Janelle Irwin Taylor
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor was making her rounds in Tallahassee Wednesday.
Stops included Gov. Ron DeSantis, incoming legislative leadership, members of the Tampa Bay-area delegation and staffers from departments handing economic opportunity, transportation and emergency management.
It’s common for Mayors to travel to Tallahassee to meet with lawmakers. The meetings allow local leaders to target potential partnerships on local projects.
Castor met first with Senate President-designate Wilton Simpson to discuss sustainability and resiliency, according to Castor’s spokeswoman, Ashley Bauman.
Castor was scheduled to meet with DeSantis Wednesday afternoon to discuss ways the state can offer assistance with infrastructure projects, including rail.
The meetings are part of a two-day trip to Tallahassee and a packed schedule of meetings.
Castor has already met with Jared Moskowitz, director of the Division of Emergency Management, and Democratic state Sen. Darryl Rouson of St. Petersburg. She’s also meeting with the Florida Department of Transportation’s Freight Logistics and Passenger Operations Administrator Gerard O’Rourke.
Later Wednesday, Castor was scheduled to meet with GOP House Speaker-designate Chris Sprowls and Democratic Rep. Dianne Hart of Tampa.
Castor’s Thursday schedule starts off with Senate President Bill Galvano, followed by a meeting with Department of Economic Opportunity Executive Director Ken Lawson. She also has meetings with Democratic state Sen. Janet Cruz of Tampa (Castor’s partner Ana Cruz’s mother), and GOP state Rep. Jackie Toledo.
Castor’s trip will wrap up with a joint meeting with Spencer and Anna DeCerchio and Kim Cramer of the Office of Policy and Budget and another with Whitney Gray of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection.
Castor’s meeting with DeSantis will be under 30 minutes. Castor had about an hour allotted for meetings with Sprowls, Simpson and Galvano. Castor does not have GOP House Speaker José Oliva on her calendar.
