Janet Cruz daughter Ana Cruz is a managing partner at Ballard Partners Inc. Ana is best known as the long-term companion of Tampa Mayor Jane Castor.
Janet gave birth to her eldest daughter Ana at the age of just 16 years old, according to Tampa Bay Times.
She later graduated with a degree from Hillsborough Community College to be an optician and navigated the corporate world for years before starting her political career.
Janet was born to a working-class family, her parents worked at a factory in her hometown of Ybor City. Janet’s humble background has helped her connect with everyday people and establish herself as a powerful political figure in Tampa, Florida.
Janet represented the 58th district and 62nd district from 2010 to 2012 and 2012 to 2018, respectively in the Florida House of Representatives. She was then elected as a Member of the Florida Senate from the 18th district in 2018 until she lost re-election in 2022.
She is connected with the Democratic Party since the beginning and is among the cornerstones of the party in Florida. While things do not look good for Democrats in Florida but Javiera Balmaceda Pascal is also a supporter of the political party.
Apart from her political career, she is also a businesswoman and owns and operates several franchise stores of Pearle Vision Center in the Tampa Bay area, according to her Wikipedia profile.
Ana Cruz Is A Civil Servant
Janet Cruz daughter Ana Cruz is a civil servant and lobbyist based in Tampa Bay in Florida. Ana is a managing partner at Ballard Partners Inc.
Ana has managed the Florida lobbying powerhouse Ballard Partners Inc since January 2016. As an established lobbyist and civil servant in Florida with an in-depth knowledge of state politics, Ana has dealt with the best interest of her clients and political parties to agree on the middle ground.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Ana’s corporate career started in 1998 as the founder and principal of Leaders Edge LLC. She worked with the firm for ten years until 2008.
Ana started working as Florida Deputy Finance Director for Al Gore For the 2000 President in 1999. She worked for Florida Democratic party as an executive director between 2002 and 2004.
The lobbyist has also worked with Floridian Partners for four and a half years between July 2011 to December 2015. She served as a Director for Government Affairs in Central Florida during her time at the firm.
Before starting her corporate career, Ana graduated from the University of Tampa with a degree in Political Science and Government in 1998. She previously attended Tampa Catholic High School for her secondary-level education.
Although Ana is a well-known lobbyist and her mother was until recently in Florida Senate. The mother-daughter kept their family ties at the bay during their work. Speaking with Tampa Bay Times, Ana revealed she never called her mother to vote in favor of her clients.
Ana Cruz Is Dating Jane Castor Since 2009
Ana Cruz partner Jane Castor is dating her since 2009. The pair met in the early 2000s in Tampa, Florida.
Ana and Jane met during the Presidential election of the year 2000. Ana was heading the Al Gore presidential campaign in Florida and Jane as a high-ranking police officer in the city was there for security during the candidate’s visits.
Speaking with Jame Howard for Visit Tampa Gay Magazine, Jane and Ana revealed they saw each other frequently but only spoke about logistics and had other professional conversations for over 6 years before anyone made a move.
The former police chief joked saying Ana ordered her to call her, making the first move to build their relationship. The pair was already dating on and off by the next year and had been together since 2009.
Cruz and her beau Tampa Bay Mayor Jane share a home in Seminole Heights and have a boat and a dock as well. Jane’s two sons Sergei and Seely, whom she had adopted while she was in her previous relationship with Melanie Bevan, also live together with the Tampa Bay power couple.
As Ana’s relationship with the mayor is widely publicized in the city, she is also often known as “Tampa’s First Lady.” The pair loves fishing and have three dogs to keep them company at home.
The 62-year-old politician was born on December 7, 1960, in Tampa, Florida. She graduated from the University of Tampa and later attended Troy University to earn her Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree.
Janet Cruz Is Married To A Doctor
Janet Cruz husband Steve Rifkin is a medical doctor married to her since 2003, per Tampa Bay Times.
Rifkin is a Nephrologist specializing in the treatment of diseases related to the kidney.
According to his profile at US News Heath, Steve attended the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.
He later completed his residency in internal medicine at Ohio State University Hospital between 1967 and 1969 and joined the University of South Florida Morsani for internal medicine residency from 1971 until 1974.
Steve currently works for Tampa General Hospital in Florida. He is certified in internal medicine and Nephrology by the American Board of Internal Medicine and his medical practitioner license in Florida is valid through 2024.
The pair has not revealed much about their personal life. Information regarding their wedding and married life has also not come to the surface yet.
More on Janet’s Family
Janet Cruz family members include her three other children apart from Ana and her husband Steve Rifkin. Janet has two sons and a daughter.
The former Senator’s sons are Nick Cruz and Stephen Cruz, according to Just Facts. Her son Raymond “Nick” Cruz’s wedding was officiated by former Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn. He is a successful restauranteur from the Tampa Bay area, reports Florida Politics.
Raymond lived in Janet’s Empedrado Street house which she had purchased in 1983 but sat vacant after she moved in with her husband in 2003. The senate candidate was subjected to $32,752 in penalties and fines for not paying property taxes on her home in 2010, reports Tampa Bay Times.
However, information about her other children Lauren and Stephen is unavailable. They remain away from their sibling and mother’s spotlight and do not get involved in state politics publicly.