Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Tribune article on conservation lands:

Politics

County land conservation program’s well is running dry

By Mike Salinero | Tribune Staff
Published: March 8, 2015

TAMPA — Hillsborough County’s land conservation program is a voter favorite, winning 70 percent approval on three different occasions.

With that bedrock of voter support, the Jan K. Platt Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program has purchased more than 61,500 acres of environmentally sensitive lands. These pristine tracts, protected from development for posterity, are popular getaways where people can hike, camp, canoe or fish. The land also protects watersheds from pollution and maintains corridors for wildlife.

But now, in its 25th year, the program commonly called ELAPP is at a crossroads. Money to make new land purchases is running short, and county commissioners, in a slow-to-recover economy, are loath to pass even a small property tax to fund future bond issues.

“We have a lot of A-rated sites,” said Jack Berlin, a businessman and member of the ELAPP general committee. “If they became available and we don’t have the funds to buy them, I suspect there would be a revolt of the environmental community.”

ELAPP’s current problem sprang from the 2008 election when voters authorized up to $200 million in bond issues to buy land. Unlike earlier successful ELAPP referendums, the 2008 ballot language did not include a small property tax of up to 0.25 mills — about $25 a year for the owner of a $150,000 house, with homestead exemption. In past elections, the tax had been included to provide money to pay off bonds.

ELAPP general committee chairwoman Jan Smith said she and other environmentalists wanted the property tax included in the 2008 referendum. They were opposed, however, by county commissioners who didn’t want to put an ELAPP measure on the ballot at all.

“In order to get anything, we had to cave to the county,” Smith said. “A large group of us worked … to get an ordinance written in such a way to be acceptable to everybody.”

With no revenue stream, ELAPP is in jeopardy of becoming irrelevant. Just $3.5 million remains in the ELAPP fund from a $59 million bond issue approved by county commissioners in 2009. The other $55.5 million was used to buy 17,000 acres of undeveloped land, including the 12,800-acre Lower Green Swamp Preserve, formerly called Cone Ranch.

“If we said we wanted to have another $59 million, would the county commission be willing to raise the millage across the board so that money can be bonded?” Smith asked.

The answer probably is no. Not only has the commission’s Republican majority been averse to raising the property tax rate, it takes pride in lowering the millage by a fraction every year. In the most recent exercise of this mostly symbolic gesture, commissioners cut the property tax for this year by 0.0017 mills. That’s a reduction of 26 cents for the owner of a house valued at $200,000, with homestead exemption.

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Even commissioners who say they are strong supporters of ELAPP are not willing to renew the property tax once earmarked to fund the program. Victor Crist, for one, has suggested the county should do more to encourage ecotourism. But when asked about funding for ELAPP, Crist said some yet-to-be-revealed revenue stream will be identified to rescue the program.

“I am for buying more land; I am not for raising any property taxes,” Crist said. “I don’t think we’ve recovered enough for people to afford it.”

Commissioner Sandra Murman said she could not commit to levying a property tax for ELAPP without knowing more about what land would be purchased and checking with her constituents.

“I do think land acquisition is important for the quality of life in our state,” Murman said. “But as a commissioner, I have to balance those priorities.”

The commission’s newest member, Stacy White, recently proved his environmental bona fides when he publicly opposed expanding the county’s urban service boundary, the line beyond which the county will not extend sewer, water and other services.

Pushing water and sewer lines into largely rural areas is seen by smart-growth advocates as a recipe for sprawl.

White, an avid outdoorsman, said he is a staunch supporter of ELAPP and pledged to work for its funding.

“I would say you can never have enough with respect to conservation easements, especially in an urbanized county like Hillsborough,” White said. “We’re renowned because of the land we’ve been able to preserve.”

But when asked about ELAPP’s present predicament, White suggested that as property values rise in a recovering economy, they might yield enough new tax revenue to fund bond issues without raising the millage rate.

