Kathy Castor

Kathy Castor
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 14th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2013
Preceded by	Connie Mack IV
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 11th district
In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2013
Preceded by	Jim Davis
Succeeded by	Rich Nugent
Personal details
Born	Katherine Anne Castor (1966-08-20) August 20, 1966 Miami, Florida
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	William Lewis
Residence	Tampa, Florida
Alma mater	Emory University (B.A.) Florida State University (J.D.)
Profession	Attorney
Religion	Presbyterian

Kathy Castor (Born August 20, 1966) is the U.S. Representative for Florida's 14th Congressional District, which includes most of the city of Tampa and the city of St. Petersburg. The district also includes parts of Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties. Congresswoman Castor is the first woman to represent Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Castor focuses on issues vital to Tampa Bay area families and businesses and is committed to building a stronger economy. She works on initiatives that create jobs, improve schools, provide access to affordable health care, and protect consumers and the environment.

Castor is an outspoken advocate on behalf of the hardworking families, students and seniors of the Tampa Bay region. She successfully worked to raise the minimum wage, cut taxes for middle-class families, increase the amount of Pell grants for students, improve Medicare and extend unemployment benefits. She hosted six foreclosure prevention workshops designed to help homeowners stay in their homes. In 2008, Castor successfully passed a new law that permits college students and their families to remain eligible for student loans during times of dispute with insurance companies over medical bills.

U.S. House of Representatives

Kathy Castor is currently serving her fourth term being originally elected in 2006. She was re-elected by voters in 2008, 2010, and 2012.

Working to Create Jobs and Combat Florida’s High Unemployment Rate Castor has successfully fought to bring new jobs to the Tampa Bay area, including the Port of Tampa, Port Manatee, University of South Florida, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa International Airport, MacDill Air Force Base and new community health centers. She also has brought new jobs to the Encore redevelopment in downtown Tampa, the I-4/ Selmon Crosstown Connector initiative and Florida’s proposed high-speed rail line. Castor worked to capture every job and investment dollar area under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.In 2008, Castor introduced a bill setting a quicker timeline for the Social Security Administration to review disability claims. The legislation attracted 83 co-sponsors. Soon after, the Social Security Administration agreed to reduce the backlog of cases in the Tampa Bay area, assign new administrative judges and clerks to the Tampa region, and a locate a new office in downtown St. Petersburg.

Working for Quality, Affordable Health Care Castor led the way for new collaborative health initiatives at the University of South Florida, the Haley Veterans Administration Hospital and the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute. She has co-sponsored job-creating research efforts for Moffitt, Tampa General Hospital, BayCare and All Children's Hospital. In 2009, Castor helped secure a Medicaid waiver on behalf of the State of Florida and hospitals throughout the state from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that brought $4.3 billion to the state.In the 111th Congress, Castor served on the influential House Energy and Commerce Committee. As a member of the Health Subcommittee, Castor was instrumental in ensuring that health care reform worked for Florida families, businesses and university medical and nursing colleges. Castor worked with Florida universities and authored provisions to remedy the doctor shortage bring new medical residencies to the state and expand scholarships for the medical professions at Florida colleges and universities.

Working on Behalf of Cuban-American Families Castor is also dedicated to improving the lives of Cuban Americans. Castor successfully has advocated to ease travel and spending restrictions on Cuban-Americans visiting relatives in Cuba. In January 2011, President Obama announced that Tampa International Airport is eligible to resume direct flights to and from Cuba after more than two years of a Castor-led lobbying effort. In 2013, the Center for Democracy in the Americas presented Congresswoman Castor with the 2013 award for Courage in Congress for her advocacy in changing U.S. policy towards Cuba.

Working to Protect the Florida Coastline and for Florida Businesses, Families After BP Oil Disaster Castor fights to protect Florida beaches from offshore drilling. She is the author of the Florida Coastal Protection Act, which would make the 235-mile drilling ban off of Florida’s west coast permanent. Castor was active and outspoken in 2010 in her criticism of BP during the Deepwater Horizon oil blowout disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, which impacted Florida’s beaches, economy and small businesses. In June 2010, she secured $10 million from BP to support Florida college and university marine research, including the University of South Florida and Sarasota’s Mote Marine Laboratory. As member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee in 2010, Castor requested a report on BP's enormous advertising budget in the wake of the blowout, and said she was disappointed the oil company has spent more money "polishing its corporate image" than on helping Gulf Coast states recover from the April 2010 disaster.In the fall of 2010, Castor introduced the Gulf of Mexico Economic and Environmental Restoration Act to fund long-term economic recovery, environmental restoration and research with the fines and penalties to be paid by BP for its pollution under the Clean Water Act. Extensive bipartisan efforts are continuing on the Act in 2011.

Committee assignments

• Committee on the Budget
• Committee on Energy and Commerce
  • Subcommittee on Energy and Power
  • Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
  • Subcommittee on Health

Before Congress

Before her election to Congress, Castor served as a Hillsborough County Commissioner and chair of the Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Commission. In 2005, Castor was named as the Tampa Bay Business Journal's Woman of the Year in government.

Castor is a graduate of Tampa’s Chamberlain High School, Emory University and Florida State University College of Law. Castor and her husband have two daughters. She is the daughter of former Hillsborough County Judge Don Castor and former University of South Florida President and statewide-elected Education Commissioner Betty Castor. She is the former President of the Florida Association of Women Lawyers and partner in a statewide law firm.

Personal life

Kathy Castor and her husband have two daughters. She is the daughter of former Hillsborough County Judge Don Castor and former University of South Florida President and statewide-elected Education Commissioner Betty Castor. She is the former President of the Florida Association of Women Lawyers and partner in a statewide law firm.

Political campaigns

2006

The House seat in the district became open when five-term Democrat Jim Davis (D) chose to run for governor (he lost to Charlie Crist in November).

Castor won the September 5, 2006 Democratic primary, defeating challengers Al Fox, Lesley "Les" Miller, Scott Farrell, and Michael Steinberg. She received 54% of the vote, a full 20 points ahead of state Senate Minority Leader Les Miller in the five-way race.

Eddie Adams Jr., an architect and former hospital laboratory technologist,^[1] was the only Republican to file. Castor was endorsed by the pro-choice political action committee EMILY's List, the League of Conservation Voters, Oceans Champions, The Tampa Tribune, The St. Petersburg Times and The Bradenton Herald.

Castor handily won the 2006 November general election, 70% to 30%--becoming the first woman to represent Tampa and St. Petersburg in Congress, as well as only the third representative of this Tampa-based district since its creation in 1963 (it was the 10th District from 1963–67, the 6th from 1967–73, the 7th from 1973–93 and has been the 11th since 1993).

2008

Castor was reelected in November 2008 71% to 29% in a rematch with Adams.

2010

Castor was challenged by Republican nominee Mike Prendergast, a career military officer who retired in 2008 as a Colonel in the United States Army. Castor was reelected in November 2010 with 60% of the vote to Prendergast's 40%. Though Castor won convincingly, it was still the best showing for a Republican in this district since 1994.

2012

After the 2010 census the State of Florida gained two more congressional seats. As a result, Castor's district was redistricted from the 11th to the 14th. Florida's new 14th district voting age population is 46.5% non-Hispanic Whites (single race), 24% non-Hispanic Blacks (includes multirace), 24% Hispanic (excludes Hispanic Blacks), 1.6% Hispanic Blacks (includes multirace), and 3.8% other races (non-Hispanic)

References

External links

• Representative Kathy Castor official U.S. House site
• Castor for Congress
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at The Library of Congress
• Delta Delta Delta Distinguished Alumnae Profile