Born and raised in the Cleveland, Ohio, suburbs, Michael migrated to Florida in 1993 to attend graduate school at the University of Florida. He hasn't left the state since. After earning a master's degree in mass communications, he covered city hall politics for two newspapers, the Ledger in Lakeland, and the Palm Beach Post on the east coast. He covers growth and development issues in Hillsborough County and beyond. His stories have run the gamut: the rise of megachurches; a hip-hop home flipper in Tampa Heights; school overcrowding; the politics behind state and local road building; and how power brokers influence the way Hillsborough County spends taxpayer money.

Phone: (813) 226-3402

E-mail: mvansickler@sptimes.com