Bob Buckhorn was sworn in as the 56th mayor of the nation's 55th largest city on April 1, 2011. Buckhorn believes Tampa's strength is in its diversity and he is focused on building an environment that will move Tampa to the next level and create a strong economic climate. As Buckhorn moves forward to assemble a team, his priorities are job creation and economic growth.

As Tampa's mayor, Buckhorn serves on several boards and governing authorities including the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority, Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority, and the Tampa Port Authority. The mayor is represented on the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority, the Metropolitan Planning Organization, Tampa Bay Water, and the Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority. He also appoints citizens to serve on a number of other boards, committees and authorities charged with regulating and overseeing various city operations.

Buckhorn is committed to continuously looking for ways to reduce costs and create opportunities for economic growth. In June 2011, he formed the Economic Competitiveness Committee to review the City of Tampa’s permitting and regulatory processes and look for ways to improve the system. Their recommendations resulted in upgrades including the creation of Tampa’s Development Services Center, a one-stop permitting shop, and the switch to Accela, an automated permitting system. Buckhorn is committed to ensuring that Tampa is known as a place that is open for business and he will continue to focus on building an environment that will create a strong economic climate.

A long-time supporter of the military, Buckhorn was chair of the MacDill Reuse Advisory Committee in 1991 and served as a member of Florida's Defense Transition and Conversion Commission. He helped lead the effort against the closure of MacDill Air Force Base to ensure its 6,000 jobs and $2 billion economic impact remained in Tampa. He co-chaired the Base Closure Committee that coordinated Florida's fight to save its bases, which resulted in no base closures for the state and a net gain in military-related jobs.

Previously, Buckhorn was the Director of Governmental Affairs for the Builders Association of Greater Tampa and in 1987 became the Special Assistant to Mayor Freedman. In 1995, Buckhorn was elected Tampa City Council and was the Chairman of the Public Safety Committee, a member of the Municipal Planning Organization, and the Chairman of the Hillsborough River Interlocal Planning Board. In 1999, he was reelected to the Tampa City Council for a second term with 75% of the vote.

In 2003, Buckhorn joined the Dewey Square Group, a nationally known public affairs company, and was principal in the Florida office. In March 2007, he opened Buckhorn Partners, a public affairs firm based in Tampa.

Buckhorn, 53, graduated from Penn State University in 1980 with a degree in Political Science. He is married to Dr. Catherine Lynch Buckhorn and they have two daughters.