Hillsborough TPO Board Meeting – August 12, 2026
Hillsborough TPO Board Meeting – August 12, 2026
The Hillsborough Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) Board held its regular meeting on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at the Hillsborough County Center. Chair Andrew Ross presided; Vice Chair Joshua Wostal took over after 11:00 a.m. The board approved the minutes from the June 10, 2026, meetings, adopted a new procurement policy with a reporting requirement, accepted an economic benefits of trails report, and received several status updates. Public comment highlighted concerns about pedestrian safety, transit service cuts, and the need for regional vision.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes: The board unanimously approved the minutes from the June 10, 2026, TPO Board meeting and the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Public Hearing.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Hong Mai (new member of the Florida Transportation Commission) introduced himself, outlined his experience with the Southwest Florida Water Management District and Tampa Port Authority, and requested a five-minute slot at a future meeting to appear in person.
- Christina Clark (via Facebook) expressed frustration with Tampa’s ranking as one of the deadliest metros for pedestrians and urged stronger Vision Zero enforcement, including protecting bike lanes and enforcing the three-foot passing rule.
- Sarasota Mobility Alliance (via Facebook) asked that buses run as late as local bars are open.
- Ran Bear Robbins (via email) urged the TPO and partner agencies to restore emergency funding for the Transportation Disadvantaged Tampa Bay cross-county service, citing negative impacts on workforce participation and independence for people with disabilities.
- Kayam Shakat (via email) recommended dedicated light rail/tram corridors, traffic calming, protected bike infrastructure, and transit-oriented development to reduce car dependency in Pasco and Hillsborough counties.
Committee Reports
- Rick Fernandez, CAC Chair: Reported that the Citizens Advisory Committee (August 5, 2026) discussed HART’s Transit Development Plan and the Little Manatee South Urban Expansion Area Study. He highlighted concerns from the Sundance community that environmental and hurricane evacuation data were omitted from the study analysis, and requested the TPO encourage FDOT to broaden the scope to include Buckeye Road in Manatee County.
- Harmoni McGee, TPO Staff: Summarized the Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee’s recommendation to accept the Economic Benefits of Trails report, noting the committee’s interest in tracking tourism dollars from trails. She also read the public comments received via social media and email (listed above).
Action Items
- TPO Procurement Policy: Presented by Jonathan Nixon Elder. The policy establishes a procurement framework for professional services, with contracts valued at $200,000 or more requiring TPO Board approval. After discussion, Commissioner Chris Boles moved to approve the policy with a condition that the Executive Director provide a quarterly report for purchases between $50,000 and $200,000 for one year. The motion was seconded by School Board Member Lynn Gray and passed unanimously.
- Economic Benefits of Trails Report: Presented by Jenna Gordon. The report, prepared with the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, found that the existing 48-mile multiuse trail network supports 79 jobs annually, generates $3.36 million in wages, $9.9 million in annual visitor spending, and up to $8.5 million in annual household transportation savings (if 5% of county residents shift to a 3-mile round trip per week). A hypothetical 25-mile expansion could support 171 jobs and $21 million in annual output. Commissioner Joshua Wostal moved to receive the report; board member John King seconded. The motion passed unanimously after discussion emphasizing connectivity over paving and safety concerns.
Status Reports
- HART Route 1 Update: Jesus Peraza Garcia reported on the 2025 fare-free pilot (42–57% ridership increase) and the 2026 frequency-increase pilot (weekend ridership up 7–10% vs. 2024). Although fares were restored, Route 1 outperformed the system (weekday decline 8% vs. 12% systemwide). A survey found 27% of riders were new and 80% would continue riding with fares. Next survey planned for December 2026.
- 2027–2036 Transit Development Plan (TDP) Major Update: Heather Sovush presented outreach results from March 2026: 800 survey responses and 10 workshops with 59 attendees. Top desired connections included airport-to-downtown and East Tampa-to-West Tampa; top improvements included frequency increases and bus rapid transit. The final plan will be presented to HART Board in November 2026 and to the TPO in January 2027.
