Families and cultural organizations from the Tampa Bay area will now save time and money with direct flights to Cuba. After years of working on behalf of Tampa’s Cuban-American families, Congresswoman Kathy Castor announced today that a charter airline company has received the first landing rights for flights from Tampa International Airport to Havana. This significant development means that direct, nonstop flights can start as early as September from Tampa to the island nation. Read more »

Rep. Kathy Castor has proposed an amendment today to the Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act of 2011 that would direct 80 percent of the fines and penalties collected under the Act as a result of the Deepwater Horizon disaster to Gulf Coast recovery and restoration efforts. Read more »

The nonprofit Computer Mentors Inc. was awarded a $1 million federal grant to give juvenile offenders the opportunity to learn computer job skills while also providing re-built computers to area residents. Read more »

Congresswoman Kathy Castor announced today that $15.2 million is allocated for infrastructure expansion at MacDill Air Force Base, a construction initiative that will create and maintain jobs in the Tampa Bay area. The money is designated in the fiscal year 2012 Military Construction/ VA Appropriations bill, which the House of Representatives is expected to vote on today. Read more »

Congresswoman Kathy Castor released today new data from the House Energy and Commerce Committee showing how the Republican Medicare plan to end Medicare as we know it would impact future and present access to Medicare. We compiled data from the six congressional districts of the Tampa Bay area to show the local impact on families and individuals throughout our community. Read more »

Congresswoman Kathy Castor announced today that two Tampa Bay area housing counseling agencies are receiving money to provide counseling to families facing foreclosure. The money comes from the National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling initiative. Read more »

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor released the following statement today regarding the Florida Orchestra’s approval by the U.S. Department of Treasury for its cultural exchange with Cuba. Castor urged expeditious approval of the license over the past weeks. Read more »

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act today, which includes a number of amendments by Congresswoman Kathy Castor to aid the Tampa Bay area. Read more »

The vitally important findings of Florida university researchers provide a window into the environmental damage caused by the BP Deepwater Horizon blowout. The research would not have been possible without these hard-fought, expedited research funds. Read more »

Congresswoman Kathy Castor released the following statement today regarding Gov. Scott’s signing of a bill that will have a drastic, devastating impact on access to voting in the state of Florida. Rep. Castor and several other members of the Florida delegation wrote a letter to the Justice Department this week, expressing their concern and urging the department to review the impact of the legislation on the Voting Rights Act. Five Florida counties – including Hillsborough – are protected under Section 5 preclearance requirements. Read more »