OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

HART Board of Directors Meeting – January 8, 2026

Hillsborough County Archive View Page — Thursday, January 8, 2026
BodyHillsborough County, Florida
SessionHillsborough County Archive View Page
DateThursday, January 8, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:37:34

Transcript — Verbatim
0:10

I can hear a fine if that helps at all.

0:21

Good morning, everyone.

0:22

My name is Jeff Gibson.

0:23

I am the HART board counsel.

0:25

Um, you're seeing my uh face here uh running the meeting because we don't yet have a board.

0:29

Um I'm gonna help facilitate the officers uh to that board.

0:33

Uh and so I thank you for all for being here.

0:35

Um I'd first ask that everyone silence all their electrical device electronic devices for the duration of this meeting.

0:41

This is the January 5th, 2026 Board of Directors meeting.

0:45

Uh it's which I will now call to order.

0:48

Uh the meeting is a hybrid meeting.

0:50

Uh there are board members physically present in the room here at 1201 East 7th Avenue in the Florida conference room.

0:57

There are also members participating via communication media technology.

1:01

Uh, would you all join me in uh the Pledge of Allegiance?

1:13

For which she stands with liberty in Jfor we do a roll call and take attendance.

1:26

I do want to state on the record that Director Cameron Cepeda uh notified staff before this meeting that she will not be able to be in attendance due to a scheduling conflict.

1:34

Uh staff, will you please take attendance?

1:36

Yes, sir.

1:38

Director Clenden.

1:41

Director Hartfield, present.

1:44

Dr.

1:45

Hobbs, Dr.

1:48

King?

1:48

Present.

1:49

Dr.

1:50

Knight?

1:50

Present.

1:51

Dr.

1:51

Mac Alpatrick.

1:53

Here.

2:01

Chair.

2:03

Director Myers.

2:04

Here.

2:05

Director Nieberg.

2:07

Here.

2:08

Director Schisler.

2:09

Here.

2:10

Director Vieira.

2:11

Here.

2:11

Director Williams.

2:13

Here.

2:13

Director Wolstell.

2:15

Here.

2:15

You do have a quorum, sir.

2:17

Thank you very much.

2:18

Umbs of the public have a right to speak on any relevant issue during the public comment process.

2:23

However, certain items may be rooted in contract, pending legal recourse or prohibited by this board's policy, which prohibits involvement by this board in the normal employer-employee relationship between the CEO and any other employee or employee union of heart.

2:39

While the public could address those matters, board members are advised not to discuss them during this meeting.

2:45

The heart board of directors welcomes comments from citizens about any issue or concern.

2:49

Your opinions are valued in terms of providing input to the board members.

2:53

When addressing the board, comments shall not be directed personally against a board member or staff member, but rather at the particular issue at issue.

3:02

This provides a mutual respect between the board members, staff, and the public.

4:46

I wrote a resignation letter on December 10th, making an effective 1212 of 2025.

5:01

And when I realized that I shouldn't have been terminated, I should have been retrained.

5:06

I wrote her another letter on 1214, 2025 asking her to withdraw my resignation letter.

5:16

And I also sent her an email as well.

5:19

On the 15th, I also brought a copy up to the office.

5:25

It's the same, uh, yeah, a copy up to the office for my record.

5:29

Um she said she would get with the new information that she would get uh back to get that to the proper authorities and get back to me, from which I never heard from her.

5:42

I did um give her a call.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████25%
Personnel Matters█████████████████████████25%
Public Transportation█████████████████17%
Public Engagement███████████████15%
Budget Equity Analysis██████6%
Public Safety███3%
Economic Development██2%
Legal██2%
Public Health█1%
Summary of Proceedings

HART Board of Directors Meeting – January 8, 2026

This meeting of the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART) Board of Directors was called to order by board counsel Jeff Gibson. The board elected officers for 2026, appointed members to various committees and external boards, received the CEO's annual report highlighting record federal funding and operational improvements, and debated a performance-based merit increase for the CEO. Public comment featured several former and current employees alleging unfair termination and retaliation. A motion for an external investigation of HR and bus operations failed.

Note: The transcript indicates the meeting occurred on January 5, 2026, but the provided metadata specifies January 8, 2026. This summary uses the metadata date.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • John Green: Requested withdrawal of his resignation, claiming he should not have been terminated but retrained.
  • Asa (speaker): Criticized HART's policies as discriminatory, accused redlining of routes, and noted insufficient buses.
  • Shantel Simpson: Claimed false termination and retaliation; requested help from the board.
  • Letisha Jones (union president): Read an email from Tiara Leonard, a former paratransit operator, alleging wrongful termination despite FMLA approval for COVID-19.
  • Marilyn: Rider urging board to improve driver pay, benefits, and working conditions; called for board members to experience day-to-day operations.
  • Charles Loeb: Proposed new revenue sources (food trucks at transit centers, inside bus advertising, coordination with Brightline).
  • Joshua Trotman: Terminated R-Plus van driver; argued HART violated collective bargaining agreement regarding post-deposition timelines; requested reinstatement.