Even if commissioners were open-minded about passing a tax for ELAPP, the county has competing priorities that likely will trump land conservation. Fixing the area’s congested traffic system will take billions of dollars, for example — money that only can be raised through a tax increase.

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A sales tax increase likely will go to a vote in November 2016.

On that same ballot, voters will be asked to renew a property tax that funds the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County. Voters first approved underwriting the child welfare agency in October 1988 by passing a 0.5 mill property tax — 50 cents for every $1,000 in property value.

County Administrator Mike Merrill said Hillsborough has so many pressing needs that an ELAPP bond issue is unlikely to make the cut as commissioners work on the fiscal 2016 budget this year.

“It’s the timing,” Merrill said. “If in a couple of three years (finances) get better, absolutely.”

Other current events, however, argue for urgency in solving the ELAPP funding problem. In November, Florida voters approved Amendment 1, also known as the Florida Water & Land Legacy amendment. Passed with a 75 percent majority, the amendment earmarks 33 percent of taxes collected on real estate documents for water and land conservation.

State legislators will decide in the next seven weeks how the money from Amendment 1 will be divvied up. Supporters of the amendment want a large percentage to go to the Florida Forever trust fund for land acquisition. Millions of dollars from the trust fund could then become available for ELAPP projects, but only if the county can come up with matching money.

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Also looming is the rapid revival of the homebuilding industry and the inevitable development pressures it will put on rural lands. ELAPP’s site selection committee has identified 21 parcels of more than 27,000 acres as priorities for acquisition. Those parcels easily could be developed before ELAPP gets adequate funding.

“Other than a few parcels, we haven’t really done anything since Cone Ranch” in January 2010, said Berlin, the ELAPP committee member. “It would be terrible for one to come up and not have the funds to take advantage of it.”

Berlin, president of the Accusoft software company, criticized county commissioners for stubbornly refusing to even talk about raising taxes for ELAPP. He said the rural lands that shelter wildlife and cleanse rainwater should be seen as investments, just like roads and bridges.

“We want people to come here because of our water and air and our hiking and beaches and fishing and weather,” Berlin said. “We should put our money where our mouth is.”

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Bay Biz Journal article on Johnson & Johnson:

Johnson & Johnson deal could put Hillsborough ‘on the map’

Mar 4, 2015, 1:56pm EST

Margie Manning

Print Editor- Tampa Bay Business Journal

Hillsborough County’s efforts to build a bioscience cluster and attract name-brand corporations got a major lift Wednesday morning, when the Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved a $2.1 million local incentive package for Johnson & Johnson Services.

The company, a subsidiary of health care giant Johnson & Johnson Inc. (NYSE: JNJ), has proposed $23.5 million in capital investment for a project that would create 700 jobs, with an average wage of $75,000. The firm is considering several sites in Hillsborough County, Tampa and Temple Terrace, as well as other locations in other states.

Commissioner Ken Hagan said existing facilities, such as Draper Labs, Moffitt Cancer Center and USF Heart Health are a strong lure for Johnson & Johnson and similar firms.

“We have created the synergies and critical mass that’s providing the framework for significant strategic growth in our biosciences cluster,” Hagan said. “With Bristol-Myers Squibb coming here and Johnson & Johnson considering expansion, there’s absolutely no doubt that we’ve raised the awareness throughout the industry that Hillsborough County is a serious bioscience contender.”

Top companies go to top regions, said Commission Chair Sandy Murman.

“Our region is becoming quite the place to go to. The ‘open for business’ sign is out there,” Murman said. “[Johnson & Johnson] is one of the most highly respected brands in the United States and if we can land this expansion, this will definitely put us on the map like the Mercedes deal if we had gotten that.”

Murman was referring to a Wall Street Journal report that Tampa was one of the finalist cities for the relocation of Mercedes-Benz’s U.S. headquarters. Mercedes instead chose Atlanta.

