Pam Iorio | |
---|---|
57th Mayor of Tampa | |
In office April 1, 2003 –March 31, 2011 | |
Preceded by | Dick Greco |
Succeeded by | Bob Buckhorn |
Personal details | |
Born | Pamela Dorothy Iorio April 27,1959 Waterville,Maine,U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Mark Woodard |
Children | 2 |
Education | American University (BS) University of South Florida,Tampa (MA) |
Website | pamiorio |
Pamela Dorothy Iorio (born April 27,1959) is an American politician and author,who served as mayor of Tampa,Florida from 2003 to 2011.
Iorio moved with her family to Temple Terrace as an infant and attended Hillsborough County public schools. Iorio earned her bachelor's degree from American University and followed up with her masters at the University of South Florida. [1] Iorio has been married to Mark Woodard,County Administrator for Pinellas County,since 1987,and they have two children,Caitlin and Graham. [2] Her father,John Iorio,was an Italian immigrant and English professor,and one of the first professors at the University of South Florida. [3]
In 1985,at the age of 26,she became the youngest person ever elected to the Hillsborough County Commission. For a decade before her successful run for mayor,she served as Supervisor of Elections for Hillsborough County. During the 2000 presidential election recount,she was the president of the State Association of County Elections Supervisors propelling her into the role of spokesperson. [2]
In 2001,her account of the white supremacist White Municipal Party was published in The Florida Historical Quarterly .
On April 1,2003,she was sworn in as Mayor of Tampa,becoming the second woman to hold the office. Her first term dealt largely with re-energizing the downtown area,as well as the economic revitalization of Tampa’s most neglected neighborhoods. Iorio was also a big supporter of the arts,working to make Tampa a major arts center in the South. Iorio has also been credited with a sharp drop in drug trafficking in the city limits and a significant drop in major crimes. In her second term,Iorio advocated for improved mass transit,favoring a multi-modal plan which included a light rail system. [2] While mayor,Tampa hosted a Super Bowl and successfully attracted the 2012 Republican National Convention. [4]
In her official capacity as mayor,Iorio represented the city at important events such as the opening of the Tampa Bay History Center on January 17,2009. On January 28,2010,when Iorio welcomed U.S. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden,Governor of Florida Charlie Crist,and Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink,all of whom came to the University of Tampa for a national "Town Hall Meeting" to announce federal funding for Florida High Speed Rail and other projects. [5] Iorio criticized Florida Governor Rick Scott's decision to veto the high speed rail project,claiming he did so "purely on ideological reasoning." [6]
Her book,Straightforward,was released in November 2011. [7] In the book she draws from her own experiences and shares the skills and characteristics needed to become an effective leader. [6]
Since her time as mayor ended,Iorio has focused her time on working with Tampa area non-profits and spending time with her family. She has been involved with the Tampa Bay History Center,the Curtis Hixon Park and Riverwalk,and the USF Foundation [8]
She had been mentioned as a possible Democratic Party candidate for governor of Florida in 2014. [9] Iorio ultimately did not run. Iorio has also proposed changes to Florida's election laws in order to avoid long lines at the polls and other irregularities. [10]
In February 2014 Iorio was named as the President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America,effective March 31,2014. [11]
In November 2018,Iorio was included in PEOPLE Magazine's "25 Women Changing the World in 2018." [12]
Tampa is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the county seat of Hillsborough County. With an estimated population of 403,364 in 2023, Tampa is the 49th-most populous city in the country and the third-most populous city in Florida after Jacksonville and Miami.
Elizabeth Castor is an American educator and former politician. Castor was elected to the Florida Senate and as Florida Education Commissioner, and she subsequently served as the President of the University of South Florida, and President of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.
James Oscar Davis III is an American politician from the U.S. state of Florida. He is a Democrat and served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1997 to 2007, representing Florida's 11th congressional district. He was the Democratic nominee for governor of Florida in the 2006 election, but was defeated by Republican Charlie Crist.
