Hillsborough TPO Board Meeting: TIP Amendments, LRC Chair Appointment, FDOT Safety Outreach — September 9, 2026

The Hillsborough County Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) Board met Wednesday, September 9, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at the Hillsborough County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Boulevard, Tampa, Florida. Vice Chair Joshua Wostal presided; Chair Andrew Ross and Mayor Nate Kilton were excused. The board approved the August 12, 2026 minutes, approved a consent agenda of committee appointments, approved the 2026 Roll Forward TIP Amendments by a 15-0 roll call vote, appointed Mayor Ross as Livable Roadways Committee Chair, received an FDOT District 7 safety outreach presentation, and canceled the November 4, 2026 regular board meeting. The clerk confirmed a quorum was present.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the TPO Board meeting minutes of August 12, 2026 (motion by Member Michael Stephens, seconded by Commissioner Gwen Myers).
• Approved committee appointments to the Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC), Transportation Disadvantaged Coordinating Board (TDCB), Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC), Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Committee, and Livable Roadways Committee (LRC) (motion by Commissioner Harry Cohen, seconded by School Board Member Lynn Gray). Appointees included: CAC — Julius Adewopo and Roderick Pugh (Citizens at Large); TDCB — Brenda Gregory (Children at Risk), Cassandra Blaylock (Economically Disadvantaged), Kristina Melling (Florida Department of Elder Affairs), Beth Pasek (Florida Department of Children and Family, with Steven Haglich as alternate), Artie Fryer (Citizen Advocate), Jennifer Waskovich (Local Medical Providers), and Deborah Lopez (alternate, Agency for Persons with Disabilities); BPAC — Daniel Rodriguez (HART) and Alexis Frazier (Hillsborough County); TAC — Dana Mackey (Hillsborough County); ITS — Julie Scanlon (alternate, Hillsborough County); LRC — Mary Sheets (Hillsborough County, with Mike Flick as alternate) and Meagan Winchester (Hillsborough County, with Lama Alfaseeh as alternate).

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public signed up to speak during the meeting's public comment period.
• Advance comments were read into the record by TPO staff. Maritza Estorkiza, chair of the Drew Park Community Advisory Committee, emailed requests regarding the Rays stadium development, focusing on protecting Drew Park tax dollars, safeguarding the community's residents and businesses, establishing a permanent community voice in the stadium development process, measuring impacts before commitments are made, and putting protections for Drew Park in writing. Staff noted the Drew Park CAC has not taken a formal position on the project. A comment received on X expressed support for building light rail.

Committee Reports

• Rick Fernandez, CAC Chair: The Citizens Advisory Committee met September 2, 2026, with a quorum, discussed the 2026 Roll Forward TIP Amendments — including Federal Transit Administration funding and Port Tampa Bay projects and dredging plans — and human trafficking and funding HART received previously. The CAC recommended the TPO Board approve the FY 2027–2031 TIP roll-forward amendments. Fernandez also publicly recognized TPO staff member Sarah Caper for voluntarily organizing the committee's long list of requested presentation topics.
• Harmoni McGee, TPO Staff: The Technical Advisory Committee recommended TPO Board approval of the 2026 Roll Forward TIP Amendments. The TAC discussed HART's fleet composition (approximately 75% compressed natural gas, with a full transition anticipated by 2028) and how the proposed Gibson Drive/I-75 diverging diamond interchange design would account for the existing signal at Fernheld Drive immediately east of the interchange.

Discussion Items

2026 Roll Forward TIP Amendments (Action Item A) — Harry Walsh, TPO staff, presented the annual administrative amendment that reconciles the first year of the FY 2027–2031 TIP, adopted June 10, 2026, with the FDOT Work Program effective October 1, 2026. The package contained 22 projects: 12 transit, 3 safety, 2 resurfacing, 2 seaport, 1 capacity, 1 signal (ITS), and 1 bridge planning. No new projects or new funds were introduced — all projects were previously scoped and awarded. The $254 million total included $157 million (62%) in transit, $77 million (30%) in seaport, $9.5 million (4%) in resurfacing, and the remaining 4% across capacity, planning, and safety projects. Notable items included HART's heavy maintenance facility and fleet transition from diesel to compressed natural gas, supported by a $32 million FTA low- or no-emissions grant — the largest grant of its kind in Florida, one of the largest nationally, and HART's largest federal award; only 25% of HART's fleet remains diesel, with full transition expected by 2028. Port Tampa Bay projects included the $22 million Omniport and the $55 million Hooker's Point expansion, supporting the port's Vision 2030 plan to add 50–60% capacity by 2030. The capacity project is a planned diverging diamond interchange at I-75 and Gibson Drive; $3.3 million is for environmental permitting related to the project's proximity to the river. The motion to approve was made by Commissioner Alan Clendenin, seconded by Commissioners Cohen and Myers, and carried by roll call vote, 15-0.

