Tampa City Council members vote to give themselves $20,000 raise

TAMPA — Two years after Mayor Jane Castor's administration first proposed hiking salaries, City Council members have agreed to follow the recommendation.

A majority voted on Thursday to give themselves a more than $20,000 annual pay raise, or a nearly 40% boost.

"It's not just about us," said council member Gwen Henderson, who championed the boost as a means of diversifying political representation. "It's about the future of Tampa and who gets to lead our city and who gets to have a seat at the table."

Her colleagues appeared to agree that raising the current salary of about $54,000 to more than $75,000 would make holding public office more accessible — especially in a city that has seen the cost of living soar as inflation, a housing crisis, runaway insurance premiums and high electric bills collide.

But opinions on the size and timeline of a pay increase differed.

"I don't think, on principle, that we should get the benefit of it," said council member Luis Viera who, along with Charlie Miranda and Bill Carlson, voted against the hike. Instead, Viera said raises ought to take effect after the next election cycle, instead of current council members enriching themselves.

The majority of council members also voted in favor of tying their raises to those of unionized city workers. City staff will now draft a resolution, to be presented to the Council in September. The funding will need to be included in the budget, set to be presented by the mayor in July, too.

Henderson said Castor's administration has assured her it will.

Back in August 2022, councilmembers were taken by surprise when Castor staffers first proposed a salary increase.

A month later, the council voted 4-3 against giving itself a raise to nearly $74,000.

Miranda, who led the effort against the pay hike in 2022, said he didn't think everyday Tampa residents struggling to keep up with inflation were likely to get such a one-time windfall — or appreciate their local elected officials giving themselves one. He reiterated that sentiment Thursday.

"I'm not opposed to a raise. I'm opposed to the amount of the raise," he said.

Alan Clendenin, who supported Thursday's hike, said that he thought of it less as a raise and more as "an adjustment" because the salary for council members had fallen "woefully behind."

Next year, the City Council will discuss a more permanent system or formula for salary adjustments for future councilmembers.

"We ought to put some structure in place so no City Council has to vote on this again," said council member Bill Carlson, who has suggested pegging pay to a proportion of the mayor's salary, currently just more than $189,000.

"People that are in this position should not be required to have another job," Carlson said. "They should not be required to be independently wealthy."