Tampa should create a government watchdog office to investigate internal fraud, waste, abuse, misconduct and mismanagement, city council members said during a workshop Thursday.
“Tampa spends hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars every year,” chairperson Alan Clendenin wrote in a document ahead of the meeting. “Residents should have confidence that there is an independent office with the authority to look into how that money is spent and how City government operates.”
The change is one of several recommended by the city’s Charter Review Advisory Commission, a board of appointed citizens tasked with reviewing Tampa’s charter — the document that serves as its constitution.
Council members also considered charter changes that, if approved, could tip the scales of power away from the mayor — and went beyond the commission’s recommendations. They include giving the City Council the power to override mayoral executive orders and make mid-year amendments to the city’s budget.
The council also discussed revising mayoral term limits to no more than two, four-year terms. The current charter limits how long a mayor can serve consecutively, but does not restrict former mayors from returning to office after a break.
Those proposals drew sharp criticism from Mayor Jane Castor, who said the charter review commission “unanimously supported preserving Tampa’s strong mayor form of government.”
“I am deeply concerned that Council members are now considering changes that would disregard much of that thoughtful work and fundamentally alter the balance of responsibilities that has served Tampa for decades,” Castor said in a statement. “We created this independent citizen-led process for a reason, and its analysis should not be cast aside for a power grab.”
Any changes to the charter would need to be approved by the City Council and Castor in the coming months. The updates would then be added to the ballot and decided by Tampa voters in the city’s next municipal election, which is in March 2027.
Council members heaped praise on the recommendation for an Inspector General, but said the commission’s proposal could go further. The council rejected language recommended by the commission and instead considered a proposal from Clendenin.
The inspector, Clendenin wrote, would not report to the mayor, city council, city attorney nor any other city employee. They would have unrestricted access to city records, property and staff for the purpose of investigations. The inspector could also issue subpoenas, Clendenin wrote.
“This is a great, great, great idea,” said council member Luis Viera. “You can get a more objective analysis on allegations of ethical violations, corruption, things like that. There will be vast support in the public.”
Council member Lynn Hurtak said, “It should be wildly independent.” Hurtak is running for mayor next year to replace Castor, who must leave office due to term limits.
Council member Bill Carlson, who is also running for mayor, said he has filed several complaints — with the human resources department, the legal department, the mayor’s office — regarding Castor’s administration allegedly using city resources to investigate council members.
“And there’s no recourse whatsoever,” said Carlson, who has long sparred with the administration. “It doesn’t matter how bad these folks act … the problem is there’s no mechanism to punish them from doing it.”