TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) \u2013 Bob Buckhorn announced he will be running to become Tampa\u2019s next mayor. He is now the 10th person seeking to become the city\u2019s top elected official.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is one of the most diverse and really interesting lineups for the Tampa Bay mayoral race we\u2019ve ever seen. We\u2019ve seen an influencer to an actual mayor,\u201d political expert Tara Newsom said.<\/p>\n
Political analysts say that beating Buckhorn will prove difficult; he has a million dollars for his campaign, far more than any current candidate, and he left office with 75% favorability.<\/p>\n
Buckhorn is credited with finishing the Tampa Riverwalk and creating a one-stop shop permitting process that enabled the city to grow.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m running to build a city that\u2019s the envy of the nation,\u201d Bob Buckhorn said.<\/p>\n
Mayor Jane Castor, who\u2019s occupied the seat since 2019, can\u2019t seek re-election because of term limits, and come next year, her seat will be up for grabs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve seen a trend lately where there are a lot more people who are filing and running for offices. We just had the City of Tampa special election, and I think we had 12 or 13 qualified candidates for that seat,\u201d said Craig Latimer, Supervisor of Elections.<\/p>\n
People can still file to run for office until the end of the year, but come January, Tampa will see which candidates can qualify to be on the ballot.<\/p>\n
Tara Newsom says the most important topics that will be on the voters\u2019 minds are \u201caffordability\u2026 transportation and of course, being prepared for a hurricane season.\u201d<\/p>\n
Experts say beating Buckhorn might be tough in this heated race.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s really hard now that Bob Buckhorn has gotten into the race, to really compete against a two-time former mayor who left office with 75% favorability and $1 million in his campaign war chest,\u201d Tara Newsom said.<\/p>\n
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