Castor, Kathy

Kathy Castor represents Florida's 14th congressional district, which includes the city of Tampa. A Democrat first elected in 2006, she previously served as a member of the Hillsborough County Commission. Born in Miami and raised in Tampa, she comes from a family with a strong history of public service; her mother, Betty Castor, was a state senator and Florida's education commissioner. Castor holds degrees from Emory College and the Florida State University College of Law, and she practiced public administration law before entering elective office.

In the House, Castor is a prominent member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. She holds a leadership role as the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Energy and also serves on the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. Her legislative work is heavily focused on environmental protection, telecommunications, and public health. She has sponsored numerous bills aimed at addressing climate change, improving flood insurance considerations, and expanding access to cancer screenings and preventative care.

Throughout her tenure, Castor has been a consistent advocate for her constituents in the Tampa Bay area. Her policy priorities include strengthening the National Flood Insurance Program and promoting clean energy initiatives, as seen in her sponsorship of the CLEANER Act and the Energy Threat Analysis Center Act. She also works on healthcare accessibility, specifically targeting HPV prevention and lung cancer screening improvements. Her long-standing service in the House has established her as a key voice in national debates over energy transition and consumer protection.