Tampa mayor to accept pay in Bitcoin — Report

Jane Castor, the mayor of Tampa Bay, Florida, has announced that she will begin accepting her paycheck in Bitcoin (BTC), according to multiple sources who attended Florida’s Bitcoin & Blockchain Summit.

Castor made the announcement Friday morning on day two of the Summit, which is being held at Amalie Arena in downtown Tampa. According to people who attended the event,  crypto lending platform Celsius Network will facilitate the mayor’s BTC payments.

The news quickly spread across Crypto Twitter, with Bitcoin evangelist Anthony Pompliano noting that a total of four U.S. mayors have begun accepting at least a portion of their paychecks in BTC.

Castor’s decision appears to have been influenced by Miami’s Francis Suarez, who recently became the first mayor to accept a portion of his salary in Bitcoin. Newly-elected New York City Mayor Eric Adams quickly followed suit by announcing that he will accept his first three paychecks entirely in the cryptocurrency.

Suarez and the newly-elected Adams have been vocal about turning their respective cities into crypto hubs. Following his election, Adams declared that New York City will become the “center of the cryptocurrency industry.”

Related: NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers will accept part of $22M salary in Bitcoin

Despite experiencing several bouts of extreme price volatility this year, Bitcoin returned to record highs in late October and continues to trade above $60,000. Its price appreciation has been accompanied by growing mainstream acceptance from regulators and financial institutions, as well as merchants and payment processors.

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