an automotive journalist. If we can afford to buy our own family vehicles, I’m sure Tampa’s mayor can, too. Would you want to roll in a former pimp’s Yukon, with over 100k miles on the clock, even if it were free?
Source: Tampa Bay
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
