Kayon Henderson, Tampa’s Director of Housing and Community Development, is resigning

Another tireless advocate for responsible housing in the City of Tampa has plans to move on.

In a letter received as part of a public records request by Creative Loafing Tampa Bay last Tuesday, Kayon Henderson told Nicole Travis that Aug. 23 would be her last day serving as the City of Tampa’s Director of Housing and Community Development.

Henderson has managed and directed housing and community development since March 2013, and was promoted to director of housing in May 2023, according to LinkedIn.

The resignation marks another significant departure under Mayor Jane Castor who still has about three years left in her term.

Travis, Henderson’s supervisor, is Tampa’s Head of Development and Economic Opportunity, and shared her own intentions to resign in April.

Erica Moody, director of the city’s community redevelopment agency, is also leaving along with Alis Drumgo, Tampa’s deputy administrator for development and economic opportunity.

“I want you to know that this was not an easy decision, as the past eleven plus years have been extremely challenging and rewarding for me, both personally and professionally,” Henderson wrote in her resignation letter dated June 17, adding her overwhelming gratitude. “... I am proud of what we as an organization have accomplished over the past eleven years.”

In a statement sent to CL via Tampa comms czar Adam Smith, Henderson wrote, "I appreciate the trust and support I received from the mayor and city council that helped us accomplish so much."

“Kayon is a tremendous public servant who worked tirelessly to address our affordable housing challenges and made a real difference to thousands of Tampa residents in need. I am so grateful for her service and her positive impact," Mayor Castor added.

While Travis has plans to start her own Tampa-based consulting firm, it's unclear what her next step is.

Meanwhile, the mayor has recently come under fire for being nowhere near her promise of 10,000 affordable homes.

What’s more is that like last year,  a Tampa renter, renting the average rental unit, still has to make nearly $85,000 to avoid being rent burdened, according to May 2024 data from Florida Atlantic University’s interactive rental index .Only three other metros in Florida—Miami, North Port and Cape Coral—have higher thresholds for being rent-burdened, according to the index.

In her time with the city, Henderson worked to launch Tampa’s rental rehabilitation program to mitigate COVID-19 effects on affordable housing, assist with the mayor’s Hispanic Advisory Council, the rental and move-in assistance program, and housing information line. In May, she worked with Tampa City Council to get $750,000 to help fund the construction of an 88-unit affordable housing complex called Madison Highlands II.

Housing and economic opportunity is not the only department that’s been shaken up. Last summer, the City of Tampa’s mobility department saw the contentious firing of Transportation Engineering Manager Danni Jorgenson.

As previously reported, Jorgenson, hired in 2018 in part because of her significant background and experience, was fired by Mobility Administrator Jean Duncan and Mobility Director Vik Bhide on June 2, 2023 according to her personnel file. No cause was given, but Jorgenson’s performance evaluation completed in January 2023 saw Bhide give her “outstanding” marks across 11 out of 11 criteria, and heap praise on her leadership skills, problem solving and more.

Chief Transportation Planner Alana Brasier sent her own resignation letter two weeks after Jorgenson—who filed for wrongful termination—was fired.

Another woman, Brandie Miklus, the primary communications staffer at the City of Tampa, also resigned in the wake of Jorgenson’s firing.

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