Election of Livable Roadways Committee Chair for the Remainder of 2026 (Action Item B) — Councilmember Lynn Hurtak announced she was stepping down as LRC Chair due to health issues and her planned transition out of office, saying she has enjoyed leading the committee. TPO Attorney Cameron Clark explained that TPO Bylaws require the LRC Chair to be a TPO Board member and that the vacancy must be filled at the first regular meeting following the declaration. No member volunteered, so Commissioner Wostal — in jest, noting Mayor Ross was absent and could not defend himself — nominated Mayor Andrew Ross. The nomination was seconded, and the board approved the appointment by voice vote without opposition. Mayor Ross will serve as LRC Chair for the remainder of 2026, beginning at the committee's September 16, 2026 meeting.

Safety Outreach in Motion (Status Report) — Brian Hunter, FDOT District 7 Modal Development Administrator, presented FDOT's approach to safety outreach, organized around the four E's: Engineering, Enforcement, Emergency Response, and Education. He described FDOT's Target Zero goal of eliminating fatalities and serious injuries. For 2025, FDOT District 7's cumulative outreach included 7,500 conversations, almost 30 trainings, nearly 60 community events, social media reaching over 200,000 people, traditional media reaching 350,000 people, and visits to 18 high schools with 110+ classes reaching 2,300 teen drivers. Programs highlighted included community traffic safety teams, child car seat installation education, bicycle helmet fitting, a car fit program for drivers, and round tables with local partners that serve as a feedback loop. Tina Russo, FDOT's Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Manager, leads the outreach team. In discussion, Councilmember Hurtak reported a near-crash at the northbound I-275 exit at Hillsborough Avenue during rush hour, where drivers treat a striped-off area as a travel lane, and asked for more enforcement or barricades. Hunter responded that FDOT conducted three days of enforcement yielding 50 educational contacts and added black striping to the first hash marks, and will follow up. School Board Member Gray asked about e-bike safety hazards; Hunter noted e-bike regulations are determined at the local level, e-bike-related crashes are increasing, and e-bike safety is now part of FDOT's school and community outreach. Vice Chair Wostal praised FDOT's responsiveness, citing an instance where FDOT contacted a resident within about 45 minutes of his comment to the TPO Board about a sound wall concern.

Executive Director's Report — Dr. Johnny Wong reported that the next TPO Board meeting will be held October 14, 2026, and the Transportation Management Area (TMA) meeting will be held October 2, 2026, at PSTA to discuss merger draft deliverables. He gave one legislative update: on September 2, 2026, the federal transportation authorization was extended again, through December 11, 2026. He asked the board to consider canceling the November 4, 2026 regular TPO Board meeting (the day after the election), noting FDOT confirmed no urgent action items are expected that month. The board approved the cancellation by voice vote (motion by Councilmember Hurtak, seconded by Commissioner Boles).

New Business: Stadium District Planning — Commissioner Wostal raised new business on a stadium district planning effort, referencing advance comments from Maritza Estorkiza of the Drew Park Community Advisory Committee and correspondence received by Councilman Bill Carlson. Wostal expressed support for the TPO participating as a partner in a larger study rather than leading it, noting the Planning Commission seems particularly well positioned because the concerns involve transportation as well as land use, parking, and other topics outside the MPO's scope. Executive Director Wong responded that the study was not envisioned in the current Unified Planning Work Program; planning funds have been held back in case of such a need; community engagement is needed to determine the scale and scope of the transportation impacts around the stadium district; and a regional study covering game-day travel from Pinellas and Pasco counties could escalate costs considerably. Wostal asked Wong to set up meetings with interested commissioners and council members, noting the County Commission and City Council might be able to help with funding once the scope is defined. Wong agreed to schedule those meetings.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the August 12, 2026 TPO Board meeting minutes.
• Approved all consent agenda committee appointments.
• Approved the 2026 Roll Forward TIP Amendments by roll call vote, 15-0.
• Appointed Mayor Andrew Ross as Livable Roadways Committee Chair for the remainder of 2026.
• Canceled the November 4, 2026 TPO Board regular meeting.
• Directed Executive Director Wong to schedule stakeholder meetings on a potential stadium district planning study.