- Regional Infrastructure Accelerator (RIA) Update: Gina Dew (HNTB) provided an update on the RIA grant. Five shortlisted regional projects (Westshore Intermodal Center, TPA-to-downtown premium transit, I-275 managed lanes, US 19 BRT, and Tampa streetcar extension) are being evaluated for financing using Build America Bureau tools. A second round of funding ($1 million) was awarded to advance analysis. The report will be submitted to USDOT in September 2026. Councilmember Naya Young expressed support for the streetcar extension; Commissioner Boles questioned the Hillsborough-heavy list; Director Wong asked about private investment opportunities.
Executive Director’s Report
- Dr. Johnny Wong announced a TPO Special Meeting on September 1, 2026 (Tuesday) to review Phase 2 merger deliverables, and a regular meeting on September 9. A Tri-County TMA meeting is set for October 2. He noted federal legislative updates: a proposed rulemaking to convert grant management guidance into regulations (20 states challenging) and local staff will attend the Tri-County BOCC meeting on August 15 to discuss the 2027 legislative program. He clarified that the Fort Hamer Interchange project is not a TPO action item and remains in the unfunded needs plan.
Key Outcomes
- Unanimous approval of June 10, 2026, meeting minutes.
- Unanimous approval of the TPO Procurement Policy with a one-year reporting condition for purchases between $50k and $200k.
- Unanimous acceptance of the Economic Benefits of Trails report.
- Reports received by unanimous vote: HART Route 1 update, TDP Major Update, and RIA update (all for information only).
- Next meetings: Special TPO Board Meeting – September 1, 2026; Regular TPO Board Meeting – September 9, 2026; Tri-County TMA – October 2, 2026.
Meeting Transcript
Thank you, and good morning, everybody. It's feel like it's been a while since we saw each other, so it's uh good to see everybody. I hope you're having a great summer. Uh, welcome to the August twelfth meeting of the Hillsborough TPO. Um, I'd like to remember to ask everybody to silence your cell phones. Um, and if we would please stand and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. All right, thank you. Miss Ramos, would you please call the role? Good morning. Ross here. Well stall here. Cohen? Bowls? Here. Clinton is excused. Her tech is also excused. Here Kilton. Board Member Lynn Gray uh is running a little late today. Klug? Here. Radakriston. Slater. And Joseph. Here. You have a quorum, sir. Thank you very much, Ms. Raymo. So has everybody had an opportunity to review the minutes from two meetings on the same date, June 10th. We had a TPO board meeting and then our TIP meeting. And if everybody's reviewed the minutes, is there a motion to approve? Any corrections or amendments to the minutes? If not, all those in favor say aye. Opposed. No nays. Remotely from public comment, and that is Hong Meg. Uh, thank you for the opportunity to speak today. My name is Hong Mai. It is an honor for me to introduce myself as a member of the Product Transportation Commission, where I served, you know, since February twenty twenty-five with the particular interest in terms of patient priority and opportunity affecting FDOT district seven and Tampa Bay reason. My commitment to the public service had developed so many years and across several organizations that I play important role in saving the future of our region. I spent eight years with the basic board of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. And again, the deep appreciation and relationship with the infrastructure responsibility growth, water resource, environmental sewership, and regional water supply and planning. I also served six and a half years with the Tampa Polk Authority, which gave me the invaluable insight of the critical connection between our transportation system and the Florida economy. Our port, highway, railway, airport, and local transportation network do not do not operate independently. They are interconnected, and their success depends on thoughtful planning and strong partnership at the local, regional, and the state level. Today I I am very exciting to be one of the members of the Timbo Transportation Commission. And I bring those experience together transportation, the about much more road and bridges. It's about economic opportunity, safety, mobility, quality of life, and connecting people to job, education, healthcare, business, for airport, and one in the other. They pick seven, they won up the product most dynamic reason. And with that growth come from both tremendous opportunity and significant transportation challenge. Last year, Freud legislation gave FTC another oversight task for 31 Francis Agency.
openpublica.com