Ruskin, Florida

Ruskin has been one of Florida's quiet agricultural anchors for more than a century, founded as a planned community along Tampa Bay and shaped by generations of growers, fishermen, and working families. The historic downtown, the surrounding tomato and strawberry fields, and the long-standing local businesses give Ruskin a working-Florida character that distinguishes it from newer communities to the north.

In the last decade, residential growth has accelerated dramatically along the U.S. 41 corridor and the eastern edge of Tampa Bay. Ruskin is now both a historic agricultural community and a fast-growing southern Hillsborough suburb — a combination that creates real federal stakes around infrastructure, immigration enforcement, schools, and insurance.

Ruskin's voters care about agriculture, neighborhood safety, fiscal discipline, and a federal government that respects the practical realities of working Florida.

John Peters regularly visits Ruskin as part of his weekly travels through southern Hillsborough. He has met with Ruskin growers, small business owners, and longtime residents over the years to understand what a community balancing agricultural heritage with rapid suburban growth actually needs from Congress.

Ruskin is shaped by working families, family farms, and the practical conservatism of southern Hillsborough. Kathy Castor's eighteen-year voting record has not delivered the trade, immigration, infrastructure, or insurance reform that Ruskin's farmers and homeowners actually need. After nine terms, Ruskin deserves a representative whose record reflects the working values of agricultural and growing Florida.