TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Tampa Mayor Jane Castor is seeking another term as mayor, filing for re-election on Monday morning.
Castor filed for re-election at the Supervisor of Elections Office at the Fred B. Karl County Center at 10 a.m. Monday.
The retired police chief made history in 2019 when she became the first openly gay person to be elected Tampa’s mayor with a landslide 73 percent of the vote, winning against billionaire David Straz.
Her first term saw protests and violence in the streets after the death of George Floyd and an economic shutdown as a result of the pandemic.
Castor says it felt like the rug was pulled out from her feet, but she still believes her administration accomplished a great deal.
“I would submit that we have accomplished a great deal under some extraordinary circumstances over the last three and a half years,” said Castor.
She said her administration tackled transportation issues, provided workforce development, and made progress on the housing crisis.
“We have also made our city government much more transparent and accessible to our residents here in Tampa,” said Castor.
The mayoral election is a non-partisan race, but Castor, who is a Democrat, will likely face a Republican opponent, according to political analyst Dr. Susan MacManus.
“These days you’re not going to go unopposed, no matter how popular you are,” MacManus said. “Even though it’s a nonpartisan race, it’s non-partisan in name only. We all know that.”
She said the Republican challenger will need to connect with younger voters.
“The type of candidate that runs against her can make a lot of difference,” MacManus said. “One thing we do know, from looking at the 2022 results was that the democratic turnout in Hillsborough County was really very low.”
Castor said she’s ready.
“I’m very excited, very proud of the work we’ve done and excited to see what we can accomplish in the next four years,” she said.
Jeff Godsell and Belinda Noah have also thrown their hats in the ring in the race for the city’s top job.