The Johnson & Johnson proposal came on the heels of an earlier announcement that Citigroup (NYSE: C) is considering a $90 million capital investment to expand its Brandon campus and create an additional 1,173 new jobs, also averaging $75,000 in annual wages. Hillsborough commissioners last month approved a $3.4 million incentive package for Citigroup and smaller incentives for two other unidentified companies considering local expansions.

“This is another tool to keep our students here,” Murman said. “When we have these kind of jobs here, they’re going to stay here and live here and work here.”

The Tampa City Council is scheduled to consider Johnson & Johnson incentives tomorrow.

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Tribune article on HARTPlus:

Transportation

Growth challenges HARTPlus disabled bus system

By Yvette C. Hammett | Tribune Staff
Published: March 15, 2015

TAMPA — Over the past decade, ridership on the federally funded bus system for people with disabilities has grown exponentially. That fast growth generates an ever more challenging job for those coordinating hundreds of rides each day in one of the state’s largest counties.

In 2014, HARTPlus provided about 150,000 rides to the disabled and received 212 complaints — or complaints from 0.14 percent of its passengers. But on those occasions when the system fails and mistakes occur, it can leave patrons in a lurch, or worse, in a dangerous situation — something the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority is working to avoid.

Two blind women recently spoke to the HART board to explain the serious issues they have faced on occasion while using the HARTPlus bus system. One had been dropped off at the wrong location to attend that very meeting. She was left several miles away in downtown Tampa, instead of in Ybor City.

The other told the board of being left stranded at the county courthouse one day as night fell. Her bus failed to arrive to give her a ride home. In yet another instance, a driver never came to the door to notify one of the woman he was there, then left when she didn’t come out in the allotted time.

Even if statistics show that HARTPlus is running on time and making it to the right place 90 percent of the time, that’s not what clients expect or deserve, said HART CEO Katharine Eagan. “They expect 100 percent.”

The agency has several changes and enhancements in the works to help it reach that 100 percent efficiency status, Eagan said.

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Even before the two women showed up to complain about issues they felt put them in jeopardy, the HART staff was busy finalizing a pilot program to pair the bus service with local taxis patrons can use, ensuring that no one gets left waiting at the curb.

The pilot program will not only improve efficiency for getting people where they need to go in a more timely manner, but will save the agency money that can be used to bolster services elsewhere, said HART Chief Operations Officer Ruthie Reyes-Burkhard. The pilot program should begin this summer.

HART implemented a new paperless scheduling process in late February to improve on-time performance and is updating its customer service software this year to avoid dropping patrons off in the wrong location. An investigation showed that an outdated version of HART’s intranet incorrectly routed the visually impaired woman who got dropped off downtown instead of in Ybor City.

HART board members, after hearing the stories from the visually impaired women earlier this month, also suggested drivers be given more sensitivity training.

Already, such training is required, said HART spokeswoman Sandra Morrison. Van drivers for HARTPlus go through four weeks’ worth of training with emphasis on special needs customers and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. When a situation arises like occurred with the woman left waiting at home for the bus, the driver is given individual training, Morrison said. And that driver has been counseled, she said.

The complaint investigation showed that both women rode HARTPlus vans dozens of times in the past year and a large majority of the time, they were picked up on time and arrived on time.

There are most certainly bumps in the road, many related to the fast growth of the customer base, Reyes-Burkhard said.

The pilot program starting this summer could go far to smooth those bumps, she said. In addition to working with taxis to provide service to customers — possibly using a voucher system to pay for those rides — HART is also working with the county’s Sunshine Line buses for “transportation disadvantaged” to see if that service can help fill a void during especially busy periods or if a HARTPlus client is stranded and needs a ride.

The alternative would be to purchase more vans, hire more operators and hire more mechanics to work on them, she said. And that would cost money the agency doesn’t necessarily have.

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Hillsborough County Commission Chairwoman Sandy Murman is a big advocate of HART and the county working together to fill the needs of those with disabilities. The problem, she said, is that there are different funding streams for HARTPlus and Sunshine Line, making it difficult to coordinate.

