CAPTIONING APRIL 6, 2010 METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION ***This is not an official, verbatim transcript of the ***following meeting. It should be used for informational ***purposes only. This document has not been edited; ***therefore, there may be additions, deletions, or words ***that did not translate. >>JOE AFFRONTI: WELCOME TO OUR HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY METROPOLITAN PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING FOR APRIL 6th, 2010. WOULD YOU PLEASE STAND FOR THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND INVOCATION. [PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE] HEAVENLY FATHER, WE THANK YOU FOR THE MANY BLESSINGS THAT YOU GIVE US, ESPECIALLY THE OPPORTUNITY TO LIVE HERE IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. WE ASK THAT YOU GUIDE US TODAY AS WE CONDUCT THE BUSINESS FOR THE RESIDENTS OF HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. WE ASK THAT YOU PROTECT OUR YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE IN HARM'S WAY AND THOSE WHO ARE STATIONED THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. IN YOUR NAME WE PRAY. AMEN. >> AMEN. >>JOE AFFRONTI: OKAY. FIRST OF ALL, ROSE FERLITA WILL NOT ATTEND THE MEETING. HER NOTE SAID THAT I REGRET THAT I WILL NOT BE IN ATTENDANCE AT TODAY'S METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION MEETING, AS I AM CONVALESCING FROM SURGERY. SO SHE WILL NOT BE HERE TODAY. WE WANTED TO READ THAT INTO THE RECORD. WE WANT TO WELCOME A NEW MEMBER FOR OUR MPO. WE WANT TO WELCOME MR. JOHN WHEAT FROM THE AVIATION AUTHORITY. JOHN. LOUIS IS GOING TO FILL IN TODAY UNTIL -- >> THIS IS HIS LAST MEETING. >>JOE AFFRONTI: THIS IS HIS LAST MEETING. AND THAT BEING SAID, WE HAVE A LITTLE PLAQUE WE'D LIKE TO GIVE YOU, LOUIS. THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION HEREBY RECOGNIZES LOUIS E. MILLER FOR HIS MANY YEARS OF SERVICE AND DEDICATION AS A MEMBER OF THE HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION, PRESENTING ON APRIL 6th, 2010. LOUIS, THANK YOU. >>LOUIS MILLER: THANK YOU. >>JOE AFFRONTI: YOU HAVE BEEN A GREAT ASSET TO THIS ORGANIZATION. >>LOUIS MILLER: IT'S BEEN AN HONOR TO BE PART OF IT, YOU KNOW, HAVING A CONSOLIDATED TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM [INAUDIBLE] >>JOE AFFRONTI: YOU'VE BEEN A TREMENDOUS ASSET. >>LOUIS MILLER: THANK YOU VERY MUCH. [APPLAUSE] >>JOE AFFRONTI: OKAY. IS THERE ANY PUBLIC INPUT ON ANY ITEMS THAT ARE ON THE AGENDA? IF NOT, WE THANK YOU. FIRST WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE -- BETH ALDEN IS GOING TO FILL IN FOR MR. JOE AMON AS THE -- FOR THE CAC, CITIZENS ADVISORY COUNCIL. >>BETH ALDEN: GOOD MORNING. BETH ALDEN, MPO STAFF. THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MET ON MARCH 10th. IT WAS A SHORT MEETING, AS THE FLORIDA WEBINAR ON THE FLORIDA 2060 PLAN WAS HELD AT 2:00 IN THAT MEETING ROOM, AND SO THE CAC MET FOR AN HOUR, COVERED A COUPLE OF ACTION ITEMS WHICH YOU'LL HEAR ABOUT LATER TODAY ON YOUR AGENDA. ONE WAS A T.I.P. AMENDMENT ADDING BICYCLE LANES ON BAYSHORE BOULEVARD. THE CAC SUPPORTED THAT AMENDMENT. THE CAC ALSO LOOKED AT THE UNIFIED PLANNING WORK PROGRAM DRAFT, THE PRELIMINARY DRAFT, DID NOT MAKE ANY SIGNIFICANT COMMENTS ON THE DRAFT, AND SUPPORTED THE PROPOSED DEOBLIGATION, MOVING SOME FUNDS FORWARD FROM THIS YEAR TO NEXT YEAR. THERE WAS THEN A LONG DISCUSSION ABOUT THE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY ACTION PLAN, WHICH YOU'LL BE HEARING ABOUT TODAY. DISTRICT 7 HAS DEVELOPED A PLAN TO HELP REDUCE THE ALARMING NUMBER OF PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. ONE OF THE FINDINGS WAS THAT A MAJORITY OF THOSE INVOLVED ARE ADULT MALES, AND THE CAC MEMBERS EXPRESSED CONCERN THAT THE EDUCATIONAL EFFORTS THAT ARE RECOMMENDED COMING OUT OF THIS PLAN SHOULD BE FOCUSED MORE ON REACHING THE ADULT MALE POPULATION. THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE THEN SUPPORTED THE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY ACTION PLAN AND ADJOURNED ITS MEETING -- MEETING TO PARTICIPATE IN THE WEBINAR. THAT CONCLUDES MY REPORT. THANK YOU. >>JOE AFFRONTI: OKAY. THANKS. ANY QUESTIONS OF BETH, COMMENTS? IF NOT, THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, BETH. NEXT, THE TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE, NED BAIER. NED BAIER. >>NED BAIER: GOOD MORNING. NED BAIER, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. THE MPO TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE MET ON MARCH 15th. WE ALSO HAD A SIMILAR AGENDA AS THE CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE BEGINNING WITH THE T.I.P. AMENDMENTS. THIS WAS THE BAYSHORE BOULEVARD BICYCLE LANE PROJECT, AND THAT WAS EXTENDING THE LENGTH OF THE PROJECT TO 4.4 MILES, AND THEN THE SECOND PART CHANGES THE AMOUNT OF THE MONEY ALLOCATED TOWARDS THE PROGRAM TO A LITTLE BIT OVER $2.86 MILLION, AND AFTER SOME DISCUSSION, THE COMMITTEE APPROVED THAT T.I.P. AMENDMENT. THE SECOND ITEM WAS THE PRESENTATION OF THE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY ACTION PLAN, AND I THINK THAT WAS REALLY SOME OUTSTANDING WORK, AND DEMIAN MILLER FROM THE FIRM TINDALE- OLIVER & ASSOCIATES, I BELIEVE THEY PRESENTED THAT LAST MONTH AND TO THE OTHER COMMITTEES. IT WAS REALLY AN OUTSTANDING TECHNICAL DOCUMENT, AND OUR COMMITTEE WAS REALLY IMPRESSED WITH IT. JUST A COUPLE THINGS HERE. THE PLAN DEFINES PEDESTRIAN SAFETY GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND ANALYZES THE BASELINE CONDITIONS. IT ALSO SELECTS SOME STRATEGIES FOR SOME OF THE WORST CONDITIONS ON OUR SYSTEM, AND WHAT WAS REALLY INTERESTING OUR COMMITTEE THOUGHT WAS THAT 40% OF THE CRASHES OCCUR ON JUST 5% OF THE ROADS AND MANY OF THOSE ON STATE ROADS, SO WE DID ENDORSE SOME OF THE -- THE RECOMMENDATIONS, AND WE HAD QUITE A DETAILED DISCUSSION. ONE WAS IDENTIFYING SOME OF THE SHORT-TERM ACTIONS TO IMPROVE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY, AND THERE ARE MANY INITIATIVES UNDERWAY BY BOTH LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND THE STATE RIGHT NOW. THEN THERE'S ALSO SOME IDENTIFYING LONGER-TERM POLICY INITIATIVES AND CONSIDERING PEDESTRIAN SAFETY PROJECTS AS PART OF THE MPO PLAN AND PART OF YOUR