Today, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14) is honoring the service and commitment of Tampa Bay’s veterans, including two Tampa-based staff members. Earlier this year, Castor welcomed Sean Saintil, a Florida native, as a Green & Gold Congressional Aide Program Fellow where he serves as a Constituent Services & Field Representative for the office. Saintil served for six years as a U.S. Navy Intelligence Specialist and Aviation Electrician (E-5). Now, he continues to serve our nation by connecting Tampa’s large veterans population with critical federal services and working alongside Rep. Castor to meet their needs. Castor’s Deputy District Director, Dewayne Mallory, is an Army Veteran – the team’s caseworkers also have ties to our armed services – Tania Fernandez is the mother to an active-duty Army member and Damaris Gonzalez is the spouse to an Army veteran.

Photos of Rep. Castor and her aforementioned team members can be found here. 

So far this year, Castor’s team has returned $2,583,833 back to Tampa residents through veterans casework.

“There is good reason that we say every day is Veterans Day here in Tampa Bay – we are blessed with one of the largest populations of combat veterans in the nation, and these leaders and their families continue to serve our community in important ways. Today, we recommit to serving them as well as they served our country and defended our freedom at home and abroad. I am grateful to work alongside incredible veterans on my own team, including Dewayne and Sean, to cut through red tape for our nation’s heroes and best serve as their voice in Washington.

“It was great to stop by Hillsborough Community College’s (HCC) 10^th Veterans Entrepreneurship Training Symposium where hundreds of veterans and their families interested in self-employment found support and made their business pitches. The American Rescue Plan has bolstered HCC’s initiative to help even more veterans flourish their entrepreneurial pursuits once they return home.

“I am proud to have voted for the Honoring Our PACT Act, which has been signed into law by President Biden, and will treat toxic exposure as a cost of war by addressing the full range of issues impacting toxic-exposed veterans, including expanded access to earned benefits and health care through the Department of Veterans Affairs. The team at James A. Haley VA and other medical centers around the nation can now provide for over 3.5 million of our veterans, including many here in Tampa, the benefits they have earned. This was a top priority for so many of our neighbors and their loved ones who will benefit from this increased access to medical care.

“This Veterans Day and every day, I am grateful for the service and sacrifice of our neighbors. I remain committed to honoring our pact to serve our veterans and their families when they return home.”

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