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Jane Castor

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Not to be confused with Jane Castro or Kathy Castor.

Jane Castor
Castor in 2019
59th Mayor of Tampa
Incumbent
Assumed office
May 1, 2019
Preceded byBob Buckhorn
10th Chief of the Tampa Police Department
In office
September 30, 2009 – May 8, 2015
Appointed byPam Iorio
Preceded byStephen Hogue
Succeeded byEric Ward
Personal details
Born (1960-12-07) December 7, 1960 (age 64)
Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic (2015–present)
Other political
affiliations		Republican (until 2015)
Domestic partners
  • Ana Cruz (2009–present)
  • Melanie Bevan (2002–2008)
Children2
EducationUniversity of Tampa (BS)
Troy University (MPA)
Police career
DepartmentTampa Police Department
Service years1984–2015

Jane Castor (born December 7, 1960) is an American politician and former police officer serving as the 59th mayor of Tampa, Florida.

She was the first woman and first openly gay person to serve as Chief of Police of the Tampa Police Department from 2009 to 2015 and the first openly gay person to be elected Mayor of Tampa.

Early life and education

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Castor attended Chamberlain High School in Tampa where she excelled in sports and graduated in 1977.[1][2][3] Castor attended the University of Tampa, where she played volleyball and basketball while earning a degree in criminology. Castor was inducted into the University of Tampa's Athletic Hall of Fame[4] following her record-breaking performance on the women's basketball and volleyball teams.[5] She graduated in 1981.[6] She got her Master of Public Administration from Troy State University by attending classes at MacDill Air Force Base. She also attended the FBI National Academy.[7][8][9]

Career

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Police chief

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Jane Castor at a forum in 2012

In 1984, at age 24 and upon graduating from the University of Tampa, Castor joined the Tampa Police Department, where she served for 31 years.[10] She became assistant chief in 2005.[7] She was appointed as chief in 2009 and served until her retirement in 2015.[11][12][13][14][15] Her tenure included a controversy over the targeting of African American cyclists for stops, searches, and tickets.[16] A no-knock search warrant based on bad intel from a criminal informant resulted in the killing of Jason Westcott in 2014.[17][18]

Mayor

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Castor speaking at the opening ceremonies of the 2019 Warrior Games

Castor was a member of the Republican Party until 2015 when she became a member of the Democratic Party.[19]

In 2016, it was speculated that Castor would be a mayoral candidate in Tampa.[20] In April 2018, she officially announced her candidacy.[21] In the 2019 Tampa mayoral election, held on March 5, 2019, Castor led all candidates, garnering 48.0% of the vote.[22] In the runoff election held on April 23, she defeated David Straz with 73% of the vote compared to Straz's 27%. She is the city's first openly lesbian mayor.[23][24] She is the eighth openly gay mayor in Florida.[25] In 2019, Castor announced that her salary would be in Bitcoin.[26][27][28]

In 2019, Jane Castor established Transforming Tampa's Tomorrow, a strategic plan "centered around strengthening community-centric services, enhancing workforce development, increasing housing affordability, improving transportation, and fostering sustainability and resilience".[29][30]

COVID-19 policies

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, the city of Tampa offered transportation for people on Medicaid to get the COVID-19 vaccine at no cost.[31][non-primary source needed]

Also during the pandemic, Tampa hosted Super Bowl LV on February 7, 2021. Twenty-two thousand spectators were allowed to attend the Super Bowl, instead of the total capacity of 75,000. During the week of the Super Bowl, the city enforced a face mask ordinance inside bars. Castor signed an executive order mandating the use of face coverings outdoors in areas downtown and near the stadium designated for events tied to the Super Bowl.[32]

On August 24, 2021, Castor announced that Tampa City employees had until September 30, 2021, to be fully vaccinated, or to show a valid medical or religious reason as to why they cannot. Castor also noted that employees who are not vaccinated after September 30, 2021, will be required to wear an N-95 mask and take a COVID-19 test once a week.[33]

Climate change policy

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In June 2023, Castor announced a Climate Action and Equity Plan.[34] The plan focuses on reducing carbon emissions and building climate-ready infrastructure.[35]

Police policy

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Castor introduced written procedures that would require members of the Tampa Police Department to intervene if they witness another officer utilizing excessive force.[36] Castor also created a task force composed of 40 community members. Their goal is to review the current police habits and see what they can change and improve upon.[37]

Personal life

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In August 2023, Castor found 70 pounds (32 kg) of cocaine during a family fishing trip. The drugs were turned in to authorities and were estimated to be worth $1.1 million.[38]

