SPEAKERS

December 21, 2020

Jane Castor is the 59th Mayor of the City of Tampa. Born and raised in Tampa Florida, Castor graduated from Chamberlain High School and attended the University of Tampa on an athletic scholarship. Upon graduating, she joined the Tampa Police Department and worked her way up from serving as a beat cop to being appointed Tampa’s first female Chief of Police. She served six years in that role, during which major crimes dropped by 70% citywide at the same time that Tampa played host to some of the nation’s most significant events including the 2012 Republican National Convention and the Super Bowl.
In 2019, Jane was elected mayor of the City of Tampa. In just her first few months in office, she successfully launched numerous initiatives, including the city’s largest ever water/wastewater infrastructure plan (PIPES); the Transforming Tampa’s Tomorrow Advisory Teams to focus on building a strategic roadmap for the City’s top priorities; establishing a minimum wage of $15 an hour for full-time city employees; securing a federal grant for body-worn cameras; initiating a renewal of the City’s transportation master plan (Tampa MOVES); designating Tampa as a Vision Zero city; and originating a range of community-based initiatives such as Art on the Block, Crosswalks to Classrooms, and Bridges to Business. All of this was done while achieving unanimous adoption of the City’s one billion dollar budget - the first budget in the black since the create recession.
Under her leadership, the City of Tampa has received numerous awards and recognitions. In 2019, Tampa Bay was recognized amongst the top areas for women-owned business growth; one of the top 10 best metro areas for startups; the best small tech market in North America; the 5th best city for recreation; and the best city in Florida and 23rd amongst large US Cities. Tampa has also been recognized as the best city for veterans to live in and one of the most fun cities in America.
The Mayor is a proud Seminole Heights resident where she lives with her longtime partner, Ana Cruz, and her two sons Sergei and Seely.