He\u2019s been teasing the announcement for months. On Monday, Bob Buckhorn will make it official.<\/p>\n
The former leader of Tampa, who served two consecutive terms from 2011 to 2019, is expectedto file his paperwork Monday morning to run for mayor.<\/p>\n
His campaign will be \u201cfocused on building the city\u2019s next chapter, one rooted in proven leadership, real results, and a future that reaches every neighborhood,\u201d a news release read.<\/p>\n
Buckhorn joins nine other candidates in the race to replace Mayor Jane Castor, who must leave office due to term limits. And with less than a year until the March 2027 election, he holds a commanding financial lead.<\/p>\n
A political committee supporting Buckhorn has raised more than $1.8 million, including more than $400,000 in the most recent quarter,<\/a> according to campaign finance reports.<\/p>\n Much of that money comes from real estate, development, engineering and investment companies.<\/p>\n The largest contributionsin the first quarter of this yearinclude $200,000 in February from Ayon Capital LLC, an investment firm; $50,000 in March from N.C.J. Investment Co.; and $25,000 in March from Daci Aviation Management LLC.<\/p>\n The committee also received several large contributions last year, including $100,000 in September from a division of Vinik Sports Group, which manages the Tampa Bay Lightning and Benchmark International Arena, and $50,000 in October from a company associated with Patrick Zalupski, the new managing partner of the Tampa Bay Rays, who are seeking to build a stadium in Tampa.<\/p>\n Buckhorn got his start in Tampa politics as a special assistant to then-Mayor Sandy Freedman in 1987. He served on the City Council from 1995 to 2003 before launching unsuccessful bids for mayor and the Hillsborough County Commission in the early 2000s.<\/p>\n If elected, Buckhorn would join a small group of Tampa mayors to serve more than two terms, including former Mayor Dick Greco.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve seen firsthand what Tampa can achieve when we focus on results and put people first,\u201d Buckhorn said in a statement last week. \u201cThe support we\u2019re seeing reflects a belief in proven leadership and a clear goal: building a Tampa for all of us, where opportunity reaches every neighborhood and no one is left behind.\u201d<\/p>\n Several other local leaders have joined the race.<\/p>\n There\u2019s Tampa City Council member Lynn Hurtak<\/a>, who announced her bid in February. Taryn Sabia<\/a>, an urban designer and assistant dean at the University of South Florida\u2019s College of Design, Art & Performance, followed days later.<\/p>\n