Although the language in recently enacted state law mandates that the Hillsborough and Pinellas County transit agencies pay the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority for a study on consolidating their agencies, HART officials said today they will spend that money on a consultant, with TBARTA "facilitating" the process."
That bill, sponsored by Clearwater state Senator Jack Latvala, calls on both HART and PSTA to give $50,000 to TBARTA to conduct the study. Latvala has maintained such a merger could save millions of dollars.
The notion of not paying TBARTA directly alarmed Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandy Murman, a former member of the Legislature, who said the language in the bill mandates that TBARTA is to be compensated to conduct the report.
But HART attorney Chip Fletcher says there is "consensus" between HART and the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Agency (PSTA) that a specialist is needed to do this type of work. HART & PSTA members are scheduled to convene in July to hire that consultant, as the study must be completed and submitted to the Legislature by the end of next January.
This article appears in May 31 – Jun 6, 2012.