His work included expanding the homestead exemption for seniors, tightening rules on lobbying and ethics, and promoting quality of life issues.

After leaving the city council in 2003, Buckhorn joined Dewey Square Group,[6] a public affairs company with a national reputation.

He lost a race for Hillsborough County Commission in 2004, and in 2007 he opened Buckhorn Partners, a public affairs firm based in Tampa.

In June 2011, Buckhorn formed the Economic Competitiveness Committee (ECC) to review the City of Tampa's permitting and regulatory processes and to look for ways to improve the system.

[10] He also worked to restore the street grid, foster new retail opportunities, and successfully attract thousands of new urban residential developments such as the Residences on the Riverwalk[11] and SkyHouse Tampa.

[13] The Tampa Riverwalk was named[14] by the American Planning Association as the 2018 National Great Places in America "People's Choice'' category winner.

In his first term, Buckhorn also established one of Florida's first domestic partnership registries, and Tampa was recognized by the Human Rights Campaign with a perfect score on its Municipal Equality Index.

A partnership between Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik and Bill Gates (Cascade Investment), it will include a new hotel, 650,000 square feet of office space, retail, restaurants and entertainment venues.

Through his nationally recognized Stay and Play [20] initiative, operation hours at various community centers throughout Tampa were extended and free recreation cards are now provided to area youths.