Tampa History
Ron Gibson
past and why it is quite a character of a city, IMO.
I also went to school with James "Jimmy" Antinori who was one of my best
friends at the time. Santo Trafficante's girlfriend lived two doors away
from me and was the mother of a childhood friend, a gal who I had a
early crush on.I spent many many hours with her.
I also knew the Haber's but not very well. I used to work next door to
their store and we were separated only by a wall.
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If A Trial's In The News, It's A Good Bet Joe Antinori Shows Up
By JOSHUA B. GOOD jg...@tampatrib.com
Published: Jun 14, 2003
TAMPA - Judge E.J. Salcines drapes his black robe over the shoulders of
Joe Dionigi Antinori, 88.
``Fits pretty good,'' Antinori says.
Salcines shows Antinori to the bench in Tampa's 2nd District Court of
Appeal. Antinori sits and gazes out at the empty room.
``Where's the jury box?'' he asks.
There isn't one, Salcines explains. In this courtroom, it's just the
three judges, a court reporter, lawyers and a few spectators.
``Whenever you're short of a judge, call me,'' Antinori, says.
``You just keep practicing law without a license,'' Salcines fires back.
Antinori is a Tampa native with a 9th-grade education. For nearly 40
years, he has watched high-profile trials in Tampa. His encounter with
Salcines came during a break in last month's trial of Paula Gutierrez,
who was found guilty of murder. Antinori attended most of Gutierrez's
three- week trial.
Hillsborough's judges are used to seeing Antinori. Lawyers sometimes ask
him for advice.
``Sometimes you think he knows more about juries than the lawyers do,''
Judge Robert Simms says.
Watching trials is ``better than a soap opera. This is for real,''
Antinori says. ``This is my cup of tea.''
Another Side
Antinori knows about another side of Tampa, as well.
He was born here on Jan. 23, 1915 and raised in Ybor City. His father,
Stefano Antinori, was a cigarmaker who later ran the bar at the Italian
Club. Joe Antinori's uncle, Ignacio Antinori, alleged to be a Tampa mob
boss, was gunned down in 1940. After Ignacio Antinori's death, Santo
Trafficante Sr. took over the mob in Tampa, according to Joe Antinori
and published accounts of Mafia history. Joe Antinori said Trafficante's
son, Santo Trafficante Jr., was one of his childhood friends.
For a time in the late 1920s, they both lived on 20th Street. They
played baseball together.
``I was better,'' Antinori says .
Antinori joined the Army to fight in World War II. He thought he would
be sent overseas, but instead he ran a bar at the medical officers' club
at Fort Blanding in Jacksonville for four years.
After the war, he returned to Tampa, working in bars and selling liquor
for a wholesale distributor.
In 1964, Antinori's cousin, Paul Antinori, was elected Hillsborough
state attorney. Joe came to court whenever his cousin had a big trial.
One of the most memorable was the trial of Billy Ray Bobson, who shot
and killed Tampa Police Officer William Krikava during a burglary on New
Year's Day 1965.
Paul Antinori won a conviction, but never asked the jury to impose the
death penalty. Bobson got life in prison. Paul Antinori was opposed to
the death penalty and was roundly criticized, Joe Antinori says.
``The Tampa Tribune gave him hell,'' Joe Antinori says.
When Paul Antinori went into private practice, he often turned to his
cousin for advice.
``He has such an uncanny perception of human nature,'' Paul Antinori says.
In 1975, Joe sat through the trial of model Betty Lou Haber. Haber was
married to Haber Department Store owner Albert Haber. She had her
husband murdered.
``She was a beautiful woman, but she was guilty as hell,'' Antinori says.
Haber was paroled from prison this year.
In 1981, Antinori attended the trial of psychiatrist Louis Tsavaris,
whom Paul Antinori represented. A jury found Tsavaris guilty of
manslaughter for the death of one of his patients, Cassandra ``Sally''
Burton. Prosecutors said Tsavaris strangled her to keep her from telling
Tsavaris's wife that she and Tsavaris were having an affair.
