Jane Castor


Jane Castor is an American politician and former police chief 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. Castor was a member of the Republican Party until 2015, when she became a member of the Democratic Party.
A lifelong resident of Tampa, Castor is the first openly gay person to be elected Mayor of Tampa and the eighth openly LGBT person to be elected mayor of a municipality in Florida.

Early life and education

She graduated from George D. Chamberlain High School in 1977 where she was offered an athletic scholarship to play women's sports for the University of Tampa. Castor was inducted into the University of Tampa's Athletic Hall of Fame following her record-breaking performance on the women's basketball and volleyball teams.
Upon graduating, Castor joined the Tampa Police Department, where she served 31 years and became the city's first female Chief of Police. In 2019, Castor was also elected the first openly gay mayor in Tampa. Castor attended Chamberlain High School in Tampa and graduated in 1977.
Castor attended the University of Tampa, where she played volleyball and basketball while earning a degree in criminology. She graduated in 1981. 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.

Police chief

Castor joined the Tampa Police Department in 1984, when she was 24. She became assistant chief in 2005. She was appointed as chief in 2009 and served until her retirement in 2015.

Mayor

In 2016 it was speculated that Castor will stand as mayoral candidate in Tampa. Finally in April, 2018, she officially announced her candidacy. In the 2019 Tampa mayoral election, held on March 5, 2019, Castor led all candidates, garnering 48.0% of the vote. 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. She is the eighth openly gay mayor in Florida after Richard A. Heyman of Key West, J.P. Sasser of Pahokee, Ken Keechl of Broward County, Craig Lowe of Gainesville, Dean Trantalis of Fort Lauderdale, Teri Johnston of Key West, and Justin Flippen of Wilton Manors.

Personal life

She entered into a civil union with current Bradenton Police Department chief Melanie Jean Bevan in 2002 and they adopted 2 sons. Castor later separated from Bevan and has since resided with life partner, Ana Cruz, a Democratic political consultant and high powered state lobbyist. Castor resides in the Seminole Heights neighborhood of Tampa with her two sons, Seely and Sergei, and Cruz.