OPINION: Will Jane Castor Run for Mayor Again in 2035?

TAMPA — Bob Buckhorn served as Mayor of Tampa for 8 years, from 2011 through 2019. When former Police Chief Jane Castor ran for mayor in 2019, Buckhorn endorsed her. Now Mayor Castor will finish up her own 8 years as mayor in 2027, and speculation is already beginning about who will head the city next. Bob Buckhorn has made it clear he wants the job again.

Buckhorn stumbled out the gate by prematurely telling St. Leo University students in April that he was running, then walking those comments back the next day. Still, he seems to be off to the races, and Mayor Castor is throwing her support behind him hard.

Castor’s mother in law, former State Rep. Janet Cruz, is hosting an event for Buckhorn’s political committee in July headlined “Tampa’s Hispanic Leaders Want Bob Buckhorn.” Castor herself is holding an official city event on June 25th honoring Buckhorn for “his legacy of public service that helped shape our city’s future along the Hillsborough River.” Buckhorn also released a poll showing him leading against some hypothetical opponents (almost none of whom are likely to run for mayor).

Buckhorn and Castor are working hard to clear the lane for Buckhorn to become mayor again without serious opposition. If they succeed in this effort, Tampa will be continuously governed by Buckhorn and Castor administrations for 20 or 24 years — unless Jane Castor runs again, which could make it 32 consecutive years.

Jane Castor has not suggested she has any intention of running for office again in 2035 when Buckhorn could potentially finish his 16th year as mayor. But if Buckhorn succeeds in 2027, the temptation could arise to follow in his footsteps once again, as she did in 2019.

As of right now, the only candidates officially filed for the next Tampa Mayoral race are registered-Republican Julie Magill, who earned 9.9% in the 2024 School Board D1 election, and 24-year-old student Alan Henderson. City Councilmember Bill Carlson is widely expected to run. Carlson, a long-time critic of Buckhorn, was elected to the Tampa City Council in 2019 and appears to view the Castor administration as a continuation of the Buckhorn administration. Carlson has continued to lob criticisms of Mayor Castor throughout his tenure on the City Council.

With nearly two years remaining before election day, it remains unclear if Bob Buckhorn will be able to walk back into the Mayor’s office in in Spring 2027 as if nothing has changed in the last 14 years. Certainly the city voted for him twice and voted twice more for his successor, Jane Castor.

On the other hand, his foe and rival Bill Carlson may succeed in painting Buckhorn as corrupt and out of touch. Or Floridians, eager to turn over a new leaf, may line up behind another candidate who offers a fresh vision. If so, that candidate has not yet made themselves known.

One thing is for sure: if Bob Buckhorn gets his way, Tampa is staying the course for another 8 years.