Lynn Hurtak running for Tampa Mayor, setting up progressive battle with Bill Carlson

Tampa City Council member Lynn Hurtak has officially filed for the 2027 race to replace term-limited incumbent Tampa Mayor Jane Castor.

Hurtak’s announcement sets up a potential battle for the city’s progressive lane, as City Council colleague Bill Carlson is also expected to run.

Hurtak currently represents the citywide District 3 on the Tampa City Council, meaning she has won a citywide contest before.

“Tampeños are finally beginning to feel like they have a voice in City Hall,” Hurtak said. “As our next mayor, I’ll lift up those voices and build a Tampa that works for everyone.”

Hurtak will host a campaign kickoff party Feb. 27 at Shuffle, located at 2612 N. Tampa St. She also plans to launch a “Lynn Listens” tour engaging voters on topics that matter to them, such as parks, housing and safety.

Hurtak was first appointed to the City Council in 2022, to fill the remaining term of John Dingfelder, who resigned. She won election to the seat the following year, an underdog victory that saw her topple a political veteran with deep ties to City Hall.

In 2023, Hurtak defeated former state Sen. Janet Cruz with more than 60% of the vote despite being outfunded and facing opposition from Castor. Hurtak raised a little more than $106,000, while Cruz more than doubled that and had another more than $60,000 in a political committee supporting her bid. Cruz is the mother of Ana Cruz, a prominent Florida lobbyist and longtime partner of Castor.

Now nearly four years later, another battle is brewing, both between the Castor-aligned political forces in the city and between those who were seen as progressive allies united against Castor.

On one front, former Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, who supported Castor as his successor, is running again for his old job. He’ll have been out of office for the two terms required to seek election again.

On the other hand, Carlson is also expected to run. If both Carlson and Hurtak run, they will likely be competing for the same progressives that not only helped elect Hurtak, but who helped Carlson the same year defeat a Castor-backed City Council candidate in Blake Casper.

But Hurtak is up for the challenge, based on her campaign announcement.

“I’ve served as a councilwoman for the entire city, I’ve campaigned across the entire city,” she said. “We knocked on doors in every neighborhood, in every district, and we won because we made connections with people over the real issues affecting their lives. I’m doing this now because I know I can give even more to Tampa, and I will fight for this city.”

Hurtak touted her track record on the City Council, including advocating for a budget analyst to keep the city’s spending accountable, increasing budget priorities related to housing affordability and opposing tax increases.

Carlson has not officially launched a campaign, but he has been widely expected to run ever since he defeated Casper nearly four years ago.

There hasn’t been any recent polling of a hypothetical mayoral election, but a survey last May showed Buckhorn with a big advantage, at 49%. Carlson trailed at 22%, with Hurtak posting just 8% support in the poll.

And Hurtak also faces a likely funding deficit. Buckhorn has already raised more than $1.4 million to a political committee supporting him, money that mostly came from developers. Both Carlson and Hurtak are likely to emphasize that support as they seek more independent bids.