The Hillsborough County Commission, not the greatest friend to mass transit around these parts, is scheduled for a briefing from the new Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority (TBARTA). The meeting is open to the public, so those who aren't busy, say, earning a living, can attend on Wednesday, March 5 Thursday, March 6, at 11:15 a.m. in the County Center building at 601 E. Kennedy Blvd. in downtown Tampa.

From the TBARTA announcement:

"At the request of Commissioner Ken Hagan, Hillsborough County Commissioner and TBARTA Board Member, Bob Clifford from the Florida Department of Transportation will make a formal presentation to the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners regarding TBARTA's mission and how it will directly affect the citizens they were elected to represent," said Shelton Quarles, TBARTA Chairman.

TBARTA's goal is to reach out to at least 250 organizations in its seven-county region during 2008, in order to obtain the much-needed public input required for a successful and relevant Master Plan. To find out where TBARTA representatives will be speaking, or to request a presentation for your civic or community group, visit www.TBARTA.com.

The Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority was created by the Florida Legislature in 2007 to plan and develop a multimodal transportation system that will connect the seven counties of the Tampa Bay region. These counties include Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee and Sarasota. TBARTA's mission is to improve mobility and expand multimodal transportation options for passengers and freight throughout the seven-county region. The legislature has mandated that TBARTA must create a Regional Transportation Master Plan for the Tampa Bay region by July 2009. The goal of this Master Plan is to engage the public in developing a vision for regional integration of transportation systems and foster partnerships with government agencies and business entities.

Pinellas County commissioners already got their briefing, last week. But dozens of other governmental briefings lie in the weeks ahead, including:

  • Tampa City Council – March 27
  • Bradenton City Council – March 5
  • Sarasota City Commission – today
  • Sarasota County Commission – March 19

You can also request a briefing for your own civic group by clicking this link.

You can also download the current briefing list from TBARTA in a .pdf file.

(photo courtesy Tom Stovall/flickr.com. Some rights reserved.)

This article appears in Feb 27 – Mar 4, 2008.