But Antinori believes the most damaging testimony was when Tsavaris said
Burton called him for help. The psychiatrist stopped for ice cream on
his way to her Town 'N Country home instead of rushing to her aid.
Catching Up With Him
As a salesman, Joe Antinori skipped work to attend trials without his
boss's knowledge. It caught up with him in 1984.
Paul Antinori represented Norman S. Cannella in a federal corruption
trial. Cannella was the chief assistant state attorney under Salcines
when he was state attorney. Federal authorities accused Cannella of
taking bribes to fix drug cases.
After the prosecution rested its case, Paul Antinori asked the judge to
dismiss the charges against Cannella. U.S. District Judge W. Terrell
Hodges agreed and acquitted Cannella.
The story made the front page of The Tampa Tribune. So did Joe Antinori,
who was photographed standing behind Cannella.
His boss saw the photo the next day and asked him why he hadn't been
working.
He was, Joe Antinori told his boss. He just happened to stop by at the
end of his shift. Because Joe was a top salesman, his boss shrugged it off.
In 1987, Joe's boyhood friend, Santo Trafficante Jr., was buried in Ybor
City. Antinori didn't attend the funeral. His life had taken a different
path. Joe Antinori was never arrested, never charged with any crime,
never brought before a grand jury.
He has a wife, a son and three grandchildren. He has a nice home in
Carrollwood. He has his days in the courthouse. And he has only one regret.
``If I had my life to live over again, I think I'd like to be an
attorney,'' Antinori says. ``If I had gone to college, I'd have been
dangerous.''
For now, he's pinning his hopes on his youngest grandson and namesake,
Joe Antinori, a 22-year-old senior at Clemson University with hopes of
becoming a lawyer.
--
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nobody
Huh, wonder if that Trafficante is related to the imprisoned congressman
from Youngstown, Ohio..... James Trafficante.
Youngstown (60 miles from Cleveland, 60 Miles from Pittsburgh) is a noted
mafia locale still very active. Some think Carmen Policy of the Browns took
the GM job to get back into 'the home area'. Carmen use to work for the
DeBartalos who got rich as shopping mall developers from Youngstown, and
were 'rumoured' mob big-wigs. Ed DeBartalo, Jr. is the former owner of the
San Fran 49ers and Pittsburgh Penguins hockey.
Ron Gibson
More than likely yes. But because they might be related doesn't mean
they are good guys necessarily.
One of my former clients had a building in Ybor City that had 4 foot
thick block walls with prison bars in the middle. It was his fathers
20's gambling casino. But he was a stereotype Brady Bunch'r.
Families remain but callings change.
nobody
> Families remain but callings change.
Very True, Ron. Thank You for info. That congressman was a real hoot to
listen too though. I would've voted for him. He really spoke his mind....
and that probably why his 'peers' in Congress went after him.
> It was his fathers 20's gambling casino
They still have those around. A few years ago I was invited to a house that
look like every other house on the street, Inside it was full of Video Poker
Machines, people play, drinking and having a good time. :) .... it's gone
now but I still think about thatrplace ever time I walk into a bar and see
a Video Poker Machine 'for amusement only' ...as the sign says.
Ron Gibson
> > It was his fathers 20's gambling casino
> They still have those around. A few years ago I was invited to a house that
> look like every other house on the street, Inside it was full of Video Poker
> Machines, people play, drinking and having a good time. :) .... it's gone
> now but I still think about thatrplace ever time I walk into a bar and see
> a Video Poker Machine 'for amusement only' ...as the sign says.
This building really grabbed my attention with regard to what I know
from my contracting and engineering background.
The freakin building was like Fort Knox. I never had occasion to
examine the structural layout of a Bank, especially the vault area but
my guess is that they would be hard pressed to improve on this old
building. I also think that some of these old buildings need to be
preserved in the interest of history. For this one three of the four
original walls remained with one having been demolished in order to
expand the rear.
The owner cracked me up as he said every time they did any foundation
work or digging he would make sure there was no buried treasure :)
--
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