“We need the walls to come down and have the two programs more coordinated,” Murman said at the HART board meeting earlier this month. “They are governed by different rules, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a way to make this work. We’ve got to figure it out. People are slipping through the cracks.”

“Someone is going to have to put their nose to the grindstone and put together an interlocal agreement,” added Commission Les Miller, who also sits on the HART board.

Reyes-Burkhard said HART is working to find a way to coordinate the programs, which could include having Sunshine Line bill HART at the end of each month for any rides it picks up. HART is getting input from the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, various disability groups and Sunshine Line on how to best coordinate this effort, she said.

“These ladies coming to the meeting is not something we were unaware of, problems in the system,” she said. “But this is something we are trying to address.”

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Coordinating some 500 trips per day with 40 to 48 vehicles that hold three to eight passengers each is a real challenge because Hillsborough County covers such a large area, HART officials said.

And because HARTPlus is funded by the Federal Transit Administration mandate that the program meet ADA requirements, no ride request from an eligible client can be turned down.

If someone needs a ride at a particular time, HART is required to meet that time with a 30-minute window on either side, Eagan said.

“We understand many of our patrons use us as their only mode of transportation. They don’t have the opportunity to go at a later time. We understand we are their primary method” and cannot discriminate based on where a client wants to go. “And we understand the anxiety of having to rely on someone else.

“We have more folks trying to use our service than we can reasonably accommodate.” And that’s the rub, Eagan said.

HARTPlus requires patrons to book trips up to three days in advance, but they would not have that same requirement with taxis or with Sunshine Line, Reyes-Burkhard said. So if problems come up, those vendors could be called in to service more quickly.

“We don’t yet know how many trips we will put out to providers, but we are hoping to decrease our cost by one-third,” she said. “So, even with vendors, HART can provide more trips with the same amount of money.”

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Osprey Observer article on the new Gardenville gymnasium:

March 16, 2015

County Opens New 6,700 Square Foot Gardenville Gymnasium In Gibsonton

By Tamas  Mondovics

Local residents, County Commissioners and community leaders, including representatives of the neighborhood group, Concerned Citizens of Gibsonton, Inc., and members of the Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation department, celebrated the opening of a brand new gymnasium recently added to the Gardenville Recreation Center last month with a festive ribbon cutting ceremony.

After a yearlong construction project at a cost of close to $1.6 million, the new 9,500-sq.-ft. multi-purpose facility located at 6223 Symmes Rd. in Gibsonton, now adds a 6,700-sq.-ft. gymnasium that includes a weight room properly equipped with free weights and fitness machines, restrooms, as well as storage and office facilities.

Even as work on the new structure began last winter, it was said to become the premier gathering place for families and friends living in the Gibsonton and Riverview communities.

Following the ribbon cutting, all present had a chance to take a tour of the new building and see as well as experience the improvements inside the existing recreation center, which has been serving the community for decades.

While enjoying the event, some refreshments were also provided by the neighborhood group, Concerned Citizens of Gibsonton, Inc.

Also present and excited about the continued growth within the borders of her district, including the recent groundbreaking of two new recreation centers to serve the Ruskin and Progress Village communities, County Commissioner Sandra Murman spoke highly of the new gymnasium addition and what she is sure to accomplish for young and old.

“I have been seeing the continual improvements and this is just another example of it in this part of the county, which is becoming a vibrant community,” Murman said. “Facilities like these keep our communities tight, as they bring people together.”

Special features of the gym includes a mechanized curtain available to divided the court and accommodate multiple concurrent activities.

The basketball backboards can also be raised and lowered to serve ages 5 and up, while the spring-flooring provides shock absorption for a variety of athletic participants.

Along with basketball, pickleball, volleyball, and netball, the new recreation center will offer expanded senior programming, teen nights, and organized youth and adult athletic leagues to accommodate community needs.

Along with existing programs for all age groups, the county will expand offerings for athletic

leagues, tournaments, classes and other events to be held at the new gymnasium.

For more information about Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation, visit www.HillsboroughCounty.org/Parks or call 635-3500.

Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Tribune article on express bus service:

Business News

FDOT contemplates express bus service, toll lanes for area

By Yvette C. Hammett | Tribune Staff
Published: March 3, 2015   |   Updated: March 3, 2015 at 08:50 PM

TAMPA — While the state moves along with plans to build express toll lanes on area interstates, it is also looking at how to incorporate “premium express bus service” into those lanes.

The Florida Department of Transportation and Jacobs Engineering are looking at potential station locations and what such a service might look like. Funding hasn’t been addressed yet, at least not publicly.

The express buses would potentially serve Wesley Chapel, the University of South Florida, downtown Tampa, Westshore, the Greater Gateway/Carillon area and downtown St. Petersburg.

Jacobs Engineering Planning Director Scott Pringle made a presentation to the Metropolitan Planning Organization board on Tuesday, saying the object of the commuter transit plan would be to get bus customers to their destinations more quickly using the express lanes.

FDOT unveiled its plan for Tampa Bay Express toll lanes on Interstates 275, 4 and 75 in late January as part of a grand statewide decongestion plan to put pay lanes in major metro areas. There isn’t yet any funding earmarked for the lanes in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties and even when the projects get funded, each section of the lanes is expected to take six or seven years to complete. The idea is for people to pay to drive in a lane that will move them past congestion.

Those same lanes would be used for the commuter buses.

The study is looking at where the greatest ridership is — the urban core — and the best locations for stations that could connect easily to local buses, Pringle said. Some possible station locations mentioned were Wesley Chapel, near State Road 56, on Fletcher Avenue, at the Marion Street Transit Station in downtown Tampa and the Gateway area of St. Petersburg.

“We’ll be coming forward in a couple of weeks to talk about cost and ridership,” Pringle said.

MPO member Lisa Montelione, who sits on the Tampa City Council, said she is most concerned with who would pay for the buses. “Why aren’t we talking about the buses first and not the lanes?”

Pringle said it will take more than one agency to make the express bus plan work and there will be plenty of conversation coming up on funding.

Joe Waggoner, an MPO member and head of the Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority, applauded FDOT for involving transit in the plan for express toll lanes. “It’s about mobility, not just moving vehicles,” he said. “When it comes to financing, that is where the real tough question resides. It’s not just about planning for transit, but having transit as a funding partner.”

“We have to think smart about this if it’s going to be effective,” said Hillsborough County Commission Chair Sandy Murman, also a member of the MPO board. “Connectivity is really important , but what I hope will happen is we will have BRT (Bus Rapid Transit)” connecting in with the commuter buses.

BRT are buses that run on managed road lanes where they are able to use technology to extend green lights or shorten red lights for a faster trip. Here in Hillsborough County, the 17.5 miles stretch for the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority’s MetroRapid North-South runs between downtown Tampa and Fletcher Avenue and Interstate 75.

Commissioner Murman mentioned in this Tampa Bay Times column by Sue Carlton on the next mayor of Tampa:

Carlton: It’s time to play ‘Name that mayor’

SUE CARLTONTampa Bay Times

Tuesday, March 3, 2015 8:56pm

It’s the morning after Tampa’s city elections, and surely the question on everyone’s mind is:

Just how did Mayor Bob Buckhorn manage to fight off that fierce election challenge from the lone write-in candidate who, interestingly, once tried to run for the Legislature while in prison?

Kidding — the popular mayor had no real race.

But for the kingmakers, gadflies, gossips and political junkies among us, it’s never too soon to speculate. So the real question is:

Who replaces Buckhorn in four years, when he term-limits out and (probably) runs for governor?

The next mayoral race starts today, which makes it officially time for rampant gossip and outright speculation.

Some familiar names in the mix will surprise no one: Tampa City Council members Harry Cohen, Mike Suarez and council don Charlie Miranda, already a heartbeat from the mayor’s seat as council chairman.

Over in Hillsborough County government, Commissioners Sandy Murman and Victor Crist both come up, as does wonky former Commissioner Mark Sharpe.