PRIORITIZATION OF POTENTIAL PROJECTS THAT ARE FUNDED. WE THOUGHT THAT WAS AN IMPORTANT STEP. THEN ALSO TO COMPLETE OUR DISCUSSION THE TECHNICAL STAFF WANTED MORE INFORMATION ON THE SAFETY PROJECT THAT FDOT AND HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON FOR FLETCHER AVENUE'S SAFETY STUDY, AND THIS IS BETWEEN 56th STREET AND 15th STREET IN THE UNIVERSITY AREA. THERE'S IDENTIFIED CROSSWALKS AND OTHER PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE IMPROVEMENTS IDENTIFIED FOR FLETCHER AT A COST OF ABOUT $2 MILLION, SO WE'VE ASKED FOR A PRESENTATION NEXT MONTH ON THAT. THE FINAL ITEM WAS THE DRAFT WORK PROGRAM. THIS IS THE TWO-YEAR PROGRAM THROUGH JUNE 30th OF 2012, AND IT DOCUMENTS THE FEDERAL AND STATE FUNDING FOR THE MPO, FDOT, HART, AND THE TRANSPORTATION DISADVANTAGED PROGRAM, AND FOLLOWING THE DISCUSSION, WE PASSED A MOTION TO APPROVE THE DEOBLIGATION OF PLANNING FUNDS, THAT $500,000 IN FHWA PLANNING FUNDS FROM THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR TO THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR. UNDER UNFINISHED BUSINESS, THE MPO STAFF DISTRIBUTED SOME INFORMATION FROM DATA TRANSFER SOLUTIONS, AND THIS IS A TECHNICAL TOOL THAT WILL BE USEFUL FOR THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT STAFF IN PROVIDING INFORMATION ABOUT THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS AND ABOUT THE WORK PROGRAMS FROM EACH OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO THE MPO BEGINNING THIS YEAR. OUR NEXT TECHNICAL MEETING WILL BE APRIL 19th AT 1:30 ON THE 18th FLOOR, AND WE'D -- I'D LIKE TO THANK SHEILA MARTIN, WHO FILLED IN AS CHAIRPERSON LAST MONTH IN MY ABSENCE, AND I ALSO WANT TO WISH MILLER GOOD LUCK, AND WE REALLY APPRECIATE NADINE JONES. SHE'S THE PLANNING DIRECTOR FOR TIA, AND SHE'S BEEN REAL INSTRUMENTAL IN THE TECHNICAL COMMITTEE FOR A LONG TIME, SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. >>JOE AFFRONTI: THANK YOU, NED. ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FOR MR. BAIER? IF NOT, THANK YOU SO MUCH. OKAY. NEXT ITEM IS -- ROSE FERLITA'S NOT HERE, AND RAY CHIARAMONTE'S GOING TO READ THE REPORT FOR THE POLICY COMMITTEE. >>RAY CHIARAMONTE: THANK YOU. THE POLICY COMMITTEE MET ON MARCH 23rd, AND THEY WENT THROUGH THE AGENDA SIMILAR TO THE AGENDA THAT YOU'RE GOING THROUGH TODAY. THE ACTION ITEMS INCLUDED THE TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM, AND SO THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION OF BICYCLE LANES ON BAYSHORE. THIS PROJECT WAS ORIGINALLY LISTED IN THE T.I.P. FROM PLATT STREET TO GANDY AT A COST OF ALMOST $2 MILLION. THE AMENDMENT WAS TO CHANGE THE LIMITS TO READ BAY TO BAY TO PLATT STREET ON THAT PARTICULAR ITEM. PEDESTRIAN SAFETY ACTION PLAN, AS YOU'LL BE PRESENTED TODAY, DEMIAN MILLER OF TINDALE-OLIVER WILL BE PRESENTING THAT. THE COMMITTEE APPROVED THE PLAN WHICH WILL BE DISCUSSED AT TODAY'S MEETING. DRAFT UPW AND PLANNING GRANT DEOBLIGATION, RICH CLARENDON OF URS PRESENTED THAT ITEM TO THE POLICY COMMITTEE, AND THE POLICY COMMITTEE PASSED A MOTION TO APPROVE DEOBLIGATION OF THE 2009'S PLANNING FUNDS AND FORWARD THIS ITEM TO THE MPO FOR DISCUSSION AT TODAY'S MEETING. FINALLY, BETH ALDEN OF THE MPO STAFF STATED AGAIN THE FINAL STEP IN THE LONG-RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN PROCESS IS THE PUBLICATION OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE ADOPTED PLAN. STAFF WILL FURNISH THIS INFORMATION VIA MPO'S WEB SITE WITH A PAMPHLET INSERT INTO A LOCAL NEWSPAPER. WE'RE THINKING WE'RE PROBABLY GOING TO DO THE PAMPHLET IN AUGUST. AND AS A REMINDER, THE NEXT POLICY COMMITTEE'S SCHEDULED FOR APRIL 27th, 9:00 A.M., IN THE PLANNING COMMISSION BOARDROOM. ALL MPO MEMBER -- ALL MPO BOARD MEMBERS ARE INVITED TO ATTEND THAT MEETING. THANK YOU. >>JOE AFFRONTI: THANK YOU, RAY. ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FOR RAY? IF NOT, THANK YOU SO MUCH. OKAY. WE NEED A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FROM THE MARCH 2nd MEETING. >> SO MOVE. >> SECOND. >>JOE AFFRONTI: MOVED AND SECONDED. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. [CHORUS OF AYES] OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY. WE HAVE THREE ACTION ITEMS. FIRST IS THE T.I.P. AMENDMENT, WALLY, WALLY BLAIN. >>WALLY BLAIN: GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE. WALLY BLAIN, MPO STAFF. THERE ARE ACTUALLY TWO T.I.P. AMENDMENTS THAT ARE COMING BEFORE YOU THIS MORNING. ONE WAS IN YOUR AGENDA PACKAGE AND ONE WAS SENT OUT SUBSEQUENT TO YOUR PACKAGE. THERE ALSO SHOULD BE A COPY WHERE YOU'RE SITTING THIS MORNING IF YOU DON'T HAVE THAT WITH YOU. THE FIRST AMENDMENT IS WHAT YOU'VE HEARD FROM THE COMMITTEES IS THE BIKE LANES ON BAYSHORE BOULEVARD. INITIALLY THE REQUEST CAME FROM THE CITY FOR $1,936,000 TO DO BIKE LANES ON BAYSHORE BOULEVARD FROM PLATT ALL THE WAY DOWN TO GANDY. THIS CAME FROM THROUGH THE TRANSPORTATION ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM AND WAS A PRIORITY OF THE MPO. THE CITY SINCE THEN HAS DONE A STUDY OF BAYSHORE BOULEVARD TO IDENTIFY IMPROVEMENTS ALONG THE CORRIDOR. THEY'VE IDENTIFIED AS WELL AS THE BIKE LANES ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE ROAD, WHICH WOULD BE IN THE SOUTHBOUND DIRECTION, THE NEED TO IMPROVE INTERSECTIONS AT BAY TO BAY AS WELL AS PLATT STREET, SO THE CITY IS MOVING FORWARD SUBSEQUENT TO THE FEASIBILITY STUDY THAT THEY'VE DONE TO DO THE IMPROVEMENTS ADDING THE BIKE LANE ON BAYSHORE ON THE NORTH END AS WELL AS THE INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS THAT WOULD INCLUDE SOME SIDEWALK FEATURES, SO THIS AMENDMENT IS TO CHANGE THE EXISTING PROJECT LIMITS TO -- INSTEAD OF BAY TO BAY TO GANDY TO BE FROM -- I'M SORRY FROM PLATT TO GANDY IS TO BE FROM PLATT TO BAY TO BAY. WE ARE INCREASING THE AMOUNT OF MONEY, ALTHOUGH IT'S SHORT OF LIMITS. THERE'S MORE WORK THAT'S BEING DONE, SO THE INCREASE IS ABOUT $150,000. THE SECOND AMENDMENT THAT'S COMING BEFORE YOU IS A FOLLOW- UP ON THE REQUEST THAT CAME IN LAST MONTH FROM HART. HART REQUESTED THE MPO SUPPORT THEIR LETTER THAT THEY SENT TO THE CHAIRS COORDINATING COMMITTEE, WHICH IS OUR REGIONAL ORGANIZATION OF MPOs IN THIS AREA. THE TRANSPORTATION REGIONAL INCENTIVE PROGRAM IS A STATE FUNDING AMOUNT FOR REGIONAL