News & Public Affairs

Businesses who reduce pollution lauded listen

05/29/08 Seán Kinane
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Tags: air pollution, emissions, TBARTA, Kathy Castor, EPC, Charlie Crist, environmental justice, environment, oil companies, transit

The Tampa Bay Clean Air Partnership (CAP) is an air-quality initiative geared toward reducing vehicle exhaust and traffic congestion. Today at the InterContinental Hotel in Tampa’s Westshore district, CAP held a lunchtime ceremony to honor organizations committed to reducing the air pollution generated by transportation.

The Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County is one of the two groups that formed CAP in 2002, and Rick Garrity is their executive director. The other g...

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TBARTA board meeting listen

05/23/08 Seán Kinane
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Tags: TBARTA, transit, commuter rail, light rail, Denise Layne, Pam Iorio

The Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority, or TBARTA, held their monthly board meeting this morning in Tampa. They heard presentations about how changing demographics will change transit needs in the future and saw results of a survey of residents in the seven counties in the region.

John Fregonese is a planning consultant based in Portland Oregon who briefed the TBARTA board on how the region’s future transit needs could be affected by a population that is getting older and has smalle...

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Iorio discusses Obama endorsement listen

05/23/08 Seán Kinane
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Tags: Barack Obama, Pam Iorio, 2008 election, Tampa, transit

Before Sen. Barack Obama took the stage at his campaign rally in Tampa on Wednesday, the host city’s mayor, Pam Iorio, announced her endorsement of Obama for president.

Today, WMNF’s Seán Kinane spoke with Iorio about her endorsement and why it came this week.

“[I’ll] certainly make sure he knows what Tampa’s needs are and how the federal government can be of help,” Iorio said.

Photo by Seán Kinane/WMNF

WMNF coverage of Barack Obama rally

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Will Crist OK $2M TBARTA budget? listen

05/16/08 Seán Kinane
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Tags: TBARTA, transit, commuter rail, light rail, Tampa Bay Partnership

This session the Florida Legislature provided the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority (TBARTA) $2 million. But Gov. Charlie Crist could still veto that funding, like he did to the $1 million in startup funds the Legislature attempted to give TBARTA last year.

Pinellas County Commissioner Ronnie Duncan serves as the vice chair of the TBARTA Board. Duncan said TBARTA needs the one-time funding from the Legislature to secure private and government transit money and to finally hir...

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Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council meets listen

04/14/08 Seán Kinane
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Tags: Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, TBARTA, transit, One Bay, Rays stadium, Tampa Bay Partnership

The Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council met today in Pinellas Park to discuss regional transit and what future development might look like in the Tampa Bay Area.

The Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council’s mission is to provide “a forum to foster communication, coordination and collaboration in identifying and addressing issues and needs regionally” among the 43 jurisdictions in Manatee, Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties.

Deborah Kynes is a Dunedin City Commissioner and the chai...

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HART deals with financial struggles listen

04/07/08 Seán Kinane
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Tags: HART, transit, Dick Greco, labor, unions

The Board of Directors of the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) met this morning in the County Center in downtown Tampa. The board is faced with how to deal with cuts to both local and federal transit budgets.

David Persaud, HART’s chief financial officer, assessed the current financial climate heading into the 2009 fiscal year.

Persaud said that the 2010 deficits might be made up through reduced services or opportunities for federal grants. Jeff Boothe, with the law f...

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