So how did we keep our families, communities and city together? We delivered what people needed, when and where they needed it. Leveraging the data we had amassed, we were able to target our interventions. Sharing that information among emergency response units, cleanup crews and other key teams, we solved problems strategically and pivoted swiftly. “Tampa Strong” was a saying then. I am proud to report that Tampa is stronger now.
“Efficiency” has become a buzzword in the national conversation about government. But in Florida and across the country, mayors and their teams are not just talking about how to streamline operations and step up to support more people. We are doing it. And we are getting it right by harnessing data.
Severe weather is a perennial challenge in Tampa, but data is a solution that’s just as enduring. Today, it forms the foundation of successful government. It can inform and reform every action we take, but only if it is used deliberately and thoughtfully. For years, we have been building systems to do just that: To improve public health and safety. To increase jobs and housing. To support communities that are thriving and expand support for those that could thrive given the right resources. And, importantly, to understand which areas are safe and which are vulnerable when disasters strike.
During the hurricanes, data gave us clarity. It told us what we needed to know to act fast.
Like where to focus our cleanup efforts. The hurricanes generated 1 million cubic yards of debris, but it wasn’t spread evenly. Drones and tracking software revealed which neighborhoods required bigger collection crews. We deployed more than 50 garbage trucks and 300 haulers accordingly, with workers collecting a football field’s worth of waste piled two feet high every day. As a result, we met the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s 90-day deadline for removal three weeks ahead of schedule, enabling Tampanians to resume daily life unobstructed. Simultaneously, we gathered analytics in real time to create a digital map so residents could track when trucks would reach their street.
Even as we continue to find fresh ways to apply these data capabilities, I am no newcomer to the power of their potential. In the early 2000s, I helped the Tampa Police Department reinvent itself using models inspired by New York City and its then-mayor, Michael R. Bloomberg. Now, this journey has come full circle. My administration is one of 60-plus municipalities participating in the Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance, a consortium of local governments leading with data, digital tools and artificial intelligence. The program, delivered with the Bloomberg Center for Government Excellence at Johns Hopkins University, has helped take our burgeoning practices and make them world-class, anchored by standards to guide their use.
That philosophy isn’t just informing our immediate reaction to emergencies. It’s also steering how we run City Hall, including working toward long-term solutions to our most stubborn challenges. Take the housing shortage: Drawing on the City Data Alliance’s coaching, we crafted a strategy that began with understanding its scope in our community. To that end, we conducted a Housing Needs Assessment, collecting and combining statistics from community surveys, the census, Zillow and research from the University of Florida. Our analysis found that we needed more affordable units — tens of thousands more. This review also helped us pinpoint which neighborhoods and populations have the greatest needs, enabling us to target policies to address the needs of those who need relief most.
In turn, my team has partnered with the City Council to revise the residential code to make it easier for residents to convert structures like detached garages into living spaces. The city is also offering up to $40,000 in down-payment assistance for first-time home buyers, while partnering with developers to build new homes on 100 empty lots, and more as the program develops. An artificial intelligence tool, supported by our strong data infrastructure, simplifies the permitting process by helping applicants quickly identify what they need for their specific projects. All of these efforts mean we are making headway toward our goal of creating 10,000 affordable units by 2027.
Efficiency may be what everybody’s arguing about inside the Beltway, but in Tampa it’s how we run our city. Here and across the country, municipalities are mounting a quieter, more practical effort: steadily shaping how government can effectively create progress — not through theory or dogma, but through evidence-backed, tested initiatives built from the bottom up.
Jane Castor has been the mayor of Tampa, Fla., since 2019. She served as the city’s police chief from 2009 to 2015.
Governing’s opinion columns reflect the views of their authors and not necessarily those of Governing’s editors or management.