There has even been speculation about Commissioner Ken Hagan. We’ll put him in the very unlikely but still interesting category.

State Rep. Dana Young, considered a Republican on the move, always gets a mention.

And here’s an intriguing one, not from politics: prominent Tampa lawyer Rhea Law, who said she was flattered at the speculation.

Four-time mayor Dick Greco?

No idea, he says — “That’s four years away.”

Miranda answers the question with a clear “no,” but most of the politicians will officially say only that they’re concentrating on the job at hand and the buzz that’s building in their city (cue that Buckhorn quote about giving a city its wings). Even for those who have no eye on the office, it’s nice to be thought of.

But the most interesting name of all has to be soon-to-retire Tampa police Chief Jane Castor — so recognized in these parts that when she recently pushed a woman’s stalled car out of a busy downtown intersection, people took photos.

(Though it might have been more helpful had they actually, you know, helped.)

Here is what Castor had to say on the subject of her personal potential mayorhood:

The fact that her name comes up as a candidate “just makes me realize the drug problem in this city is much more dire than I anticipated.”

Besides, the insurance company denied a new prosthetic replacement for the tip of her trigger finger, lost trying to start a boat — “thereby taking away my ability to point out the obvious, a necessary skill for any successful politician.”

But seriously: “No. I’m a police officer and I don’t think the citizens want a police officer as a mayor. I’ll leave that up to people who are politically astute.”

All of which will probably mean people talk her up as a candidate even more.

Speaking of no, Pam Iorio, former mayor and current head of Big Brothers Big Sisters, has said no, no, a thousand times no, but that doesn’t stop her name from coming up every time people get to speculating about a post-Buckhorn era.

Will any of this actually happen?

In four years, we’ll talk.

Commissioner Murman quoted in this WFLA report on Crazy Horse bar:

Hillsborough commissioner investigating crimes at Crazy Horse Bar

Posted: Mar 03, 2015 11:58 AM EST Updated: Mar 03, 2015 12:26 PM EST

By Chip Osowski

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL (WFLA) –

Hillsborough County commissioner Sandra Murman is promising action regarding the problems surrounding Thee Crazy Horse bikini bar on Hillsborough Avenue in Town N’ Country.

Newschannel Eight provided the commissioner with a report from the sheriff’s office detailing crime calls at the bar dating back 12 months.

“It’s a problem, I can see that from here,” said Murman. “We’re going to look at this and I’m going to sit down with the sheriff’s office and look at all of these complaints and find out, do we need more patrols? What do we need out here?”

The report details dozens of calls ranging from a deadly shooting investigation from this past weekend, to other shooting calls, drug activity and fights.

Commissioner Murman says her office is already mobilizing its forces. “We have asked for a crime report in the neighborhood, our code enforcement here, we are sending out there to check on the noise and the complaints from the neighbors,” said Murman. “Also, environmental protection commission which does monitor noise, will check into it also.”

Dario Ruiz and other neighbors have expressed concern more isn’t being done to curb the violence at the club. “I mean, these are guns going off right behind my house. And I have nothing but windows facing that direction. I mean, how do you think I feel with two little kids? ”

Murman says the wheels are already in motion. “We are checking every available channel that we can to make sure that we’re protecting the citizens in the community and having it be as safe as possible.” Said Murman. “You know, people live in an area because they want a good quality of life. And if that’s taken away from them, we need to help them get that back.”

Commissioner Murman quoted in this St Petersblog article on HART:

Hillsborough County transit agency has $50 million in needs from Tallahassee this session

By Mitch Perry on March 2, 2015

Last week the Tampa Bay Business Journal reported that HART is seeking more than $50 million from the Florida Legislature this year, an amount that apparently surprised some members of the Hillsborough County transit agency.

“I don’t remember $50 million,” board member Bryan Crino confessed at the agency’s monthly board meeting on Monday.

