Frank Reddick, former Tampa councilman, remembered as ‘gentle giant’

Frank Reddick, a former Tampa city councilman remembered as a quiet but fierce advocate for his constituents, has died.

Reddick, 69, died Dec. 23, was president and CEO of the Florida Sickle Cell Association and a former teacher. In the late 1980s, he served on the University of South Florida’s Black Community Advisory Committee, spoke at City Council meetings, and ran unsuccessfully for the board in 1995, advocating the need to improve race relations in the city.

Reddick, who was appointed to Tampa’s east-central District 5 seat in 2006, was elected to the City Council in 2011, where he served until 2019, including as chairman.

City Council President Guido Maniscalco said he first met Reddick when he ran for office in 2011.

“I was new to politics and campaigning,” Maniscalco said. “I was inspired by how he talked about neighborhoods and the community, how he made contacts. He was very honest and very soft-spoken, but he was also tough.”

Maniscalco lost that election but was elected to the City Council in late 2015, serving as Reddick’s chairman.

“He didn’t have to raise his voice, but when he spoke, people listened,” he said.

Bishop Michelle Patty of Trinity and Faith Ministries was a close friend of Reddick and said his handprints can be seen throughout the city.

Patty is credited with pedestrian lighting on Hillsborough Avenue, supporting the opening of a Walmart in downtown Tampa, advocating for the renaming of the Fortune Taylor Bridge, and renovating Cuscaden Park. He also arranged removals for people asked to leave apartments at Tampa Park Plaza, she said, adding that Reddick was forced to serve his community.

Henry “Shake” Washington, a Hillsborough County school board member, called Reddick a “Tampa warrior.”

“He’s the type of person who loves people,” Washington said. “He was going to do what he thought was best for the people, no matter what anyone else thought.”

Because of this, he often quarreled with city officials.

Community activist Michelle Williams said Reddick wasn’t afraid to ask questions of developers or challenge mayors.

Reddick stood for the principles of justice and equality and “wasn’t afraid to push back,” she said.

Reddick and Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn have disagreed on many issues, but Buckhorn said that even if they disagree, he respects Reddick’s honesty.

“Frank Reddick cared deeply about East Tampa,” he said. “He was a steadfast defender of his district.”

Reddick was born and raised in Tampa and graduated from King High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Paine College in Augusta, Georgia, and was a member of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity.

Bishop Patty said she believes Reddick’s childhood on the west side of Tampa, in the days just after integration began, had a major influence on him.

“Seeing that we don’t have the same things as other people, that Black people are still looked down upon… we still face obstacles,” she said. “He wanted to make a change because, you know, equal rights. He also witnessed many of the injustices that took place in the West Tampa area.”

Most of all, Patty said, she will miss her good friend, whom she described as a good listener and a “compassionate, gentle giant,” and added that she will remember him as “fighting like an Energizer bunny” until he is no longer able to.

“He was the only man who could call my house at 11, 12, 1 a.m. or anytime and talk to me for two or three hours,” she said. “And my husband had no problem with it.

Because we knew Councilman Reddick was calling, something was bothering him or he was trying to bring something through me that was impacting the community.”

Maniscalco said he still remembers Reddick always asking whether area residents were consulted when the council was considering a new project.

“He was good for the community and good for Tampa,” he said. “We need more public officials like him.”

Reddick is survived by his sister, Rogina Hannon.