Election of Officers and Committee Appointments

  • Chair: Director Schisler elected over Director Wolstell (7-5).
  • Vice Chair: Director Hartfield elected (unanimous).
  • Secretary: Director Myers elected (unanimous).
  • Litigation & Claims Committee: Director MacAlpatrick as member (unanimous).
  • ADA Accessibility Committee: Director Williams (member), Director Vieira (alternate).
  • Tampa Historic Streetcar Board: Directors Clendenin, Williams, Hartfield (members), Directors Schisler and Niebrick (alternates).
  • Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) Board: After a tie vote, Director Hartfield elected as member, Director King as alternate.
  • Transportation Disadvantaged Coordinating Board: Director Schisler (member), Director Myers (alternate).
  • Affordable Housing Advisory Board: Director Williams (member), Director Hartfield (alternate).
  • The chair appointed additional members to the Strategic Planning and External Relations Committee.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved minutes from November 3, 2025.
  • Approved Resolution R2026-01-01 delegating contracting authority to CFO Brian Horn up to $500,000.

CEO Report

CEO Scott Drainville addressed concerns raised in previous public comments:

  • Leave and attendance: HART's sick leave accrual aligns with industry standards; no-pay status occurs when sick leave is exhausted.
  • Operator availability within national norms; detailed report to come.
  • Paratransit service reliability improved with purchase of 36 new SUVs and 14 cutaway vans.
  • Conflict-of-interest in hearing process: hearings follow CBA requirements; one grievance could not be resolved due to insufficient evidence.

CEO Drainville then presented FY2025 achievements:

  • Record federal funding: $55M in two grants, total $72M including formula funds and tax credits.
  • Reserve balance $37.2M (125% of required 90-day reserves).
  • Operational savings: $552K fare card savings, $470K paratransit reforms.
  • Infrastructure: Phase 1 of heavy maintenance facility underway; CAD/AVL modernization; streetcar rebuild (Car 431).
  • Workforce: 120 new operators hired; paratransit overtime reduced 34%; ridership up 15%.
  • Safety: Liability claims reduced 68% vs. 10-year average; FTA SSO certifications achieved.
  • Employee survey scores high on safety, finance, and community value; on-time performance and attrition remain challenges.

Board members commended the CEO and staff.

CEO Performance Evaluation & Merit Increase

  • Board received 12 evaluations with average rating 4.8/5.
  • Contract allows merit increase (non-bargaining level, budgeted at 4%) plus up to 15% additional.
  • Commissioner Myers moved for a 5% merit increase. Debate ensued; some board members wanted data on peer CEO salaries before deciding.
  • Motion to call the question passed, and the underlying 5% motion passed 11-1.
  • A subsequent motion to direct staff to bring back data on CEO salaries at peer agencies, salary of direct reports, and revenue sources passed unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • Board officers elected for 2026: Chair Schisler, Vice Chair Hartfield, Secretary Myers.
  • Committee and external board members appointed as listed above.
  • Consent agenda items approved.
  • CEO merit increase of 5% approved; further consideration of additional increase deferred until next meeting pending data.
  • Motion for external investigation of HR and bus operations failed 10-2.
  • Meeting adjourned.

Meeting Transcript

I can hear a fine if that helps at all. Good morning, everyone. My name is Jeff Gibson. I am the HART board counsel. Um, you're seeing my uh face here uh running the meeting because we don't yet have a board. Um I'm gonna help facilitate the officers uh to that board. Uh and so I thank you for all for being here. Um I'd first ask that everyone silence all their electrical device electronic devices for the duration of this meeting. This is the January 5th, 2026 Board of Directors meeting. Uh it's which I will now call to order. Uh the meeting is a hybrid meeting. Uh there are board members physically present in the room here at 1201 East 7th Avenue in the Florida conference room. There are also members participating via communication media technology. Uh, would you all join me in uh the Pledge of Allegiance? For which she stands with liberty in Jfor we do a roll call and take attendance. I do want to state on the record that Director Cameron Cepeda uh notified staff before this meeting that she will not be able to be in attendance due to a scheduling conflict. Uh staff, will you please take attendance? Yes, sir. Director Clenden. Director Hartfield, present. Dr. Hobbs, Dr. King? Present. Dr. Knight? Present. Dr. Mac Alpatrick. Here. Chair. Director Myers. Here. Director Nieberg. Here. Director Schisler. Here. Director Vieira. Here. Director Williams. Here. Director Wolstell. Here. You do have a quorum, sir. Thank you very much. Umbs of the public have a right to speak on any relevant issue during the public comment process. However, certain items may be rooted in contract, pending legal recourse or prohibited by this board's policy, which prohibits involvement by this board in the normal employer-employee relationship between the CEO and any other employee or employee union of heart. While the public could address those matters, board members are advised not to discuss them during this meeting. The heart board of directors welcomes comments from citizens about any issue or concern. Your opinions are valued in terms of providing input to the board members.

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TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
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