PROJECTS. HART HAD BEEN ALLOCATED $800,000 FOR THAT FOR AN EXISTING PROJECT. THEY'VE ASKED THE MPO TO SUPPORT THE REALLOCATION OF THAT $800,000 AS WELL AS AN ADDITIONAL $900,000, FOR A TOTAL OF 1.7 MILLION. THAT REQUEST DID GO TO THE CHAIRS COORDINATING COMMITTEE AND WAS APPROVED BY THAT ORGANIZATION LAST MONTH. SO WHAT WE NEED IS YOUR APPROVAL TO PUT THAT INTO THE T.I.P. AND FOR THE FUNDING AMOUNT THAT'S BEEN APPROVED BY THE CHAIRS COORDINATING COMMITTEE. THESE AMENDMENTS DO REQUIRE A ROLL CALL VOTE, AND THEY CAN BE HANDLED AS SEPARATE MOTIONS OR AS ONE MOTION TOGETHER, AT YOUR PLEASURE. AND WITH THAT, WE COULD ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU HAVE. >>JOE AFFRONTI: CAN WE TAKE BOTH OF THEM AS ONE MOTION? >>ADAM GORMLY: IF THAT'S THE PLEASURE OF THE BOARD, THAT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE, YES. >> [INAUDIBLE] >>JOE AFFRONTI: WELL, WE'LL GET INTO DISCUSSION. OKAY. WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE IT. DO WE HAVE A SECOND? >> SECOND. >>JOE AFFRONTI: OKAY. NOW DISCUSSION, MARY. >>MARY MULHERN: [INAUDIBLE] >> MA'AM, PARDON ME. I CAN'T HEAR YOU. >>MARY MULHERN: IS THE ADDITIONAL 900 ALSO GOING TOWARD RAIL? >>WALLY BLAIN: YES, MA'AM. IT'S TO MOVE THE $800,00 FROM REGIONAL BUS SERVICE TO THE RAIL STUDY AS WELL AS THE ADDITIONAL $900,000 THAT TOGETHER WOULD BE 1.7 MILLION. >>MARY MULHERN: THANK YOU. >>JOE AFFRONTI: OKAY. WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND. NO FURTHER DISCUSSION, ROLL CALL VOTE. >> OKAY. DINGFELDER. I'M SORRY, HE'S NOT HERE. COMMISSIONER BECKNER. >>KEVIN BECKNER: YES. >> MILLER. >>LOUIS MILLER: YES. >> LOTT. >>RICK LOTT: YES. >> AFFRONTI. >>JOE AFFRONTI: YES. >> SHARPE. >>MARK SHARPE: YES. >> MULHERN. >>MARY MULHERN: YES. >> SCOTT IS NOT HERE. CAETANO IS NOT HERE. FERLITA IS NOT HERE. WAINIO. >>RICHARD WAINIO: YES. >> AND WAGGONER. >>JOE WAGGONER: YES. >> THANK YOU. MOTION CARRIES 8-0. >>JOE AFFRONTI: THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY. THE NEXT IS PEDESTRIAN SAFETY ACTION PLAN, DEMIAN MILLER. >> [INAUDIBLE] GOOD MORNING. I'M DEMIAN MILLER, CONSULTANT FOR FLORIDA D.O.T., AND AS SOON AS THIS SLIDE SHOW COMES UP, WE'LL GO THROUGH IT. I GUESS WHILE IT'S COMING TO LIFE HERE, I'D LIKE TO SAY THAT WHILE I GET TO PRESENT THIS TO YOU-ALL TODAY, THIS IS REALLY A TEAM EFFORT BETWEEN D.O.T. STAFF, STAFF FROM THE CITIES, THE COUNTY, NOT-FOR-PROFIT AGENCIES, LAW ENFORCEMENT. REALLY A WHOLE MIX OF PEOPLE WENT IN TO HELP DEVELOP THIS PLAN, SO I'D LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE ALL OF THEM AS WE START HERE. I GUESS -- I'VE BEEN BEFORE THIS BOARD BEFORE TALKING ABOUT PEDESTRIAN SAFETY, COUNTYWIDE ISSUES, THINGS LIKE THAT, AND SO THIS IS ANOTHER CHANCE TO COVER THE TOPIC. WHAT WE'VE DONE THIS TIME IS WE'VE USED A TEMPLATE DEVELOPED BY THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION THAT REALLY GOES IN AND LOOKS AT THE NITTY-GRITTY OF THE ISSUES. A DATA-DRIVEN APPROACH TO GO IN AND PICK APART NOT ONLY THE CRASH PROBLEM BUT ALSO THE ROLES OF THE DIFFERENT ACTORS AND AGENCIES THAT CAN HELP ADDRESS THE PROBLEM. IT'S NOT JUST AN ENGINEERING PLAN, IT CONSIDERS FOUR AREAS, WHICH IS EDUCATION, ENFORCEMENT, AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES AS WELL, AND THEN ALSO THE COORDINATION BETWEEN THESE AGENCIES, SO IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT PROJECTS BUT ABOUT HOW THE DIFFERENT AGENCIES CAN COME TOGETHER TO REALLY FILL ALL THE PIECES OF THE PUZZLE. PEDESTRIAN SAFETY ACTION PLAN IS DONE FIRST BY IDENTIFYING GOALS AND OBJECTIVES. THE OBVIOUS OVERALL GOAL IS TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF PEDESTRIAN CRASHES AND FATALITIES, AND THEN WITHIN THAT THERE ARE SOME SPECIFIC TARGETED AREAS THAT WERE DEVELOPED BASED ON THE CRASH DATA ITSELF AND THEN ALSO ON WHAT THE DIFFERENT AGENCIES CAN DO ABOUT IT. WE ANALYZED BASELINE CONDITIONS, BOTH IN TERMS OF THE DATA AND IN TERMS OF WHAT AGENCIES DO NOW, AND THEN SELECTED APPROPRIATE TREATMENTS AND STRATEGIES BASED ON THAT. THE REASON WE'RE DOING THIS IS BECAUSE FLORIDA OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS HAS HAD ALMOST THREE PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES PER 100,000 PEOPLE, WHICH IS SORT OF THE GENERIC MEASURE OF PEDESTRIAN CRASHES. THE NATIONAL AVERAGE IS A LITTLE OVER 1.5. THEY'RE ALMOST DOUBLE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE. I DON'T EXPECT YOU TO READ THE CHART, BUT MANY OF THE STATES THAT ARE IN THE TOP TEN ARE ALSO SUNBELT STATES THAT DEVELOPED AFTER WORLD WAR II, SO THEY HAVE THE SAME LAND USE PATTERN WE DO, THEY HAVE SOME OF THE SAME TYPES OF ROADWAYS WE DO, AND YET THEY HAVE A MUCH LOWER PEDESTRIAN CRASH RATE, ALBEIT ELEVATED COMPARED TO THE NATIONAL AVERAGE. SPECIFICALLY IN THE TAMPA BAY AREA OVER -- OVER THE WINTER A REPORT CAME OUT, "DANGEROUS BY DESIGN," WHICH WAS A NATIONAL REPORT. IT SORT OF REPLACES THE MEAN STREETS REPORT, AND THE ORLANDO METRO AREA AND THE TAMPA METRO AREA -- AND WE'VE ALSO DONE A SIMILAR STUDY FOR PINELLAS COUNTY -- ARE THE ONE AND TWO WORST AREAS IN THE COUNTRY, AND I THINK THE TOP FOUR ARE ROUNDED OUT BY THE STATE OF FLORIDA. SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE IN THIS WITH THE REST OF THE STATE, BUT WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE DO OUR PART LOCALLY TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE. IN TERMS OF SOME OF THE DATA ITSELF -- AND I'LL BE BRIEF WITH THIS -- ABOUT 20% OF TRAFFIC FATALITIES ARE PEDESTRIAN CRASHES, BUT IT'S A MUCH SMALLER PERCENTAGE OF CRASHES, SO YOU HAVE SOMEWHAT RARE EVENTS THAT HAVE VERY SEVERE CONSEQUENCES. THAT MAKES IT CHALLENGING TO DEAL WITH FROM A COUNTERMEASURE STANDPOINT. IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY COUNTYWIDE THAT MEANS ABOUT 600 CRASHES A YEAR PLUS OR MINUS. A LITTLE OVER HALF ARE WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS OF THE CITY OF TAMPA, AND ABOUT 40% ARE IN THE UNINCORPORATED AREA. THE REMAINDER IN THE OTHER CITIES ARE USF OR MAYBE NOT PRECISELY LOCATED. WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT -- I GUESS I'LL GO BACK ONE REAL QUICK. YOU CAN SEE THAT EVEN WITHIN THE UNINCORPORATED COUNTY IT'S WITHIN THE URBAN SERVICES BOUNDARY, SO IT'S AN URBAN ISSUE, AND