Donald Trump selects Jane Castor for new FEMA review council

President Donald Trump has selected Tampa Mayor Jane Castor to serve on the newly formed Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) review council.

Trump selected Castor among several others he said were “Top Experts in their fields” and “Highly respected by their peers,” according to a Truth Social post and a press release from the Department of Homeland Security.

Castor is the only Democrat named to the council.

Others Trump appointed include Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley, Florida Division of Emergency Management Executive Director Kevin Guthrie, Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief W. Nim Kidd and Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz, among others.

Trump first announced the creation of the review council in January, with Noem and Hegseth serving as Co-Chairs. The group’s purpose is to “advise the President … on the existing ability of FEMA to capably and impartially address disasters occurring within the United States and shall advise the President on all recommended changes related to FEMA to best serve the national interest.”

“Parts of Tampa and much of Tampa Bay were devastated by Hurricane Helene and, 13 days later, by Milton. Thousands of Tampa Bay residents lost everything. Given the critical importance of emergency services and response to vulnerable communities like Tampa, I am pleased to have been selected to serve on this council,” Castor said.

The appointments come as officials in states that helped elect Trump, like Arkansas and North Carolina, plead with his administration to continue FEMA assistance.

As Mayor of Tampa, Castor has plenty of experience preparing for, responding to and recovering from hurricanes, including back-to-back devastation last September and October from Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Hours before Trump’s announcement, Castor touted the city’s response to and recovery from the storms in her annual State of the City Address.

“But for some neighborhoods — Davis Islands, Palmetto Beach, Westshore, Forest Hills, Overlook, Palma Ceia Pines — the devastation lingers,” Castor acknowledged Monday morning. “I’ve seen the anguish and fear in the eyes of so many Tampanians ravaged by Milton and Helene, and I promise we will not be forgotten.”