With a long history of service in the City of Tampa, Bob is Executive Vice President and Principal U.S. Cities Practice for Shumaker Advisors Florida, where he provides communications strategy, public affairs consulting, and business development services across Florida. In his role, he remains focused on economic development opportunities and urban development strategies, while working with clients to improve the overall quality of life in the community.
Bob served as the Mayor of Tampa, Florida from 2011 to 2019, where he led more than 4,300 dedicated, hard-working, and forward-thinking civil servants. As mayor, Bob led Tampa out of the largest recession since the Great Depression. Facing a $30 million deficit upon taking office, he annually balanced Tampa’s billion-dollar budget eight straight years and made strategic investments in infrastructure to prepare Tampa for the future. One of Bob’s first acts as mayor was to create a diverse panel of local business people and community activists to help reshape how City Hall does business. Bob spearheaded the development of the Invision Plan, a blueprint for the development of our urban core, and he successfully worked with the Obama Administration to secure a grant to complete the Tampa Riverwalk. Under his leadership, Bob set a tone of inclusiveness in Tampa as the city acted as a pioneer for equality by establishing one of Florida’s first Domestic Partnership Registries and Tampa has been recognized by the Human Rights Campaign with a perfect 100 percent score on its Municipal Equality Index.
As mayor, Bob laid the foundation for Tampa to compete with other top tier cities by fostering a culture of inclusiveness, responsiveness, and determination and he continues to do so. The transformation of Tampa over the last 10 years is a testimony to the vision and execution that he brought to his time as Mayor.
Media Mentions:
- 11.07.2024 Tampa officials tour Brightline's new route to Orlando as advocacy for extension wears on, Tampa Bay Business Journal
- 11.01.2023 People to Know in Tampa/Hillsborough County, Florida Trend
- 09.19.2023 That’s the way this game is played’: Former Tampa mayor reacts to new Rays stadium development announcement, WFLA News Channel 8
- 04.03.2023 Tampa Bay socioeconomic snapshot: Not bad — but lots of room to get better, Business Observer
- 02.01.2023 Tampa firefighters endorse Janet Cruz for City Council, The Tampa Bay 100
- 12.26.2022 Nashville downtown leaders inspired by Tampa’s riverfront development, WKRN
- 10.13.2022 Nashville Downtown Partnership Annual Meeting and Awards Luncheon Presented by Vanderbilt University Focuses on Big Development Topic: Riverfront, Nashville Downtown Partnership
- 09.29.2022 Former Tampa mayor on aftermath of Hurricane Ian: Going to be a 'really bad day,' Fox News
- 09.28.2022 The InterView: Bob Buckhorn, Shumaker Advisors, TAMPA Magazine
- 07.19.2022 Tampa’s Bob Buckhorn to speak at Scenic Jacksonville’s 2022 Great Cities Symposium, The Resident Community News Group
- 1.11.2022 Shumaker Advisors Florida taps former Mayor Bob Buckhorn, The Tampa Bay 100
- 01.11.2022 Former Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn hopes to continue making a difference, Catalyst
- 01.10.2022 Former Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn Joins Shumaker Advisors, Florida Politics
- 01.10.2022 Former Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn Joins Shumaker Advisors, The Free Press
- 01.10.2022 Former Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn joins lobbying firm, Tampa Bay Times
- 01.10.2022 Former Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn joins Shumaker Advisors in Tampa, Tampa Bay Business Journal
- 01.10.2022 Former mayor joins national lobbying firm, Business Observer
- 01.10.2022 Personnel note: Bob Buckhorn joins Shumaker Advisors, Miami Standard