THAT'S OBVIOUS FOR A COUPLE DIFFERENT REASONS. REAL CONCENTRATIONS WITHIN THE CORE PART OF THE CITY, WE LOOKED AT MAJOR ROADWAY CORRIDORS. THERE'S JUST A COUPLE OF EXAMPLES. HILLSBOROUGH AVENUE HAS A HEAVY CONCENTRATION REALLY FROM ONE END TO THE OTHER, WATERS AVENUE IS BAD AS WELL, WEST WATERS, BRANDON BOULEVARD IS NOT PRETTY, AND WHAT WE REALLY KEYED IN ON FOR HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY IS THE USF AREA. NOW, YOU'VE PROBABLY SEEN PRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE MULTIMODAL DISTRICT STUDY. REALLY THE SAME PART OF THE COMMUNITY. IN FACT, WE LOOKED AT LIMITS FROM BEARSS TO 56th DOWN TO BUSCH AND THEN FLORIDA AS REALLY THIS CONCENTRATION OF PEDESTRIAN CRASHES. THAT'S FOR A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT REASONS. WHAT WAS INTERESTING ABOUT THIS AREA WAS NOT ONLY WERE THERE CRASHES ALONG THE MAJOR ARTERIAL ROADS, WHICH IS THE COMMON PATTERN FOR FLORIDA AND FOR THE REGION, BUT ALSO ALONG SOME OF THE TWO-LANE COLLECTOR ROADS AND EVEN LOCAL STREETS, SO THAT TELLS YOU THERE'S A LOT MORE PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC OUT THERE, MAYBE CUT-THROUGH TRAFFIC, BUT ALSO MORE OF OUR ENGINEERING TOOLS CAN BE BROUGHT TO BEAR ON THOSE TYPES OF ROADS; WHEREAS, THE SOLUTIONS WE HAVE FOR YOUR SIX-LANE DIVIDED HIGHWAYS ARE RELATIVELY LIMITED WITHOUT COMPLETELY REPURPOSING THE ROAD. KIND TO SEGUE INTO THIS POINT, WHAT WE DID FIND AND HAVE FOUND CONSISTENTLY WHEN WE LOOK AT THIS TYPE OF DATA IS THAT THE MAJOR ROADWAYS ARE WHERE THE MOST CRASHES OCCUR AND ALSO WHERE THE MOST SEVERE CRASHES OCCUR. THIS MAKES SENSE BECAUSE IT'S WHERE THE SPEEDS ARE THE HIGHEST. WE ALSO LOOKED AT PARKING LOTS, ABOUT 20% OF THE CRASHES BUT NOT TOO MANY SEVERE CRASHES, AND THEN SOME ON LOCAL ROADS, AND SOME WE DON'T KNOW THE LOCATION, BUT THIS TYPE OF DATA ANALYSIS HELPS US UNDERSTAND WHAT STRATEGIES WE SHOULD IMPLEMENT TO ADDRESS THIS. SPECIFICALLY THINGS LIKE NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC CALMING ARE GOOD FOR QUALITY OF LIFE, SIDEWALKS ON LOCAL STREETS ARE GOOD FOR QUALITY OF LIFE, BUT THESE MEASURES ALONE DON'T ADDRESS WHERE WE'RE SEEING THE PEDESTRIAN CRASHES, SO WE NEED TO RECOGNIZE THAT AND DEVELOP ADDITIONAL STRATEGIES. PRETTY MUCH ALREADY SAID THIS. MOVE ALONG. DRILLING DOWN, WE RECOGNIZED -- AND I THINK NED MENTIONED THIS WITH THE COMMITTEE REPORTS -- THAT ABOUT 5% OF THE MAJOR ROADWAY NETWORK ACCOUNTED FOR 40% OF THE CRASHES, SO WE TRIED TO RANK THE ROADS BY CRASHES PER MILE AND THEN SORT OF SORT FROM HIGH TO LOW AND FIGURE OUT WHERE THINGS STARTED TO TAPER OFF AND DISPERSE, AND AT ABOUT THAT 40% POINT IS WHERE WE FOUND THAT. ABOUT 75% OF THESE ROADS ARE STATE HIGHWAYS, AND THEY CARRY THE MOST TRAFFIC AND HAVE THE MOST LANES AND THE HIGHEST SPEEDS, SO THAT'S -- THAT'S SORT OF THE NATURAL CONCLUSION. I GUESS THIS TELLS US THAT WHILE WE HAVE A BIG PROBLEM COUNTYWIDE, THERE IS SORT OF THIS -- THIS MANAGEABLE SUBSET OF FACILITIES THAT WE CAN TARGET AND FOCUS AND REALLY ATTACK A BIG PART OF OUR PROBLEM, SO WE'VE GOT SOME REALLY ROUGH ROADS OUT THERE, BUT IT'S POSITIVE THAT IT'S A MANAGEABLE PROBLEM SET. IN TERMS OF WHAT PEOPLE ARE DOING WHEN THEY GET -- WHEN THEY GET HIT, WE FIND THAT OF THE MAJOR ROADWAY CRASHES, WHICH THIS PLAN SORT OF FOCUSED IN ON, ABOUT 75% SOMEONE IS ATTEMPTING TO CROSS THE MAJOR ROADWAY. THEY COULD BE CROSSING AT AN UNSIGNALIZED LOCATION SO AT MIDBLOCK OR A LOCAL STREET LOCATION OR AT A SIGNALIZED LOCATION, AND THAT SECOND DISTRIBUTION IS ABOUT 60/40, SO 75% OF THE CRASHES ARE CROSSING A MAJOR ROAD, 60% ARE CROSSING AT AN UNSIGNALIZED LOCATION. THERE ARE ALSO CRASHES WHERE PEOPLE ARE WALKING ALONG A MAJOR ROAD. A LOT OF THESE HAVE TO DO WITH FOLKS COMING IN AND OUT OF DRIVEWAYS, IN SOME CASES PEOPLE WALKING ON A SHOULDER AND GETTING SIDESWIPED BASICALLY WHERE THERE ARE NO SIDEWALKS PROVIDED. SO THAT'S IMPORTANT TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE GOOD SIDEWALKS, PROVIDE GOOD DRIVEWAY TREATMENTS, BOTH THROUGH THE -- SORT OF THE ROADWAY PROJECT PROCESS AND THE LAND DEVELOPMENT REVIEW PROCESS, BUT REALLY THE FOCUS HAS GOT TO BE ON HOW PEOPLE GET ACROSS THESE MAJOR ARTERIALS. WE LOOKED AT THE DEMOGRAPHIC DATA. WE WANTED TO SEE FROM AN EDUCATIONAL AND ENFORCEMENT STANDPOINT WHO OUR TARGET AUDIENCE SHOULD BE, AND WHAT WE FOUND IS THAT IT'S REALLY ADULTS AND SPECIFICALLY ADULT MEN THAT ARE MAKING UP THE DOMINANT DEMOGRAPHIC IN THE CRASH DATA. WE DO A PRETTY GOOD JOB IN THE PRIMARY SCHOOLS, AND THERE ARE A LOT OF PROGRAMS IN PLACE TO EDUCATE YOUNG KIDS ABOUT HOW TO CROSS A STREET, AND, YOU KNOW, WE'VE DONE THAT FOREVER. MAYBE LESS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS, BUT IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO REACH THIS AGE DEMOGRAPHIC, ALTHOUGH WE DO HAVE SOME STRATEGIES IDENTIFIED IN THE PLAN TO GET AT THE PROBLEM HERE. ANOTHER THING WE KEYED OFF ON -- AND AS YOU'LL SEE, I'M KIND OF GOING THROUGH AND POINTING OUT WHERE IS THIS OVERREPRESENTATION OF PEDESTRIAN CRASHES BECAUSE THOSE ARE WHAT INFORM OUR STRATEGIES. NIGHTTIME CRASHES, ABOUT 40% OF PEDESTRIAN CRASHES ARE AT NIGHT COMPARED WITH 25% OR 30% OF AUTOMOBILE CRASHES, SO THIS TELLS US STREET LIGHTING IS A FACTOR, TEACHING PEDESTRIANS TO BE CONSPICUOUS IS A FACTOR. OBVIOUSLY PEDESTRIANS DON'T HAVE HEADLIGHTS. ANYTIME WE SEE THIS MARGIN, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN TRY TO TACKLE AND FOCUS IN ON. ALCOHOL AND DRUG USE, WE DON'T HAVE GREAT DATA FOR THIS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE IN A CRASH AND THERE'S A HINT OF ALCOHOL, YOU'LL PROBABLY BE BREATHALYZED, BUT WITH A PEDESTRIAN CRASH, THE LAWS FOR WHAT PEDESTRIANS HAVE TO DO ARE NOT THE SAME AS FOR DRIVERS, SO WE DON'T HAVE GREAT DATA. WHAT WE FOUND IS THAT ALCOHOL INTOXICATION IN GENERAL IS OVERREPRESENTED FOR PEDESTRIANS, BUT IT'S NOT THE SOLE DETERMINING FACTOR, SO THOUGH IT'S A TARGET, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN WORK ON, BASICALLY JUST PUBLIC INTOXICATION, WALKING HOME FROM THE BAR DRUNK, WHATEVER. BUT I'VE HEARD BEFORE, WELL, THEY WERE ALL DRUNK, AND THAT'S NOT THE CASE. MANY WERE BUT NOT ENOUGH WHERE WE CAN SAY, WELL, THAT'S THE SOLE CAUSE FOR THIS. IN THIS REGION WE'VE BEEN AWARE FOR A LONG TIME