Kathy Castor
| Kathy Castor | |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 14th district |
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Assumed office January 3, 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Connie Mack |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 11th district |
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In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Jim Davis |
| Succeeded by | Rich Nugent |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Katherine Anne Castor August 20, 1966 Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | William Lewis |
| Alma mater |
Emory University Florida State University, Tallahassee |
| Religion | Presbyterianism |
Katherine Anne "Kathy" Castor (born August 20, 1966) is the U.S. Representative for Florida's 14th congressional district, serving in Congress since 2007. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
The district covers the city of Tampa and parts of Hillsborough County.
Castor was born in Miami. Her mother, Betty Castor (née Elizabeth Bowe), is a former University of South Florida President, a former Hillsborough County Commissioner, a former Florida State Senator, a former Florida Education Commissioner, and a 2004 United States Senate candidate. Her father, Donald F. "Don" Castor, was a Hillsborough County judge and died in April, 2013. Castor was raised in Tampa and graduated from Chamberlain High School. She holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Emory University (1988) and a J.D. from Florida State University College of Law (1991). She is a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority.
Castor began her legal career as Assistant General Counsel to the Florida Department of Community Affairs. She is the former President of the Florida Association of Women Lawyers and partner in a statewide law firm. In 2005, Castor was named as the Tampa Bay Business Journal's Woman of the Year in government.
Castor served on the Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners from 2002 through 2006. Her primary focus was on health care. She worked to stop seniors and other patients in Hillsborough County’s health care plan from being forced into HMOs.
Castor was the only Democratic member of Congress from Florida to vote against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, also known as the "bailout bill," stating that: "After thoughtful consideration and review, I voted against President Bush's $700 billion bailout. The Bush plan does not provide sufficient help to middle-class families in the housing squeeze or taxpayer protections." Instead, she championed programs such as the Neighborhood Stabilization Program and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and said it was "the lifeline that really saved the economy." In Tampa Bay, Recovery Act funds were invested in transportation, education, housing, research, law enforcement and various local infrastructure improvements. The I-4/Crosstown Connector received the largest Recovery Act investment in Tampa Bay, with $105 million to make the completion of the project possible and it opened to the public in 2014.
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