Former Tampa Bay Times Political Editor Adam Smith will become Tampa Mayor Jane Castor‘s next Communications Director, sources tell Florida Politics.
Smith, whose hire is pending final details, will replace Ashley Bauman, who left her post earlier this year citing health reasons.
Smith most recently served as Senior Vice President at the public affairs firm Mercury in its Tampa office. There, he was overseeing work on former Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch‘s bid for St. Petersburg Mayor. With Mercury, he also previously worked on Castor’s overwhelmingly successful mayoral campaign in 2019.
While sources say Smith’s role will likely be somewhat different from Bauman’s, which was heavy on digital presence, he’ll take on leadership over the Castor administration’s messaging as she enters the second half of her first term in office.
Tampa will host a Donald Trump rally on the Fourth of July weekend. Maybe.
Sources say the former President’s team is doing the rounds looking for a place to host the event. So far, no dice. If they can’t book a location in the Big Guava, they’re ready to check out some alternatives.
