Gene Holloway is alive and for the second time in his colorful life people are shocked to hear it.
Yes, that Gene Holloway. The cowboy hat and boots wearing, sky diving, mountain climbing, woman-chasing, alcohol tasting, exotic animal owning and life of the party whose rags to riches story captivated Tampa Bay in the 1970s and 1980s. Yes, that Gene Holloway. The man who once owned the eighth most profitable restaurant in the nation–the Sea Wolf–married a former Miss Tampa, collected dozens upon dozens of priceless antiques just to brag about how much money he spent, ran for president and tried to bribe the pope to come to dine at his restaurant. Yes, that Gene Holloway. The man who at the height of his popularity and seemingly at the height of his riches was accused of torching his home and then "disappeared" in the Gulf of Mexico one night when he fell off his boat in 1981. Yes, that Gene Holloway–the man who was pronounced dead, only to be arrested for supposedly dealing drugs in Canada a few months later. Yes, that Gene Holloway. If you have never heard of Gene Holloway, everything printed above is 100 percent true. While it seems like the plot of a blockbuster summer movie, it is actually the life story of a local man.
Yes, that Gene Holloway is still alive. However, he barely resembles the Gene Holloway who once captivated Tampa Bay.