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Transit Authority Receives Funding

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By RICH SHOPES

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 12, 2008

Finally, planning can begin in earnest for a regional transit system many think is long overdue.

The $66 billion state budget signed by Gov. Charlie Crist on Wednesday includes $2 million for the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority. The one-time allocation is to be used by the agency to come up with a long-range transit plan for Hillsborough, Pinellas and five other West Florida counties.

"That money is going to go a long way in providing the administration and the assistance they will need in moving forward. They were pretty much at a standstill," said state Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey.

The money comes one year after Crist vetoed a similar funding item that would have given the authority $1 million.

"We're just grateful he sees the benefit of the board," Pinellas Commissioner Ronnie Duncan, a TBARTA board member, said from Charlotte, N.C., where he and other members were reviewing a public transit system. "This is a very difficult budget year. I've got to give him a lot of credit, to spare us."

The authority hasn't decided how to spend the windfall, which is expected to go toward legal and administrative expenses but comes with no strings.

The seven-county authority has paid its legal and administrative bills over the past year with funding from groups such as the Tampa Bay Partnership, an economic development organization that pooled $50,000 from its business members.

The authority also has relied heavily on staff time and expertise from the state's Department of Transportation.

The year-old authority represents Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Citrus, Hernando, Manatee and Sarasota counties.

Duncan said the money, if stretched, could pay the authority's legal and administrative bills for several years.

"We need to grow as an organization in a very methodical and measured way," he said. "We need to sit back now and prioritize very carefully how we're going to spend that money."

While TBARTA has been charged with the ambitious task of coming up with a regional transit plan and persuading politicians and residents to fund it, Crist's veto last year meant the agency had virtually no money to accomplish that task.

Over the past year, the authority's board meetings have been held at the DOT's district offices in Tampa and other places across the region willing to lend meeting space. The agency also lacks an executive director, which could become an issue next year when the authority seeks federal grants and tries to attract public support.

The authority is required to develop a regional transportation plan by July 2009, but TBARTA officials say they hope to have the plan done by the end of this year.

Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio said some of the $2 million could go toward hiring an executive director to oversee the agency, pursue grants and represent the authority.

For now, those duties are handled by DOT district planner Bob Clifford.

"We've talked with a lot of transit authorities in other states. The one thing they all have in common is someone who becomes identified with that organization," Iorio said.

Duncan, Iorio and other TBARTA board members are on a three-day field trip to Charlotte, Dallas and Denver to review those cities' public transit systems. The group is trying to learn how those cities won federal grants and public support for transit at the ballot box.

Last year, the governor vetoed $1 million in startup funds for TBARTA, even though he signed legislation to create the authority. It came into existence July 1 with the understanding it would develop a long-range transportation plan focused mainly on mass transit.

"Right up until the very end we were concerned," said Stuart Rogel, president and CEO of the Tampa Bay Partnership. "Hats off to the governor, our legislative delegation and the Legislature for putting those funds into the budget. It's a resource shot in the arm."

The partnership asked members and local legislators to send letters and e-mails to the governor's office asking Crist not to veto the funding this time. Hundreds of requests flowed into the governor's office the past few months, partnership spokeswoman Betty Carlin said.

Without a dedicated funding source, the agency would have struggled to determine its next step.

The state's Department of Transportation offered last year to pay any expenses associated with creating the master transportation plan. The agency is handling the technical aspects of the plan.

The Tampa Bay Partnership and five metropolitan planning organizations also chipped in with a combined $100,000 to pay administrative and legal costs. It was unclear, however, whether the partnership and the MPOs could continue that support from year to year.

A governor's spokesman said Crist backed the funding request to show support for mass transit.

"The governor wants to use every measure possible to stimulate our economy. One way to do that in these economically challenging times is to invest in mass transit and other transportation options," spokesman Sterling Ivey said.

Reporter Catherine Dolinski contributed to this report. Reporter Rich Shopes can be reached at (813) 259-7633 or rshopes@tampatrib.com.

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