THAT WE HAVE ELEVATED PEDESTRIAN CRASH RATES, AND ABOUT ONCE A YEAR, TWICE A YEAR, EITHER NATIONAL OR LOCAL MEDIA REMINDS US OF IT, SO THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO DO ALREADY, AND THIS ACTION PLAN REALLY BUILDS ON EXISTING INITIATIVES. I'M GOING TO QUICKLY NAME A FEW THINGS THAT ARE ALREADY BEING DONE. MOST PEOPLE NOTICE THERE ARE COUNTDOWN PEDESTRIAN SIGNALS THROUGHOUT THE URBAN AREA, AND THAT'S SOMETHING TO INCREASE THE PREDICTABILITY AND USEFULNESS OF INTERSECTIONS FOR PEDESTRIANS. SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL PROGRAM, THAT STARTED UP UNDER THE SAFETEA-LU LEGISLATION AND HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTED HERE, BOTH WITH AN INFRASTRUCTURE COMPONENT, BUILDING SIDEWALKS AND ENHANCEMENTS AROUND SCHOOLS, AND ALSO AN EDUCATION COMPONENT, GOING INTO THE PRIMARY SCHOOLS AND TALKING TO KIDS AND DOING ACTIVITIES. A FEW YEARS BACK NEBRASKA AVENUE WAS -- WAS TO SOME EXTENT REPURPOSED FROM A FOUR-LANE UNDIVIDED ROAD TO A TWO-LANE DIVIDED ROAD, AND THAT HAS HAD BENEFITS FOR PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC. AND THEN ALSO THE STOP AND LOOK EDUCATIONAL CAMPAIGN IS A RECENT INITIATIVE TO REALLY GO IN AND -- AND AGAIN WORK WITH THE SCHOOLS, YOU KNOW, BASIC PEDESTRIAN SAFETY, DON'T RUN OUT IN FRONT OF CARS, AND THAT'S A MULTIMEDIA CAMPAIGN THAT'S GOT SORT OF BROAD DISTRIBUTION IN THE BAY AREA AND A LOT OF ATTENTION. A FEW MORE THINGS. ALSO AS MENTIONED BEFORE, THE FLETCHER AVENUE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY PROJECT. FLETCHER AVENUE FOR A LONG TIME, KIND OF BETWEEN THE INTERSTATE AND TEMPLE TERRACE, HAS BEEN ONE OF THE WORST PEDESTRIAN CRASH CORRIDORS IN THE COUNTY, AND SO THERE'S A PROJECT THAT'S BEING DEVELOPED RIGHT NOW BETWEEN THE COUNTY AND D.O.T. TO GO IN AND DO SOME VERY SIGNIFICANT PEDESTRIAN ENHANCEMENTS, AND I GUESS THAT'LL COME BACK BEFORE THE COMMITTEES NEXT MONTH. THE COMMUNITY TRAFFIC SAFETY TEAM SUBCOMMITTEE WAS FORMED TO LOOK AT THE USF AREA, THAT BOX I POINTED OUT EARLIER, TO TRY TO GO IN AND REALLY PICK APART WHAT'S GOING ON AND DEVELOP POINT SOLUTIONS AND ALSO DEAL WITH COMMUNITY GROUPS AND ENGAGE THEM TO HELP ADDRESS THE PROBLEM. BECAUSE THE DISTRICT HAD WORKED WITH LOCAL AGENCIES TO DEVELOP PEDESTRIAN SAFETY ACTION PLANS, WE WERE ABLE TO COMPETE FOR A GRANT FROM THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC AND SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, AND SO THAT WAS ALMOST $450,000 THAT CAME HERE LOCALLY AND WAS MATCHED WITH -- WITH FUNDING FROM D.O.T., SOME STATE FUNDING TO DO WHAT WE REALLY HAVE A HARD TIME DOING, WHICH IS TO FUND ADDITIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES AND GRASS-ROOTS EDUCATION CAMPAIGNS, SO THAT'S A REALLY UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY. WE CAN BUILD PROJECTS PRETTY WELL, BUT IT'S VERY HARD TO GO IN AND DO THE ENFORCEMENT, EDUCATION, AND FUND IT. THIS IS A REAL FEATHER IN OUR CAPS WE FEEL LOCALLY. WE WERE ONE OF FOUR AREAS NATIONALLY THAT WAS ABLE TO COMPETE FOR THIS GRANT. SOON YOU'LL BE SEEING CROSSWALK ENHANCEMENTS AT MANY OF THE INTERSECTIONS THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT BUT HERE IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, GOING FROM THE TWO LINES TO THE LINES WITH A LADDER, JUST GREATER VISIBILITY, LETTING EVERYBODY KNOW THIS IS WHERE PEDESTRIANS BELONG. WE'VE ALSO ENGAGED IN A WHOLE SPATE OF TRAINING ACTIVITIES. THE MOST RECENT ONE IS REALLY WORKING WITH ANYONE THAT HAS TO DEAL WITH TRANSIT, SO THE TRANSIT AGENCIES, THE ROADWAY AGENCIES, EVERYONE AROUND THE TRANSIT SYSTEM, TO LOOK AT HOW TRANSIT INFRASTRUCTURE CAN BECOME A FOCAL POINT FOR PEDESTRIAN SAFETY INFRASTRUCTURE. WE'RE ALSO WORKING WITH TRANSIT AGENCIES TO PUT EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL IN THE BUSES AND TO SOME EXTENT AT BUS STOPS BECAUSE THAT'S OUR TARGET DEMOGRAPHIC AND IT'S A CAPTIVE AUDIENCE AS WELL. THERE ARE NUMEROUS OTHER TRAINING STRATEGIES FOR BOTH D.O.T. ENGINEERS AND LOCAL AGENCIES TO HELP REALLY FOCUS IN ON PEDESTRIAN SAFETY IN ALL OF OUR PROJECTS. MOVING ALONG, THE ACTION PLAN ITSELF DEALS WITH INFRASTRUCTURE, BEHAVIOR, LAND USE, AND THEN COORDINATION OF THESE ACTIVITIES. WE ALSO TALK ABOUT FUNDING A LITTLE BIT, WHICH IS ALWAYS IMPORTANT. THE INFRASTRUCTURE GOAL IS FAIRLY STRAIGHTFORWARD. IT'S TO GO AND IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES TO DO STAND-ALONE SAFETY PROJECTS THAT BENEFIT PEDESTRIAN SAFETY BUT PROBABLY MORE IMPORTANTLY TO INTEGRATE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY IN THE EXISTING AGENCY WORK PROGRAMS, SO -- AND THE RESURFACING PROGRAMS, CAPACITY PROGRAMS, AND REALLY EVERYTHING WE DO. LET'S ELEVATE THE ROLE OF PEDESTRIAN SAFETY. AND OF COURSE, THERE'S A LOT MORE MONEY IN ALL THOSE PROGRAMS THAN IS AVAILABLE TO DO RETROFITS. IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO SYSTEMATIZE THIS PROCESS. BEHAVIOR IS BASICALLY EDUCATION AND ENFORCEMENT. MAYBE WHEN YOU'RE IN SCHOOL IT'S EDUCATION, AND WHEN YOU'RE AN ADULT MALE THAT'S DIFFICULT TO REACH, IT MIGHT BE MORE OF AN ENFORCEMENT. WHEN YOU GET A TICKET, YOU BECOME EDUCATED FOR A FEW MONTHS AT LEAST. HERE IT'S VERY IMPORTANT NOT JUST TO TALK ABOUT WHAT PEDESTRIANS DO RIGHT OR DO WRONG BUT ALSO DRIVERS. IN MANY CASES IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY AND THE STATE OF FLORIDA AS A WHOLE IF YOU WERE TO DRIVE TO THE LETTER OF THE LAW WITH RESPECT TO YIELDING TO PEDESTRIANS, YOU MIGHT BE REAR ENDED OR GESTURED AT, AND SO REALLY WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO IN TERMS OF OUR DRIVING CULTURE AND RESPECTING THE RIGHT-OF-WAY OF PEDESTRIANS, SO IT'S GOT TO BE BOTH. THE SPECIFIC STRATEGIES THAT WE'LL BE DOING IN THE SHORT- TERM ALONG WITH THE CROSSWALK PROJECTS ARE REALLY LOOKING AT WHETHER PEOPLE STOP ON -- FOR RIGHT TURN ON RED AND YIELD TO PEDESTRIANS AT SIGNALIZED INTERSECTIONS, SO THAT'S AT LEAST A STARTING POINT. IF WE CAN GET DRIVERS AND PEDESTRIANS TO WORK NICE AT SIGNALS, MAYBE WE CAN GET THEM TO DO BETTER AT MIDBLOCKS AS WELL. IN TERMS OF LAND USE, I THINK THAT'S SORT OF A GIVEN IN THIS GROUP THAT A LOT OF OUR ROADWAYS ARE DESIGNED THE WAY THEY ARE BECAUSE WE'RE SERVING A LAND USE PATTERN THAT REQUIRES LONG DISTANCE