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Record of Proceedings

Hillsborough TPO Board Meeting – May 13, 2026: Priority List, Vision Plan, and UPWP Adopted

Hillsborough County Archive View Page — Wednesday, May 13, 2026
BodyHillsborough County, Florida
SessionHillsborough County Archive View Page
DateWednesday, May 13, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:20:36

Original source
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0:00

Do your part and help reduce the mosquito population.

0:04

Visit HCFL.gov slash bite the bite.

1:39

Good.

1:40

Good morning, everybody.

1:42

Welcome to the May 13th meeting of the Hillsborough TPO.

1:47

Like to thank everybody for being here and remember to silence your electronic devices.

1:51

And if you would please stand and join me in the pledge.

1:58

I put allegiance to the plague.

2:14

Thank you.

2:14

Miss Dessiano, would you please call the roll?

2:22

Ross?

2:23

Here.

2:24

Wostall?

2:25

Here.

2:26

Miller?

2:27

Here.

2:28

Myers?

2:29

Here.

2:30

Cohen?

2:31

Here.

2:32

Bowles?

2:33

Here.

2:34

Councilmember Clenden is excused.

2:37

Hertag.

2:40

Carlson.

2:43

Kilton.

2:44

Here.

2:45

Member Gray is excused.

2:48

Klug.

2:52

Stevens.

3:00

Slater.

3:02

King.

3:04

Joseph.

3:06

Here.

3:07

You have a quorum, sir.

3:08

Thank you, Ms.

3:08

Desiono.

3:09

Um, board members, has everybody had an opportunity to review the minutes from our meeting of April 8th?

3:14

And if so, is there a motion?

3:18

Motion by board member King, seconded by was it Commissioner Myers?

3:22

Seconded by Commissioner Myers.

3:24

Any corrections to the minutes?

3:25

If not, all those in favor say aye.

3:28

Aye.

3:28

Aye.

3:28

Opposed?

3:29

No nays.

3:30

Minutes are adopted.

3:31

Before we move into public well, actually, this will be brief.

3:37

In this section of the meeting, there is a public comment portion later concerning the TPO priority list.

3:48

And we've had a few people join us, Councilmember Hertek and Board Member Klug have joined us.

3:56

So I do want to uh before we get into committee reports.

3:59

Do want to note that we have a several board members that have to leave at varying times beginning at eleven.

4:05

Um so we'll try to work through this as uh thoroughly but as concise as we can if I'm sure it would be appreciated.

4:12

So uh committee reports.

4:14

We have uh Rick Fernandez, our CAC chair, who is here in person today.

4:18

Good morning, Mr.

4:19

Fernandez.

4:22

Good.

4:23

Thanks.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Transportation Safety█████████████████████████████████████████████62%
Public Engagement███████████████20%
Procedural████████11%
Fiscal Sustainability██3%
Public Transportation█2%
Flooding█1%
Technology and Innovation█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Hillsborough TPO Board Meeting – May 13, 2026

The Hillsborough Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) Board met on May 13, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. in the 26th Floor Conference Room of the Hillsborough County Center, Tampa, Florida. The meeting covered adoption of the FY27-28 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP), acceptance of the Henderson Blvd/Manhattan Ave Vision Plan, and approval of the FY28-32 TPO Priority List, including a contentious debate over the I-275 widening project. Public comments strongly opposed the widening. The Board voted 12-1 to accept the Priority List after a substitute motion to remove the I-275 widening item failed 2-10.

Consent Calendar

  • Committee Appointments: Approved unanimously. Nominations included Nicholas Leschofs (Citizen at Large), Josh Blackman (City of Tampa Mobility), Tim Horst (alternate), Cindy Penn (City of Plant City) to the Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee; Abrahm Wilcox (Citizen at Large) to the Citizens Advisory Committee; and Steven Haglich (alternate, Florida Department of Children & Families) to the Transportation Disadvantaged Coordinating Board.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Chris Vella (Tampa, FL 33605) urged removal of Item 36 (I-275 widening from Hillsborough Ave to Bearss Ave) from the Priority List, citing a decade of public opposition, 2,000-signature petitions, and the project's origin in a 1987 study. He argued that only 9.5% of the population uses I-275 and that widening would not solve mobility needs.
  • Jason Marlowe opposed the I-275 widening, calling it a "boondoggle" with a cost exceeding $400 million, double the annual funding of HART. He stated that widening would incentivize more traffic and reduce property values, and urged investment in alternative transportation.
  • Rick Fernandez (President, Tampa Heights Civic Association; CAC Chair) opposed the widening, noting the CAC had recommended striking the project. He stated that the 2021 TPO board had removed the project, but it was reinstated in 2024 without public notice. He argued that the evacuation rationale is unsupported by emergency management doctrine, which advises "run from water, hide from wind."

