Entrepreneur Gary Hartfield officially joins already crowded Tampa mayoral race

Gary Hartfield, an entrepreneur who owns Serenity Village Insurance & Consulting in South Tampa, has officially filed to run for Tampa Mayor next year.

Hartfield is adding his name to the growing list of candidates vying to replace incumbent Mayor Jane Castor, who faces term limits.

Hartfield is the ninth candidate in the race. That number doesn’t include former Mayor Bob Buckhorn, who has said he will also run. Tampa City Council member Bill Carlson is also widely expected to join the race and would likely be among the front-runners alongside Buckhorn. Another leading name in the race is Lynn Hurtak, also a sitting Tampa City Council member.

But Hartfield brings a new dynamic to the race, with a business-centered background. Hartfield had confirmed last Summer that he was mulling a bid, including by opening a political committee to begin raising funds, Innovate Tampa, which he opened in early July.

“I’m looking at the Mayor’s office because I believe Tampa is at a turning point,” Hartfield previously said. “Our city is growing fast, but we’ve got to make sure no one gets left behind. I’ve built my life on creating opportunities through business, through service, and through community. I’m ready to bring that same spirit to City Hall.”

Hartfield, a self-described “serial entrepreneur,” has served as the Executive Director for the Polk County Opportunity Council and authored the book “Stand,” a memoir about his “journey through marriage, separation, parenthood, entrepreneurship, divorce, and death,” according to his LinkedIn bio.

He also serves on the All Hart Foundation and on boards for several other nonprofits, including United Way Suncoast, the Council of Tampa Bay, the St. Joseph’s-Baptist Health Board of Trustees and CareerSource Hillsborough Pinellas.

He also served on the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) and the Plan Hillsborough Transportation Planning Organization.

Hartfield resigned from HART in January following questions about his residency. He had been on the board as a representative for Hillsborough County, a position that required him to live in an unincorporated part of the county, but he moved to Tampa, at a rented residence, last May. Hartfield said at the time he wasn’t aware of the residency rule and resigned after he learned of it and sought guidance about the appropriate next steps.

Hartfield last year was elected Vice Chair of CareerSource Hillsborough Pinellas, though his leadership tenure in that post ended in June.

Valerie Goddard, a Tampa resident who is the registered agent for Hartfield’s political committee, previously told Florida Politics she’s supporting him because Tampa needs an innovator.

“We are excited to support a community leader who can help us build Tampa’s future together,” she said.

In addition to Hurtak, other already filed candidates for Mayor include Ryan Edwards, Anthony Gilbert Jr., Alan Jared Henderson, Julie Magill, Tres Rodmon, Taryn Sabia and Reginald Strachan.

Of the candidates filed, only two have so far reported raising any funds — Henderson and Magill — though both have raised less than $500. Some, including Hurtak, won’t face their first filing deadline until next month, which should offer some indication of fundraising activity even at this early juncture.

Buckhorn has already raised $1.4 million to his affiliated political committee, Friends of Bob Buckhorn, for an eventual bid. Carlson has also launched a political committee, Friends of Bill Carlson, and a dark money group also appears to be affiliated with him.