Janelle Irwin Taylor
Tampa City Council member Bill Carlson has been removed from a committee assignment he held for just one day after the local Police Benevolent Association (PBA) expressed concern.
City Council Chair Guido Maniscalco named Carlson on Monday as the Public Safety Committee Chair. The next day, Maniscalco updated the committee assignments, removing Carlson as Chair and replacing him with Council member Luis Viera, who previously chaired the committee.
Asked about the abrupt change, Maniscalco said he was just reverting to the prior year’s appointment, which was Viera. But Tampa PBA President Brandon Barclay said the move came after he expressed concern about Carlson’s appointment.
“I just let it be known that I think that Luis is a better fit for that position,” Barclay said, arguing that Carlson often said he supported law enforcement but sometimes voted in ways that contradicted that support.
Barclay further lamented to Florida Politics that Carlson seemed to be jockeying for support for his next political endeavor. Carlson is widely expected to run for Mayor to replace incumbent Jane Castor when she is termed out of office in 2027.
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that he sought this position two years before he’s running for Mayor and I don’t want our cops as props,” Barclay said, adding that Viera is not running for Mayor. Viera, however, is a candidate for House District 67.
While Barclay said comments to Maniscalco regarding Carlson’s appointment were nothing personal, the Tampa PBA hasn’t historically been a big Carlson fan. The group declined to endorse Carlson’s most recent re-election bid, instead backing challenger Blake Casper, who ultimately lost to Carlson.
Still, Brian Dugan, the former Chief of Police for the Tampa Police Department who now works as a law enforcement consultant, agreed that Carlson was not the right person to lead a committee whose work pertains to law enforcement and public safety.
“It just seemed like he tried to drive a wedge between us and the community,” Dugan said of his experience working with Carlson when he was leading Tampa PD.
“Bill Carlson as a Public Safety Chair is a slap in the face to anyone who puts on the uniform,” Dugan added.
Dugan specifically referenced Carlson’s known intent to run for Mayor.
“He’ll act like he was supportive of police because he wants to run for Mayor, but that’s just not the case,” Dugan said.
He pointed to interactions with Carlson in 2020 as the city was facing dual challenges: from widespread protests against police brutality following the death of George Floyd for which Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was charged, and from the COVID pandemic.
During that time, Dugan told Florida Politics, Carlson privately raised concerns about a large ammunition purchase. Dugan said he explained to Carlson that such purchases were a normal occurrence because buying in bulk just once per year presented a significant cost savings for the city.
Carlson, who was Council Chair at the time, later pulled the line item for the purchase, which Dugan said was for about $100,000 or so, from the City Council agenda. Carlson claimed that Dugan said it was not needed.
However, other members of the Council asked to hear directly from Dugan, who then told them that Carlson must have misunderstood. The purchase, which was also listed as a need for officer training, was ultimately approved.
The two men have a history of animosity, including a tense text exchange near the end of Dugan’s tenure and Carlson’s exit from a City Council meeting during a commendation to Dugan for his service.
Carlson’s removal from the Public Safety Committee, and the explanation from the PBA about why, could spell trouble for Carlson’s future in politics as he mulls a run for Mayor. Former Mayor Bob Buckhorn, who preceded Castor in office and appointed Dugan as Chief of Police, is widely expected to run, as all but confirmed in a meeting with local students earlier this year.
It’s also no secret that Buckhorn and Carlson aren’t fans of each other, and Buckhorn was known as pro-police during his tenure. The PBA’s pushback doesn’t necessarily imply future support for Buckhorn, but it likely signals Carlson wouldn’t receive it. The PBA nod is a powerful endorsement in Tampa mayoral races, though certainly isn’t the only indicator of a successful campaign.
Likewise, serving as Chair of the Public Safety Committee would have given Carlson an opportunity to perhaps soften his image among law enforcement.
Carlson declined to comment on his removal as Public Safety Committee Chair, directing inquiries about the decision to Maniscalco.
“Chair Maniscalco is the only person who would know why he made his appointments. Everything else is political speculation,” Carlson said in a text.