Discussion Items

  • FY27-28 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) Adoption: Jonathan Nixon Elder presented the $2,472,186 two-year budget for transportation planning activities (July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2028). Chair Ross expressed frustration with the complexity of planning acronyms (UPWP, LOP, TIP) and the administrative overhead, but the motion to adopt passed unanimously.
  • Henderson Blvd/Manhattan Ave Vision Plan: Lisa Silva (TPO) and Kathrin Telez (Fehr & Peers) presented a 4-mile corridor vision plan, developed over 15 months with stakeholder workshops and public charrettes. The plan includes roundabouts, median treatments, bike lane buffers, and pedestrian crossing improvements. Board Member Klug noted the corridor's origin as a cattle trail. Commissioner Cohen highlighted the road's dangerous six-way intersections. Commissioner Wostal expressed skepticism about bike lane usage and requested data on usage counts and costs. Councilmember Hurtak praised the plan. The motion to accept the plan passed unanimously.
  • FY28-32 TPO Priority List: Elizabeth Watkins presented 40 projects seeking federal funds (20-25 million/year) or community support. Key projects: HART bus stop improvements ($2M recommended), bus fleet state-of-good-repair ($5M recommended), Collins Street (Plant City) Phase 3 ($2M for design), Bypass Canal Trail Segment 6 ($2.5M for construction), Gibsonton Drive widening ($750K for design), and Ashley Drive realignment ($15M request, but likely unfunded). The I-275 widening (Item 36) is listed for community support only, seeking $400 million for construction projected in 2035. Public comment opposed the project. A substitute motion by Commissioner Cohen to remove Item 36 from the Priority List was seconded by Commissioner Myers but failed 2-10 (Cohen and Myers in favor, 10 opposed). The original motion to accept the Priority List passed 12-1, with Commissioner Myers dissenting.

Key Outcomes

  • UPWP Adoption: Resolution 26-2 and 26-3 adopted unanimously. The UPWP becomes effective July 1, 2026.
  • Henderson Blvd/Manhattan Ave Vision Plan: Accepted unanimously. The City of Tampa provided a letter of acceptance, and implementation will be phased.
  • FY28-32 TPO Priority List: Approved 12-1. The substitute motion to remove the I-275 widening (Item 36) failed 2-10. The priority list will be transmitted to FDOT by August 1, 2026.
  • Executive Director’s Report: Sun Coast Transportation Planning Alliance meeting set for June 5, 2026 (location changed to Polk County, TBD). Next regular TPO Board meeting and TIP hearing on June 10, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. Dr. Wong reported that the Forward Pinellas board voted 10-3 to accept the revised apportionment (Hillsborough donates one seat to Pasco, keeping Port and Airport members off the top).
  • Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned after new business.

Meeting Transcript

Do your part and help reduce the mosquito population. Visit HCFL.gov slash bite the bite. Good. Good morning, everybody. Welcome to the May 13th meeting of the Hillsborough TPO. Like to thank everybody for being here and remember to silence your electronic devices. And if you would please stand and join me in the pledge. I put allegiance to the plague. Thank you. Miss Dessiano, would you please call the roll? Ross? Here. Wostall? Here. Miller? Here. Myers? Here. Cohen? Here. Bowles? Here. Councilmember Clenden is excused. Hertag. Carlson. Kilton. Here. Member Gray is excused. Klug. Stevens. Slater. King. Joseph. Here. You have a quorum, sir. Thank you, Ms. Desiono. Um, board members, has everybody had an opportunity to review the minutes from our meeting of April 8th? And if so, is there a motion? Motion by board member King, seconded by was it Commissioner Myers? Seconded by Commissioner Myers. Any corrections to the minutes? If not, all those in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Opposed? No nays. Minutes are adopted. Before we move into public well, actually, this will be brief. In this section of the meeting, there is a public comment portion later concerning the TPO priority list.

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