Meet Christina Barker, one of the ’30 under 30′ rising stars of Florida politics

Thirty-year-old Pasco County resident Christina Barker has been working as Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn’s special assistant since December, but her public profile rose this summer when City Hall staffing changes made her Buckhorn’s interim director of communications. Barker became politically aware after John Kerry’s 2004 presidential bid, and was totally inspired by Barack Obama’s run for the presidency in 2008. It was then, she said, she decided to pursue a career working in the political arena. After finishing graduate school…