Elected Officials and Council — Tampa, Florida

Tampa operates under a mayor-council form of government with Jane Castor serving as the 59th Mayor and seven district and at-large council members.

Structure and Terms

Tampa's elected government consists of a mayor and seven City Council members, all serving four-year terms. The Council is organized into two tiers: three at-large seats designated Districts 1 through 3, and four geographically defined district seats numbered 4 through 7. According to a City of Tampa news release from April 2025, Mayor Jane Castor and all seven Council members were sworn in for new four-year terms at that time, placing the next scheduled regular election in 2029. The at-large members represent the city as a whole, while the four district members each serve a defined geographic constituency within Tampa's boundaries. Term lengths and seat structure are established under Tampa's charter, and the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Fact Sheet documents the city's nonpartisan municipal election framework.

The Mayor

As of April 30, 2026, Jane Castor serves as the 59th Mayor of Tampa, with her current term running through May 1, 2027, according to multiple authoritative sources including the City of Tampa's 2026 State of the City address page and Ballotpedia's Tampa, Florida entry. The City of Tampa's official mayor page identifies Castor as a lifelong Tampa resident. In April 2025, at her State of the City address as reported by WUSF Public Radio, Castor outlined the city's hurricane recovery progress, including $94 million spent on wastewater upgrades encompassing 28 critical pump stations following the October 2024 storms, and a commitment of an additional $350 million in stormwater maintenance and improvements. The mayor's office functions as the executive branch of Tampa's mayor-council government, with the mayor holding authority over day-to-day city administration and proposing the annual municipal budget to the Council.

City Council Members

As of April 30, 2026, Tampa's seven-member City Council comprises Alan Clendenin (District 1 At-large), Guido Maniscalco (District 2 At-large), Lynn Hurtak (District 3 At-large), Bill Carlson (District 4), Naya Young (District 5), Charlie Miranda (District 6), and Luis Viera (District 7), according to the City of Tampa departments directory.

District 5 saw a change in representation during the 2025–2026 term. Gwendolyn Henderson, who was sworn in alongside her colleagues in April 2025, died in June 2025. A special election was held to fill the seat, and Naya Young won the October 28, 2025 runoff, as reported by Axios Tampa Bay and Bay News 9. Young was sworn in on October 31, 2025, completing the District 5 seat for the remainder of the four-year term.

District 1 At-large
Alan Clendenin
City of Tampa, 2026-04-30
District 2 At-large
Guido Maniscalco
City of Tampa, 2026-04-30
District 3 At-large
Lynn Hurtak
City of Tampa, 2026-04-30
District 4
Bill Carlson
City of Tampa, 2026-04-30
District 5
Naya Young (sworn Oct 31, 2025)
Axios Tampa Bay / Bay News 9, 2025-10-31
District 6
Charlie Miranda
City of Tampa, 2026-04-30
District 7
Luis Viera
City of Tampa, 2026-04-30
Mayor
Jane Castor (term ends May 1, 2027)
City of Tampa / Ballotpedia, 2026-04-30

Recent Council Actions

During its final session of 2025, held December 18, 2025, the Tampa City Council advanced several notable measures. According to FOX 13 News, the Council moved forward with Tampa's first transportation impact fee increase in 36 years, a measure aimed at directing new development costs toward road and transit infrastructure. The Tampa Monitor's December 18, 2025 regular meeting agenda also documents Council action on a Community Benefit Agreement connected to the Tampa Museum of Art and restrictions on vehicles using multi-modal paths within city limits.

At its January 5, 2026 session, the Council approved the appointment of Scott Steady as the city's new city attorney, according to the Bay Bugle. The city attorney serves as the Council's chief legal adviser and represents the city in litigation. These actions followed a period of intensive hurricane recovery oversight during the second half of 2025, in which the Council monitored expenditures tied to the $94 million in post-hurricane wastewater infrastructure spending that Mayor Castor reported at the April 2025 State of the City address.