That’s because most of the discussion at the board in recent months has been regarding a $7 million request for a down payment on the creation of a farebox system that would allow bus riders from Sarasota up to Hernando to use the same bus fare technology.

“What was the feedback that you received?” Crino asked HART CEO Katharine Eagan about the TBBJ article. He added that though $50 million might seem like a large chunk of money to the general public, it was actually just a “drop in the bucket from a regional transportation perspective.”

That led to a broader discussion about how effective HART can be in preparing to make such a big ask before the Legislature this session.

“We were late to the game this year,” board member Kathleen Shanahan explained, not for the first time since being appointed to represent the city on the board last fall by Bob Buckhorn. “I think we have to take this as a lesson to say that we need to get in early, we’ve got to be consistent (and) educate the members.” Like Crino, Shanahan admitted that she, too, has been focused mostly on the $7 million request.

Eagan told board members she’ll be appearing in front of the Transportation Economic Development Subcommittee chaired by Pinellas County’s state Sen. Jack Latvala next week.

That news surprised Hillsborough County Commission Chair Sandy Murman, who said Eagan could utilize the depth of knowledge that she and fellow board member Les Miller accumulated while serving in the Legislature. “We still have a  lot of relationships up there,” she said, “We could set the stage for you.”

“It’s going to take the entire session to get what we want,” chimed in Miller.

Among the other needs that HART has hopes for include over $21 million for the  construction and capital investments for the East/West MetroRapid Bus Rapid Transit Construction. Another $8.75 million would pay for Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses to support the route.

They’re also looking for $1 million for the TECO Streetcar; $1.765 million for a Project Development & Environmental (PD&E) for HART’s MetroRapid project along Kennedy Blvd., and over $16.6 million to purchase 53 new CNG buses.

Meanwhile, Go Hillsborough, the brand associated with actively seeking out public comment on addressing the county’s transit needs, will be holding another public meeting tonight in South Tampa.

Murman said she’s attended three such meetings already, and heard a lot about traffic congestion and insufficient bus service. She said she thinks that HART should do further outreach to see what HART passengers want out of the system. HART CEO Katharine Eagan said the agency is working on doing exactly that with focus groups. “Our patrons are less concerned with buses being on time and more concerned with making connections and getting to where they need to go,” she said.

Tonight’s meeting takes place at the Manhattan Avenue United Methodist Church, 4511 South Manhattan Avenue, Tampa.

Commissioner Murman on this ABC Action News report on Go Hillsborough meetings:

Traffic congestion complaints? Hillsborough County wants to hear from you

County hosting 36 transportation workshops

Carson Chambers

5:03 PM, Mar 2, 2015

5 hours ago

Congestion and bus service are among the biggest complaints Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandy Murman hears about public transit at Go Hillsborough workshops.

“Why isn’t there more? Why isn’t it faster?” Murman said.

The meetings will help transit officials plan for the future.

“They will synthesize it into the priorities, and then they can work on the actual engineering analysis of it. What is feasible? What can be done given land use restrictions?” she said.

The open house style county workshops are also resurrecting a hot topic—light rail.

Right now, Murman said Hillsborough’s transit ridership would have to double to support a light-rail conversation.

“We have to build that case, and we aren’t there yet,” she said.

Ken Roberts, part of a group focusing on other transportation solutions, said light rail shouldn’t even be on the table.

Citizens Organized for Sound Transportation said modern traffic signals, a Pinellas to Hillsborough ferry and other solutions get more bang for the taxpayer buck.

“We need to open up the market to ride sharing services – that really doesn’t cost anything. The way we are now, we charge a ride sharing entrepreneur with a crime when he picks somebody up and takes them where they want to go for a price they want to pay. I don’t think that’s right,” he said.

Roberts hopes the Go Hillsborough meetings end with real data and real opinion for real solutions.

“It’s really time for everybody to come out of their corners and do something because if we don’t do something the county’s going to start seizing up like an engine without oil,” he said.

To find a meeting near you, visit the Go Hillsborough meetings page.