HIGH-SPEED TRIPS. SO ULTIMATELY IT'S TRADING MORE WALKING AND TRANSIT HABITAT. IT GOES A LONG WAY TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THE CHOICES FOR WHAT OUR ROADWAYS ARE THAT BENEFIT PEDESTRIAN SAFETY. IN THE SHORT-TERM, IT'S JUST LAND DEVELOPMENT CODE ASPECTS, AND THE ACTION PLAN IDENTIFIES STRATEGIES ALONG THOSE LINES, SPECIFICALLY HOW WE DO DRIVEWAY TREATMENTS, HOW WE DESIGN PARKING LOTS, HOW WE CREATE BUILDINGS THAT CREATE A SENSE OF PLACE FOR PEDESTRIANS AND LET DRIVERS KNOW THAT THEY CAN EXPECT PEDESTRIANS IN THESE AREAS, SO THERE'S A SHORT- AND LONG-TERM COMPONENT TO LAND USE. AND THEN FINALLY COORDINATION FUNDING, EVERYBODY WORKING TOGETHER. I GUESS THE FLETCHER PROJECT IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE COUNTY AND THE D.O.T. WORKING TOGETHER -- D.O.T. ALSO WORKED WITH THE CITY OF TAMPA TO DEVELOP SOME SIDEWALK PROJECTS -- AND TO REALLY BRING ALL THE DIFFERENT AGENCIES IN SO WE HAVE THIS TRULY MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH, AND OF COURSE, THERE'S THE FUNDING SUPPORT AS WELL. WE THINK THAT -- AND I MENTIONED BEFORE THE EXISTING PROGRAMS SUCH AS NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC CALMING AND SIDEWALKS ARE REALLY NOT ENOUGH TO ADDRESS SOME OF THE SPECIFIC PEDESTRIAN SAFETY ISSUES, SO CARVING OUT SET-ASIDES FOR LITTLE BLOCKS OF FUNDING TO GO IN AND DO SOME OF THE MEDIAN IMPROVEMENTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT ARE GOING TO BE IMPORTANT IN GOING FORWARD. IN TERMS OF SOME OF THOSE VERY BASIC CORE STRATEGIES -- THE PLAN GOES ON FOREVER, BUT THESE ARE SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS -- WE WANT TO IMPROVE THE ABILITY TO CROSS MAJOR ROADWAYS. I MEAN, THAT'S WHAT THE DATA SAID THE PROBLEM IS. SO WE CAN DO THIS INDIRECTLY BY IMPROVING THE SAFETY AND ATTRACTIVENESS OF OUR EXISTING SIGNALIZED LOCATIONS. WE CAN ALSO FIND WAYS TO PROVIDE MORE CONTROLLED CROSSINGS WHERE THERE AREN'T TRAFFIC SIGNALS, AND THEN AT A MINIMUM, RAISED MEDIANS ARE A HUGE ADVANTAGE FOR PEDESTRIANS. THEY CAN SPLIT UP THEIR CROSSING MOVEMENT. SO THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS TO DO THIS, BUT WE'LL NEED TO LOOK AT ALL ASPECTS. MENTIONED BEFORE FOCUSING ON TRANSIT INFRASTRUCTURE. PEDESTRIANS ARE TOUGH TO CORRAL, THEY'RE TOUGH TO COUNT, THEY CAN GO EVERY WHICH WAY, BUT IF WE USE OUR TRANSIT FACILITIES ALONG OUR MAJOR ROADS AS AN ORGANIZING PRINCIPLE, WE CAN PROVIDE BETTER ACCESS TO TRANSIT, WE CAN BENEFIT PEDESTRIANS THAT ARE TRANSIT USERS, AND WE CAN PROVIDE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR OTHER PEDESTRIANS IN THE CORRIDOR. ALSO THERE'S AN EDUCATIONAL COMPONENT TO THIS. AND THEN THE COORDINATED APPROACH. WE DON'T WANT TO DO EDUCATION OVER HERE, ENFORCEMENT OVER HERE, AND PROJECTS DOWN HERE, WE WANT TO DO PROJECTS, EDUCATE PEOPLE ABOUT WHAT THE PROJECTS ARE FOR AND HOW THEY SHOULD RESPOND TO THE NEW INFRASTRUCTURE, AND THEN DO ENFORCEMENT AS THE PROJECTS ARE COMING LIVE TO REINFORCE THE EDUCATIONAL MESSAGE, SO WE THINK THAT BY -- BY COORDINATING THESE THREE STRATEGIES BOTH IN TIME AND IN PLACE WILL HAVE A MULTIPLIER EFFECT THAT WE WOULDN'T GET IF WE JUST DO THINGS SEPARATELY AND DON'T COORDINATE. AN EXAMPLE OF THIS, SPECIFICALLY WE THINK WE WON THE GRANT BECAUSE WE PITCHED THIS IDEA OF A MULTIPLIER BY DOING THESE THINGS IN A COORDINATED FASHION. WE WANT TO -- I THINK I'VE ALREADY SAID THIS, BUT TO LEVERAGE THE DISTRICTWIDE CROSSWALK CAMPAIGN, TAKE THE STOP AND LOOK CAMPAIGN THAT'S AN EXISTING ENTITY AND SORT OF REPURPOSE IT TO DEAL WITH DRIVERS AND OLDER PEDESTRIANS, AND TARGETED ENFORCEMENT AT INTERSECTIONS FOR DRIVERS AND PEDESTRIANS. CROSSWALK PROJECTS YOU'LL BE SEEING GO INTO EFFECT I GUESS SUMMER/FALL, AND WE'RE GOING TO DO AS MANY INTERSECTIONS AS WE CAN DO. WE'VE GOT A PILE OF MONEY, AND WE'RE TRYING TO PRIORITIZE AND DO THIS IN A WAY THAT REALLY TARGETS THE MOST CRASHES. I THINK I'VE ALREADY GONE THROUGH MOST OF THIS. IT'S REDUNDANT AT THIS POINT. STOP AND LOOK CAMPAIGN IS OUT THERE AND WE WANT TO KEEP IT ALIVE. AND THIS WAS PEDESTRIAN MAN. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE SEEN THIS GUY, BUT THIS WAS SORT OF PART OF THE OUTREACH. GOING FORWARD IN ADDITION TO THE MULTIMEDIA, WE WANT TO HAVE MORE OF A GRASS-ROOTS FOCUS TO SOME OF THE EDUCATIONAL STRATEGIES, REALLY GET OUT THERE AND PERSONALIZE IT. AND THIS IS JUST ABOUT THE GRANT, SO I'LL GO AHEAD AND STOP HERE. I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME THIS MORNING. >>JOE AFFRONTI: ANY QUESTIONS FOR MR. MILLER? YES. >>KEVIN BECKNER: THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR, AND THANK YOU, DEMIAN, FOR THAT VERY INFORMATIVE REPORT. I HAVE A FEW DIFFERENT QUESTIONS. AS FAR AS HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY'S CONCERNED, WHERE DO WE FALL, HOW DO WE COMPARE TO OTHER COUNTIES AS FAR AS CRASHES AND FATALITIES? I NOTICE THAT YOU HAD US RATED AT ABOUT A 3.24 FATALITIES PER 100,000 PERSONS. HOW DOES THAT COMPARE WITH OTHER COUNTIES ACROSS THE STATE? >> THE STATE AS A WHOLE IS PRETTY BAD. WHAT WE FIND IS THAT THE METRO COUNTIES TEND TO BE THE WORST, SO -- SO WE'RE -- YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT THE BEST AND WE'RE NOT THE WORST, BUT YOU HAVE YOUR ORLANDO METRO AREA, HILLSBOROUGH, PINELLAS. PINELLAS IS NOT QUITE AS BAD AS HILLSBOROUGH BUT IT'S CLOSE, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, SOUTHEAST FLORIDA, SO IT'S REALLY A -- WE KIND OF MOVE AROUND FROM YEAR TO YEAR IN THAT TOP FIVE, BUT IT'S REALLY YOUR -- YOUR FIVE OR SIX METRO AREAS ARE ALL AT THE TOP OF THE STATE, AND THAT'S I THINK BECAUSE WE'VE GOT THE MAJOR SIX AND SOMETIMES EIGHT- LANE ROADS IN THE MIDDLE OF FAIRLY COMPACT COMMUNITIES. >>KEVIN BECKNER: SO WE RANK AT THE TOP FIVE OR SIX AS FAR AS A CONSISTENT BASIS WITHIN THE STATE? >> PROBABLY THE TOP TWO OR THREE. >>KEVIN BECKNER: OH, WELL, THAT'S COMFORTING TO KNOW AS WE'RE -- >> WE'RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. IT'S A FLORIDA URBAN COUNTY ISSUE THAT'S DRIVING OUR STATEWIDE STATISTICS. >>KEVIN BECKNER: AND THEN I WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR REPORT ALSO, AND I NOTICED THE PRESENCE IN YOUR WORKSHOPS FROM THE CITY OF TAMPA PUBLIC WORKS, ET CETERA. WAS HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY -- WAS OUR PUBLIC WORKS -- >> OH, ABSOLUTELY. WE HAD FOLKS FROM THE TRAFFIC SERVICES DIVISION IN THE WORKSHOPS. >>KEVIN BECKNER: BUT DID YOU HAVE OUR -- OUR -- WAS MR. GORDON OR ANY OF HIS STAFF MEMBERS FROM THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT -- >> WELL, TRAFFIC SERVICES IS A DIVISION OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, AND SO THEY WERE REPRESENTED, AND REALLY, THAT DIVISION, I GUESS THEY MANAGE THE SCHOOL SAFETY PROGRAM, SO THEY'VE GOT STAFF DEDICATED TO THAT. THEY DEAL WITH TRAFFIC CALMING AND -- AND THE TYPE OF -- REALLY SOME OF THE SPOT IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE WOULD IMPLEMENT, THE MEDIAN REVISIONS. THEY'RE THE ONES THAT ARE GETTING THE FLETCHER PROJECT GOING, SO I GUESS FROM THE COUNTY'S PERSPECTIVE, THAT WAS THE APPROPRIATE DIVISION TO INVOLVE. >>KEVIN BECKNER: AND I KNOW YOU WERE GOING THROUGH SOME RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CHANGES IN LAND USE. DO WE HAVE ANYBODY INVOLVED FROM OUR -- FROM OUR PG&M DEPARTMENT OR ANY -- FROM -- ANY OF OUR LAND USE ATTORNEYS PRESENT DURING THE MEETINGS? >> I CAN'T RECALL SPECIFICALLY. I KNOW THE STAKEHOLDERS LIST IS IN THE -- IS IN THE REPORT. I THINK THE LAND USE STRATEGIES ARE MORE OF A LONGER-TERM THING. THE STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS PROBABLY DEALT MORE WITH SOME OF THE SHORT-TERM ACTION ITEMS. NOW, SINCE THEN, WHEN WE'VE DONE THE -- LIKE THE TRANSIT TRAININGS WHERE WE ALSO TALK ABOUT LAND DEVELOPMENT REVIEW AND THINGS, WE'VE HAD FOLKS FROM A COUPLE DIFFERENT AGENCIES SEND PLANNERS AS WELL AS ENGINEERING STAFF. >>KEVIN BECKNER: OKAY. WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS THAT WERE RECOMMENDED, I THINK I SAW 25 TO 30 MILLION THAT WERE RECOMMENDED FOR THIS AREA. MAYBE THIS IS A QUESTION ALSO TO RAY. DO WE HAVE -- ARE ANY OF THOSE DOLLARS CURRENTLY BUDGETED FOR, OR WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THEM ARE BUDGETED FOR IN THE LONG-RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN? >>RAY CHIARAMONTE: I CAN'T ANSWER WHAT THE SPECIFIC PERCENTAGE IS THAT'S BUDGETED, BUT I KNOW WE HAVE A LOT OF PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS LIKE THAT INCLUDED. >>KEVIN BECKNER: NOW, ARE THESE ALSO SOME DOLLARS THAT CAN BE PART OF THE TRANSPORTATION REFERENDUM OR CAN THEY BE OBTAINED THROUGH THE REFERENDUM? >>RAY CHIARAMONTE: I BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE PARTS OF THE REFERENDUM THAT GO TOWARDS SIDEWALK IMPROVEMENTS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE, SO YES. >>KEVIN BECKNER: OKAY. I GUESS WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE OVERALL REPORT, PUBLIC SAFETY -- OBVIOUSLY WHEN PEOPLE ARE LOOKING AT RELOCATING TO A COMMUNITY IS ONE OF THE TOP PRIORITIES AND ALTHOUGH A LOT OF TIMES WE THINK OF PUBLIC SAFETY AS FAR AS CRIME GOES, I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE TRY TO IMPROVE OUR RATE AND LOWER THAT RATE AS A COMMUNITY, AND I GUESS I WOULD LOOK AT THAT AS BEING A PRIORITY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THOSE DOLLARS ALLOCATED, SO OVER LONG-TERM WE CAN MEET SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT ARE PROPOSED INSIDE -- INSIDE THIS REPORT, SO I DON'T KNOW, AGAIN, HOW WHEN WE'RE ADDRESSING BUDGETWISE, HOW WE GO ABOUT DOING THAT, BUT THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE A PRIORITY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN MAKE THOSE NECESSARY IMPROVEMENTS. >>RAY CHIARAMONTE: I THINK OUR WHOLE PLAN THAT WE DEVELOPED WAS ORIENTED AGAIN TOWARD MORE OF A MULTIMODAL APPROACH TO ELEVATE A PEDESTRIAN TO A HIGHER LEVEL THAN THEY'VE BEEN ELEVATED IN OUR PRIOR MPO PLANS. >>KEVIN BECKNER: OKAY. DID ANY OF OUR DEPARTMENTS FROM HILLSBOROUGH, DID THEY COMMENT ON AS FAR AS ACHIEVING SOME OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS OR WAS THERE ANY FEEDBACK FROM OUR LAND USE DEPARTMENT? >> I'VE NOT -- I'VE NOT INTERACTED MUCH WITH THE LAND USE DEPARTMENT. WE'VE HAD SORT OF ONGOING COORDINATION WITH THE FOLKS IN TRAFFIC SERVICES, AND REALLY WHAT HAPPENED WAS WE DID THE STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOP, WHICH WAS SORT OF A FORMAL THING, AND THEN SUBSEQUENTLY WE HAD SOME FOLLOW-UP MEETINGS TO REALLY JUST KICK OFF A COUPLE OF IMMEDIATE ACTIONS, AND SO I GUESS ONE MESSAGE TODAY IS THAT WE'VE ALREADY STARTED DOING THE PLAN. WE PROBABLY STARTED THE DAY AFTER THE WORKSHOP TRYING TO DEVELOP SOME OF THE OBVIOUS PROJECTS. I GUESS THAT'S THE BEST ANSWER I CAN GIVE. >>KEVIN BECKNER: OKAY. AND IS THIS REPORT -- CAN YOU SEND THIS REPORT TO MY OFFICE IN LIKE A PDF OR SOME TYPE OF ELECTRONIC FORMAT? >> SURE. BE HAPPY TO DO THAT. >>KEVIN BECKNER: OKAY. THANKS AGAIN FOR THE REPORT, DEMIAN. >>JOE AFFRONTI: MARY. >>MARY MULHERN: THANK YOU FOR THIS REPORT. WE ALSO HEARD IT AT LIVABLE ROADWAYS. THE THING THAT KIND OF STANDS OUT FOR ME WITH THE -- THE GREAT THING IS YOUR DATA, AND YOU'RE REALLY FIGURING OUT WHAT AREAS, WHAT, YOU KNOW, INTERSECTIONS ARE THE PROBLEM. BUT WHEN WE LOOK AT THAT, YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS ARE ALL AROUND CHANGING THE BEHAVIOR OF PEDESTRIANS WHEN ACTUALLY THE PEDESTRIAN HAS THE RIGHT-OF-WAY AND IT IS THE DRIVER THAT IS CAUSING THE -- YOU KNOW, IS -- THE PEDESTRIAN -- PEDESTRIAN IS KIND OF VICTIM HERE, BUT I DON'T HEAR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WAYS THAT WE CAN CHANGE OUR REGULATIONS FOR THE DRIVERS, SO WHEN YOU SAY THAT 40% -- YOU KNOW, IF WE COULD GET 40% OF THOSE FATALITIES THAT HAPPEN AT SIGNALS -- IF WE COULD GET THAT PERCENTAGE DOWN, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT LOOKING AT OUR SIGNALIZATION TIMING, WE NEED TO DO THAT. I MEAN, AS -- YOU KNOW, ANYBODY WHO'S EVER TRIED TO CROSS FLETCHER OR FOWLER, ANY OF THOSE STREETS, BAYSHORE, YOU KNOW THAT IT -- YOU HAVE TO WAIT FOREVER, AND SOMETIMES IT -- YOU KNOW, THE TIMING ISN'T EVEN LONG ENOUGH FOR YOU TO CROSS. SO, I MEAN, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE AN OBVIOUS THING TO ME THAT THERE ARE THINGS WE CAN DO, AND I THINK WE DID MAKE A BIG POINT IN OUR LONG-RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN MAKING SAFETY THE NUMBER ONE -- ONE OF THE NUMBER ONE