Sources

  1. U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2023 https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs Used for: All demographic figures: population (393,389), median age (35.6), median household income ($71,302), median home value ($375,300), housing units, rent, owner/renter split, poverty rate, unemployment rate, labor force participation, educational attainment
  2. Tampa History | City of Tampa https://www.tampa.gov/info/tampa-history Used for: Fort Brooke founding in 1824, Ponce de León arrival 1513, city history overview, Henry B. Plant railroad context
  3. Incorporation History | City of Tampa Archives https://www.tampa.gov/city-clerk/info/archives/city-of-tampa-incorporation-history Used for: Formal incorporation date (January 18, 1849), trustee form of government establishment, Fort Brooke orders November 1823
  4. Ybor City History | City of Tampa https://www.tampa.gov/CRAs/ybor-city/history Used for: Ybor City founded 1886 by Vicente Martinez Ybor, 'cigar capital of the world' by 1900, Cuban and immigrant workforce, CRA area documentation and architectural heritage description
  5. Birth of Ybor City, the Cigar Capital of the World — Library of Congress Research Guides https://guides.loc.gov/this-month-in-business-history/ybor-city Used for: Vicente Martinez Ybor's contract with Tampa Board of Trade on October 5, 1885; first brick cigar factory (1886)
  6. Ybor City: Cigar Capital of the World — National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places https://www.nps.gov/teachers/classrooms/upload/TWHP-Lessons_51ybor.pdf Used for: Tampa's population growth after incorporation of Ybor City in 1887; cigar manufacturing as primary livelihood by 1890
  7. Tampa | Britannica https://www.britannica.com/place/Tampa Used for: Spanish-American War embarkation point (1898); world's first scheduled passenger airline service Tampa-St. Petersburg (1914)
  8. Tampa Riverwalk | City of Tampa Parks and Recreation https://www.tampa.gov/parks-and-recreation/featured-parks/riverwalk Used for: Riverwalk attractions including parks, museums (Glazer Children's Museum, Henry B. Plant Museum, Tampa Bay History Center, Tampa Museum of Art), Straz Center
  9. The Tampa Riverwalk: Walkable Attractions Guide | City of Tampa https://www.tampa.gov/tcc/blog/riverwalk-tour Used for: Riverwalk historical monument trail, Riverwalk as connective corridor for cultural institutions
  10. Mayor Jane Castor | City of Tampa https://www.tampa.gov/mayor Used for: Jane Castor identified as 59th Mayor of Tampa; biographical context as lifelong Tampa resident
  11. Mayor Jane Castor Stresses Unity — City of Tampa News Release, April 2025 https://www.tampa.gov/news/2025-04/mayor-jane-castor-stresses-unity-and-calls-focus-parks-arts-transportation-120201 Used for: April 2025 swearing-in of Mayor Castor and seven City Council members for new four-year terms; names and districts of all Council members
  12. 2025 State of the City: Castor update on 2024 hurricanes | WUSF Public Radio https://www.wusf.org/politics-issues/2025-04-28/tampa-2025-state-of-city-address-castor Used for: $94 million spent on wastewater upgrades and 28 pump stations since 2024 hurricanes; $350 million stormwater commitment; debris volume metric
  13. Tampa General Hospital's Implementation of a Deployable Flood Barrier During Hurricanes Helene & Milton | FEMA https://www.fema.gov/case-study/tampa-general-hospitals-implementation-deployable-flood-barrier-during-hurricanes-helene Used for: Hurricane Helene storm surge exceeding seven feet; Hurricane Milton surge forecast up to 15 feet; October 2024 timing of storms
  14. Hurricane Recovery Milestone: Tampa Completes Cleanup Ahead of Christmas | City of Tampa https://www.tampa.gov/news/2024-12/hurricane-recovery-milestone-tampa-completes-cleanup-ahead-christmas-160451 Used for: Storm debris removal completed December 20, 2024, ahead of schedule
  15. Hillsborough County approves $70M in stormwater upgrades after 2024 hurricane season | FOX 13 Tampa Bay https://www.fox13news.com/news/hillsborough-county-stormwater-upgrades-2024-hurricane-season Used for: Hillsborough County $70 million stormwater upgrade approval following 2024 hurricane season
  16. Port Tampa Bay's Economic Impact and Jobs Double | Port Tampa Bay Official Release https://www.porttb.com/2024/11/19/news-port-tampa-bay-s-economic-impact-and-jobs-double/ Used for: $34.6 billion regional economic contribution; 192,201 total jobs supported; 35 million tons cargo and 1.1 million cruise passengers in 2023; $1.2 billion state and local tax revenue
  17. Port Tampa Bay's Economic Impact and Jobs Double | Florida Ports Council https://flaports.org/port-tampa-bays-economic-impact-and-jobs-double/ Used for: Corroborating Port Tampa Bay 2023 cargo (35 million tons), cruise passenger (1.1 million) and job figures (192,201)
  18. Florida ports see a boost in cargo and cruise traffic | WUSF Public Radio https://www.wusf.org/economy-business/2024-01-31/florida-seaports-boost-cargo-cruise-traffic Used for: Port Tampa Bay recorded more cargo tonnage in 2023 than any other port in Florida
  19. The state of Tampa's economy in 2025 | Tampa Bay Business and Wealth Magazine https://tbbwmag.com/2025/12/03/tampa-economy-2025/ Used for: FloridaCommerce data: Tampa metro added 15,500 private-sector jobs in May 2025, third-highest gain in Florida
  20. A Look Back at Tampa's Hurricane Recovery | City of Tampa https://www.tampa.gov/news/2025-10/look-back-tampas-hurricane-recovery-174641 Used for: Ballast Point Pier (970 ft) suffered major damages and remains closed; Request for Proposal issued for restoration; Joe Abrahams Community Center reopening September 2025
Last updated: May 1, 2026