References

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  1. ^ Totem Yearbook (Volume 20 ed.). Tampa, Florida: Bryn Alan. 1977. pp. 137, 150, 178.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  2. ^ Taylor, Janelle Irwin (April 5, 2019). "Kathy Castor backs Jane Castor in Tampa mayoral race". floridapolitics.com. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  3. ^ "Who is Jane Castor? Former police chief wants to be Tampa mayor". 10NEWS. February 20, 2019. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  4. ^ UT Hall of Fame. Jane Castor. University of Tampa. https://www.tampaspartans.com/information/traditions/HallofFame/members/Castor_Jane
  5. ^ Johnston, Joey (December 17, 2019). "UT History Series: Tampa Mayor Jane Castor". Tampa Spartans. University of Tampa Athletics. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  6. ^ "UT Alumna Jane Castor Named Next Tampa Police Chief". University of Tampa. Archived from the original on July 28, 2012. Retrieved September 17, 2009.
  7. ^ a b "Jane Castor". University of Tampa Athletics. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  8. ^ "Tampa's Finest: Jane Castor worked her way up the ranks to make PD history (Maddux Business Report)". By Bob Andelman. July 2, 2010. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  9. ^ "Troy University MPA". www.facebook.com. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  10. ^ Commerce, Greater Tampa Chamber of (January 19, 2017). "Leadership Tampa Alumni Honors Jane Castor with Parke Wright III Leadership Award". wordpress.com. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  11. ^ "Former Tampa police chief Jane Castor to run for mayor". Wfla. April 19, 2018. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  12. ^ Lambertsen, Kristen (May 8, 2015). "Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor has last day on the job before retiring". WFLA Channel 8. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  13. ^ AP. "Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor retires after 31-year career". Gainesville.com. The Gainesville Sun. Archived from the original on April 25, 2019. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
  14. ^ Bryson, Anna. "An interview with Tampa mayoral candidate Jane Castor". CL Tampa. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  15. ^ "Chief Jane Castor looks back over 31 years with Tampa police". Bay News 9. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  16. ^ Holley, Peter. "In Florida, police are waging a war on black bicycle riders, investigators say". Retrieved January 28, 2021 – via www.washingtonpost.com.
  17. ^ "Informer, not neighbor complaints, led up to fatal Tampa pot raid". Tampa Bay Times.
  18. ^ "Jane Castor defends her record as Tampa police chief". Tampa Bay Times.
  19. ^ "March column: Castor changes parties while Republicans ponder Bush or Rubio". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  20. ^ "Carlton: Ex-top cop Jane Castor as Tampa's next mayor? It could happen". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  21. ^ "Former chief Jane Castor makes it official: She's in the race for Tampa mayor". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  22. ^ ABC Staff. "Election Results". ABC Action- Bay. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  23. ^ Wilson, Kirby. "Tampa mayor election: Jane Castor easily defeats David Straz in historic race". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  24. ^ Fitzsimons, Tim (April 23, 2019). "Tampa elects first out lesbian mayor, ex-police chief Jane Castor". NBC News. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  25. ^ Kate Sullivan (April 24, 2019). "Ex-police chief Jane Castor elected first LGBTQ mayor of Tampa, Florida". CNN. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  26. ^ McClellan, Matthew (November 4, 2021). "Cryptocurrency conference increases Tampa's clout in financial-tech sector". FOX 13 News. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  27. ^ "Crypto mayors on the rise". TechCrunch. December 21, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  28. ^ Lenihan, Rob (January 20, 2022). "New York Mayor to Get First Paycheck in Crypto". TheStreet. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  29. ^ "Jane Castor Bio". www.usf.edu. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  30. ^ "Transforming Tampa's Tomorrow | City of Tampa". www.tampa.gov. May 10, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  31. ^ "Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Information | City of Tampa". www.tampa.gov. March 2, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  32. ^ Galewitz, Phil. "Tampa mayor battled Florida governor over COVID-19 issues in buildup to Super Bowl 55". USA Today. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  33. ^ "Tampa city employees must get vaccinated, Mayor Jane Castor says". wtsp.com. August 24, 2021. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  34. ^ Phoenix, Florida (June 19, 2023). "Tampa becomes the latest Florida city to unveil a climate action plan". Florida Politics. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  35. ^ Christino, Martha; Yllemo, Jessica Olcott. "Tampa's Climate Action and Equity Plan". American Security Project. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
  36. ^ "Tampa Mayor Jane Castor unveils police reforms". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  37. ^ Wolf, Colin. "Tampa Mayor Jane Castor announces new policies for police, including excessive force changes, and a new taskforce". Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
  38. ^ "Tampa mayor reels in 70 pounds of cocaine during her family fishing trip - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. August 9, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2023.
[edit]
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Tampa
2019–present 		Incumbent
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