News & Public Affairs

Sun City Center residents discuss transit options listen

07/15/09 Seán Kinane
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Later this year, the Hillsborough County Commission will decide whether to place a referendum on the November 2010 general election ballot asking residents if they want to increase sales tax by a penny in order to pay for transit.

Today in Sun City Center, people living in south county weighed in on what future transit choices they prefer. Joy Gasser thinks that Hillsborough should rely on more than just a sales tax increase to fund transportation.

Eileen Courter lives in Sun City Cent...

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TBARTA supports referendum for light rail funding listen

02/27/09 Seán Kinane
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Tags: TBARTA, Pam Iorio, transportation

The Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority (TBARTA) voted unanimously this morning to support Hillsborough County’s efforts to build light rail. TBARTA will back a referendum that could be placed on the 2010 ballot in Hillsborough to fund transit by increasing sales tax.

Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio has been a leader in the effort to construct four light rail lines that will link downtown Tampa with the University of South Florida, Tampa International Airport and beyond.

“And I thin...

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TBARTA official briefs Council on transit plans listen

01/22/09 Mitch E. Perry
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Tags: TBARTA, Mass Transit, Transportation, funding

Bob Clifford, the recently hired executive director for TBARTA, the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority, gave an update about the agency to the Tampa City Council this morning. It’s part of his mission to visit all of the local governments within the authority’s region early this year, to keep momentum going for a regional transit system.

Plans currently call for the Hillsborough County Commission to place a referendum on the 2010 ballot to allow citizens to vote on raising ta...

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TBARTA ponders costs of transit system listen

12/19/08 Seán Kinane
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Tags: TBARTA, Mass Transit, Transportation

A regional transit network in the Tampa Bay area could cost between $11 and $23 billion. During their monthly board meeting this morning, TBARTA, the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority, contemplated how to pay for that system.

Bob Clifford was recently hired to be TBARTA’s first executive director. He said that costs for a regional transit system have to include the costs of existing bus service as well as new con...

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Hillsborough school board considers linking with TBARTA listen

12/16/08 Seán Kinane
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Tags: TBARTA, Hillsborough County School Board, Hillsborough County School District

In a workshop today, the Hillsborough County School Board heard from the region’s transportation authority about how the two groups might work together.

In designing a transit system for the area, the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority, or TBARTA, may take into account the transportation needs of public school students and the site of some future schools.

Joe Smith is a transportation advisor with the [Tampa Bay Pa...

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TBARTA interviews executive director candidates listen

10/13/08 Seán Kinane
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Tags: TBARTA, transportation funding

In a public meeting of its selection committee today, the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority (TBARTA) interviewed three candidates for its executive director position. The committee considered scrapping the process but ultimately chose to recommend all three candidates to the full board for consideration.

TBARTA received $2 million from the Legislature during the last session, but unless changes are made, it must be spent by the end of the fiscal year. T...

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TBARTA considers sales tax for transit listen

09/26/08 Seán Kinane
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Tags: TBARTA, transportation, light rail, Pam Iorio, Frank Hibbard

The bay area’s transit board met today in Tampa. One topic the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority (TBARTA) covered was long-term funding for regional transportation projects.

Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard, chair of TBARTA’s funding and finance committee, suggested two ways to fund TBARTA long-term: One is through part of a surcharge on rental cars that now goes to the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT); another is through an increase in sales tax. Hibbard said TBART...

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Forum held on TBARTA master plan listen

08/06/08 Mark Anderson
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Tags: TBARTA, Mass Transit, Transportation

Last night, the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority (TBARTA) held an open forum in Tampa to solicit citizen’s input on development of a rapid transit master plan to be completed by the end of 2008.

TBARTA was created as a state agency in July 2007. It’s charter is to plan, construct and operate rapid transit in Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee and Sarasota counties. TBARTA aims to improve mobility and expand multimodal transportation throughout the region, a...

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TBARTA hosted by Hillsborough County listen

06/16/08 Seán Kinane
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Tags: TBARTA, light rail, transit

Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority (TBARTA) board members have been visiting each of the seven counties in the region to learn about local growth, financial, and transportation concerns. This morning they were in Hillsborough County to meet with city and county leaders at the County Center in downtown Tampa.

Last week, some members of TBARTA traveled to the cities of Charlotte, Dallas and Denver to see how those communities have created their successful mass transit systems. ...

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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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