Debra Jean Williams, better known under her former married name of Debra Lafave, is a convicted sex offender who formerly taught at Angelo L. Greco Middle School in Temple Terrace, Florida. In 2005, she pleaded guilty to lewd or lascivious battery against a teenager. The charges stemmed from a sexual encounter with a 14-year-old student in mid-2004. Lafave's plea bargain included no prison time, opting for three years of house arrest due to safety concerns, seven years of probation, and lifetime registration as a sex offender.
Armwood Senior High School is a public high school located in Seffner, Florida, United States, on U.S. Highway 92. It opened in August 1984. The school is named after Blanche Armwood, a longtime Tampa resident, educator and activist. The school's mascot is the Hawk.
The modern history of Tampa, Florida, can be traced to the founding of Fort Brooke at the mouth of the Hillsborough River in today's downtown in 1824, soon after the United States had taken possession of Florida from Spain. The outpost brought a small population of civilians to the area, and the town of Tampa was first incorporated in 1855.
Stageworks Theatre is a theatre, based in Tampa, Florida currently being led by Producing Artistic Director Karla Hartley. Stageworks Theatre took possession of its own performance space in 2011 located in the Channelside District of Tampa.
The 2011 Tampa Mayoral Election took place in March 2011, in the city of Tampa, Florida. Incumbent Mayor Pam Iorio was prevented from seeking a third term due to term limits, creating an open seat. Candidates Rose Ferlita and Bob Buckhorn placed first and second, respectively, in the mayoral election held on March 1, 2011. Because neither candidate received a majority of the vote, a runoff took place on March 22, 2011, which Buckhorn won.
Frederick Brennan "Fred" Karl was an American politician. A decorated U.S. service member, he began his political career serving in the Florida House of Representatives from 1956 to 1964, after which he was elected to the Florida State Senate from 1968 to 1971 and the Florida Supreme Court from 1977 to 1978.
The Tampa Riverwalk is a 2.6-mile-long (4.2 km) open space and pedestrian trail along the Hillsborough River in Tampa, Florida. The Riverwalk extends along most of the downtown Tampa waterfront from the Channelside District on the eastern terminus to the mouth of the Hillsborough River and then north along the riverside to Tampa Heights, forming a continuous path that connects a multitude of parks, attractions, public spaces, and hotels. Among the notable points of interest along the Riverwalk are the Tampa Bay History Center, Amalie Arena, the Tampa Convention Center, Rivergate Tower, Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, Water Works Park, and the Waterfront Arts District which includes the Tampa Museum of Art, Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, Glazer Children's Museum, and the Straz Center for the Performing Arts. Locations along the Riverwalk play host to many community events, most notably the numerous festivals held at Curtis Hixon Park and the arrival of the "pirate ship" Jose Gasparilla, which moors at the Riverwalk behind the Convention Center during the Gasparilla Pirate Festival.
Robert Francis Buckhorn Jr. is an American politician who served as the mayor of Tampa, Florida from 2011 to 2019. He is a member of the Democratic Party who also served two terms on the Tampa City Council.
Mary Lou Harkness was a librarian and a university library director, the first woman to hold that title at any Florida university. She was the fourth employee hired by the University of South Florida.
William H. Harris Jr., known as Jack Harris, is an American radio personality in the Tampa Bay Area of Florida. He has been involved in radio, television, and sports broadcasts in that market since 1970.
Ashley Brooke Moody is an American attorney and politician serving as the attorney general of Florida since January 2019. Moody previously served as an assistant U.S. attorney and a circuit court judge in Hillsborough County.
The 2003 Tampa Mayoral Election was held to elect the mayor of Tampa, Florida. Because no candidate received a majority of the vote, a runoff was held between the top-two finishers of the initial round. The election was won by Pam Iorio.
The 2007 Tampa Mayoral Election was held to elect the mayor of Tampa, Florida.
Donald Brenham McKay was the owner and editor of the Daily Times newspaper in Tampa, Florida and served several terms as Mayor of Tampa from 1910 to 1920 and from 1928 to 1931.
The White Municipal Party was a white supremacist political organization established in Tampa, Florida to eliminate African American influence in municipal elections. The group limited local elections to white candidates for many years by excluding African Americans from party membership and thereby blocking them from participating in primary elections where the eventual election winners were actually determined. The party produced an unbroken series of mayors in Tampa from 1910 until 1947.