{"id":208652,"date":"2026-03-27T18:18:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T18:18:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/208652\/"},"modified":"2026-03-27T18:18:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T18:18:11","slug":"tampa-entrepreneur-gary-hartfield-enters-mayors-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/208652\/","title":{"rendered":"Tampa entrepreneur Gary Hartfield enters mayor\u2019s race"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gary Hartfield<\/a>, a Tampa entrepreneur and workforce development board leader, has filed to run for mayor, adding another business<\/a>-backed candidate to a race taking shape more than a year ahead of the 2027 election.<\/p>\n

Hartfield filed paperwork March 26, positioning his campaign around housing affordability, small-business growth and neighborhood investment as Tampa continues to absorb population gains and rising costs.<\/p>\n

His entry follows earlier filings, including those of Tampa City Council member\u00a0Lynn Hurtak<\/a>, who launched her campaign in February, marking the early formation of a field\u00a0expected to expand as fundraising and endorsements take shape.<\/p>\n

Hartfield<\/a> is the founder and CEO of Serenity Village Insurance & Consulting, which serves more than 1,000 clients across Florida and Georgia. He also serves as vice chair of CareerSource Hillsborough Pinellas, a regional workforce board that oversees job training and employment programs tied to employer demand.<\/p>\n

His campaign is expected to focus on expanding access to capital for small businesses, increasing the supply of workforce housing and directing more investment into neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m stepping forward because I believe Tampa deserves leadership<\/a> that is present, accountable and deeply connected to the people it serves,\u201d Hartfield said.<\/p>\n

READ: TAMPA BAY BUSINESS NEWS<\/a><\/p>\n

Housing affordability and workforce access have become central issues for local employers and policymakers, particularly as in-migration and business expansion continue to reshape the region\u2019s labor market and infrastructure needs.<\/p>\n

Hartfield<\/a> said he plans to emphasize workforce housing solutions and small-business support, including access to financing and technical resources. He has also pointed to neighborhood-level investment, including homeownership and local business development, as a mechanism for long-term economic stability.<\/p>\n

His background includes more than two decades working with local businesses and community organizations. He founded the All Hart Foundation, which focuses on leadership development and community engagement.<\/p>\n

Hartfield has appeared on the cover of Tampa Bay<\/a> Business and Wealth.<\/p>\n

The campaign plans to begin outreach efforts in the coming weeks, including community events across Tampa.<\/p>\n

The mayor\u2019s race is expected to center on how candidates address housing supply, infrastructure investment and economic growth management as the city continues to expand.<\/p>\n

Stay Informed<\/p>\n

\n Stay up to date on Tampa Bay business news<\/a>, executive profiles and the companies shaping the region.\n <\/p>\n

\t\tPost navigation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gary Hartfield, a Tampa entrepreneur and workforce development board leader, has filed to run for mayor, adding another…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":208653,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[61002,135,137,136],"class_list":["post-208652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-left","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=208652"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/208652\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/208653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=208652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=208652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=208652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}