 Robert Sanchez
Email: Robert F. Sanchez, JMI’s Director of Public Policy, was born in Bradenton and grew up in Sarasota. In 1959, he was graduated cum laude from Florida State University with a bachelor’s degree in English Education. Commissioned as an officer in the United States Army, he served two years of active duty and eight more years in the Army Reserve.
In 1962, Bob received his master’s degree cum laude in English Education. He joined the Florida State University faculty as an instructor of high school English and journalism at Florida State’s University School (Florida High), teaching there for five years.
In 1968, Bob accepted an appointment as assistant professor of English and journalism at Florida A&M University, where he overhauled the journalism curriculum and served as adviser to the student newspaper.
In 1971, Bob received a Kellogg Foundation Fellowship to pursue doctoral studies in Higher Education Administration. Upon completing his course work, he served as a research associate at the Board of Regents, where he co-authored a study titled Higher Educational Needs of the Lower West Coast.
In 1974, Bob joined the Miami Herald Editorial Board. During his 26 years at The Herald, he wrote scores of bylined columns and thousands of editorials. His principal areas of interest included state government and politics, education, transportation, growth management, water policy, the economy, and the role of sports in society. In the mostly liberal Editorial Board’s daily meetings, Bob championed free-market solutions and libertarian principles so avidly that it earned him the nickname “The Herald’s token conservative.” In 1984, Bob authored The Herald’s strong endorsement of Ronald Reagan’s re-election after Herald Publisher Richard Capen wisely overruled the Editorial Page Editor’s decision to endorse big-government liberal Walter Mondale.
Bob won numerous awards during his Herald career. In 1983, he and his Editorial Board colleagues won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary. Among Bob’s other awards are the Florida School Boards Association Media Award, the National Association of Secondary School Principals’ Benjamin Fine Award, and the Lay Educator of the Year Award from the Florida International University chapter of Phi Delta Kappa.
Because he was the Editorial Board’s principal writer on issues relating to education and state government, Bob spent several weeks each year in Tallahassee during the Legislature’s annual session. He also attended virtually every meeting of the Miami-Dade School Board, and he taught as an adjunct professor at Florida International University, Florida Atlantic University, Barry University, and the University of Miami. In addition, he was a partner in a business enterprise, gaining first-hand insights into the ways that meddlesome government policies may stifle creative entrepreneurship.
In 2000, Bob returned to Tallahassee to accept a position as spokesman for the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Upon retiring from state government in 2005, he joined JMI as Director of Public Policy.
Bob still frequently travels to South Florida to visit his son Keith, daughter-in-law Melissa, and two young grandchildren. Select Works
- "2007 March - Court's Blown Call Caused Property Tax Woes," by Robert Sanchez, March 1, 2007
- "December 2006 - Coming to Florida: A Rare Chance to Reform Taxes & Spending," by Robert Sanchez, December 1, 2006
- "September 2006 - First Rumblings of a Property-Tax Revolt," by Robert Sanchez, October 30, 2006
- "July 2006 - Soaking the Poor to Aid the Rich," by Robert Sanchez, July 31, 2006
- "03/20/06 - Why Government Is Hungry All the Time," by Robert Sanchez, March 20, 2006
- "02/07/06 - Business Has Issues for the 2006 Legislature," by Robert Sanchez, February 7, 2006
- "09/16/05 - Happy Constitution Day, America," by Robert Sanchez, September 16, 2005
- "09/06/05 - Public Employee Unions: 'Political Kryptonite'," by Robert Sanchez, September 6, 2005
- "07/20/05 - Florida's Growth Management Follies," by Robert Sanchez, July 20, 2005
- "04/07/05 - Health: Public vs. Personal," by Robert Sanchez, April 7, 2005
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