GOALS, SO I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THAT, AND ALSO -- YOU KNOW, AND ALSO WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT -- I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU EDUCATE ADULT MALES. MAYBE THROUGH -- >> I ARE ONE. >>MARY MULHERN: FOOTBALL. YOU KNOW, FOOTBALL GAMES ON TELEVISION. >> SURE. WE ACTUALLY -- >>MARY MULHERN: MAYBE YOU CAN GET SOME PUBLIC -- PUBLIC DOLLARS FOR THAT. >> THROUGH THE -- I HOPE -- I HOPE I DID AN ADEQUATE JOB OF TALKING ABOUT BOTH SIDES OF THE EDUCATION PROBLEM IN THE REPORT, AND MAYBE WE -- IT CAME OFF MORE ABOUT PEDESTRIANS. CERTAINLY THROUGH THE GRANT IMPLEMENTATION PLAN WE TALK ABOUT REALLY TALKING ABOUT DRIVER BEHAVIOR AT SIGNALIZED LOCATIONS. I KNOW IF YOU GET OUT THERE AND PEOPLE ARE MAKING A RIGHT TURN ON RED OR EVEN JUST A NORMAL RIGHT TURN, IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO TAKE THE RIGHT-OF-WAY AS A PEDESTRIAN, SO THAT'S A SPECIFIC DRIVING BEHAVIOR THAT THE ENFORCEMENT GRANTS WILL FOCUS ON. THE REPORT ALSO TALKS ABOUT SOME ENGINEERING TREATMENTS THAT REALLY HELP TO LEAD TO BETTER BEHAVIOR, SO THEY SAY THAT GOOD DESIGN RESULTS IN GOOD BEHAVIOR. IF YOU DESIGN A VERY WIDE ROAD, PEOPLE DRIVE FAST, THAT TYPE OF THING, SO IT'S A CATCH 22 SCENARIO OUT THERE. A COUPLE OF STRATEGIES HAVE TO DO WITH LOOKING FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO HAVE THE PROTECTED ONLY LEFT TURNS WHERE THE PEDESTRIAN DOESN'T GET OUT THERE AND THEN A PERSON GOES FOR A LEFT TURN AND RUNS THEM OVER, SO THAT'S JUST THE GREEN ARROW WITH NO GREEN BALL AFTERWARDS, AND THEN I THINK WE'VE GOT AN EXAMPLE IN DOWNTOWN TAMPA OF THE LEADING PEDESTRIAN INTERVAL THAT HELPS PEDESTRIANS GET OUT THERE A FEW SECONDS BEFORE AUTOMOBILE TRAFFIC STARTS, AND THAT LETS THEM SEE RIGHT AWAY RIGHT-TURN DRIVERS, SO THERE ARE BOTH EDUCATION AND ENFORCEMENT STRATEGIES THAT ARE REALLY MORE REFINED IN THE GRANT PROPOSAL AND IMPLEMENTATION PLAN, AND THEN ALSO SOME ENGINEERING STRATEGIES WHICH WE HOPE WILL HELP TO LET DRIVERS BEHAVE BETTER. >>MARY MULHERN: I THINK THAT'S GREAT, AND I'M SORRY, I DIDN'T MEAN TO IMPLY THAT YOU WEREN'T DOING THAT. IT'S NOT ABOUT YOUR -- I MEAN, THE DATA HERE IS FANTASTIC, BUT THE REALITY IS WE STILL ARE AT THE BOTTOM, KEVIN, I HATE TO TELL YOU. >> SURE. >>MARY MULHERN: YOU'RE TRYING TO BE NICE TO US, BUT WE REALLY ARE AT THE BOTTOM, ESPECIALLY IN TAMPA. 57% OF THOSE FATALITIES ARE IN TAMPA. >> WE'VE GOT A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY TO SUCCEED. >>MARY MULHERN: YEAH. I WOULD JUST LIKE TO HEAR YOU ADDRESS THE QUESTION OF THE TIMING, THE SIGNALIZATION, THE CROSSING. I MEAN, YOU CAN DO ALL THESE ENHANCEMENTS, BUT IF YOU CAN JUST CHANGE THE TIMING -- AND IT SOUND LIKE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT WITH THE -- WHAT WE'RE DOING DOWNTOWN. >> THIS IS AN MPO QUESTION. I MEAN, THIS IS AN MPO QUESTION. WE HAVE A ROADWAY SYSTEM THAT'S DESIGNED TO FULFILL POLICY GOALS THAT OVER THE LAST 40, 50 YEARS WE'VE SAID WERE IMPORTANT, SO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHAT THE ROADS DO. CLEARLY THE SPACING OF TRAFFIC SIGNALS -- AND THERE'S PART OF THE REPORT THAT JUST SORT OF TALKS ABOUT THE AVERAGE SPACING OF SIGNALS -- IS NOT CONDUCIVE FOR PEDESTRIANS TO CROSS ROADS IF THEY FEEL LIKE THEY -- I MEAN, IT'S NOT ILLEGAL TO CROSS AT AN UNSIGNALIZED LOCATION, BUT IT'S PROBABLY MORE DANGEROUS. THAT'S JUST ONE FACTOR. NOW WE DO THAT BECAUSE HAVING ONE [INAUDIBLE] THAT'S NOT AN ENGINEERING DECISION, THAT'S A POLICY DECISION; RIGHT? I MEAN, WE DECIDE WHAT THE PURPOSE OF OUR ROADWAYS ARE. WE HAVE VERY LONG SIGNAL TIMINGS. TO CYCLE THROUGH A TRAFFIC SIGNAL IN SOME CASES IS TWO OR THREE OR MORE MINUTES ON MAJOR ROADWAYS. WE DO THAT BECAUSE THE ANALYSIS SHOWS THAT WHEN YOU HAVE TIMINGS LIKE THAT, YOU CAN GET MORE CARS THROUGH DURING RUSH HOUR, SO WE'VE DONE THAT, AND SO THOSE ARE ALL DECISIONS WE'VE MADE ABOUT HOW OUR ROADS SHOULD BEHAVE, AND SURE, THERE ARE THINGS YOU CAN DO ALONG THOSE LINES TO PROVIDE A -- IF YOU WANT PEDESTRIANS TO WAIT AND CROSS WITH THE WALK CYCLE, YOU CAN MAKE THAT WALK CYCLE APPEAR MORE QUICKLY. THOSE ARE ALL THINGS WE CAN DO, BUT IT'S A TRADE OFF, AND WHY WE'RE VERY CHALLENGED IN THIS AREA IS IF I WENT AND RAN THE DATA AND FOUND OUT, OH, I'VE GOT ALL THESE PEOPLE THAT ARE SPEEDING THROUGH NEIGHBORHOODS AND THEY'RE RUNNING OVER KIDS, THERE WOULD BE A LOT MORE WE COULD DO FROM ALL ASPECTS TO ADDRESS THAT ISSUE, PARTICULARLY FROM INFRASTRUCTURE, BUT BECAUSE OUR PROBLEM IS ALONG OUR MAJOR ROADS, WHICH -- WHICH ARE, YOU KNOW, NECESSARY TO MOVE FOLKS AROUND QUICKLY, IT'S A REAL CONUNDRUM, AND I THINK WE'VE IDENTIFIED STRATEGIES TO CHIP AWAY AT IT, BUT IT'S A TOUGH ISSUE. >>MARY MULHERN: WELL, I THINK THAT IT NEEDS TO BE A PRIORITY FOR US, YOU KNOW, EVEN IF YOU'RE -- YOU'RE NOT JUST CONCERNED ABOUT PEOPLE GETTING KILLED CROSSING STREETS, YOU KNOW, IT'S A REALLY, REALLY BAD ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BAR THAT PEOPLE SEE THAT THIS IS A BAD, YOU KNOW -- A DANGEROUS PLACE TO CROSS STREETS, SO I THINK IT SHOULD BE A PRIORITY AND THAT, YOU KNOW, WE MAY NEED TO SLOW DOWN. I MEAN, WE JUST NEED TO SLOW DOWN IF WE WANT LESS PEOPLE TO GET HIT, AND I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY -- ANY WAY TO GET AROUND THAT. YOU CAN -- YOU KNOW, I THINK -- I'M SURE YOUR DATA WILL SHOW THAT IN PLACES WHERE, YOU KNOW -- YOU'VE SAID THAT ALREADY -- IF YOU HAVE MORE CLOSER DISTANCES BETWEEN SIGNALS FOR PEOPLE TO CROSS, THEN THERE'S LESS, YOU KNOW -- THERE'S LESS ACCIDENTS, SO I APPRECIATE ALL THIS, AND I THINK WE NEED TO DO THE TOUGH WORK OF PRIORITIZING PEOPLE'S PEDESTRIAN SAFETY AND WALKABILITY OVER SPEED AT ALL COSTS. >>JOE AFFRONTI: OKAY. THANK YOU, MARY. MR. DINGFELDER. >>JOHN DINGFELDER: YEAH. JUST BRIEFLY, SPEAKING OF BAD ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, I GET VERY CONCERNED WHEN I'M OVER BY THE CONVENTION CENTER, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S AN AREA THAT YOU'VE LOOKED AT SPECIFICALLY, BUT WE HAVE THE INTERACTION OF TOURISTS AND HOTELS AND THE CONVENTION CENTER AND THE -- WHAT I LIKE TO REFER TO AS THE ICE PALACE, AND WE HAVE ALL THAT TOGETHER, AND WE HAVE A LOT OF -- OF PEDESTRIAN/VEHICLE CONFLICTS, AND RECENTLY I WAS TALKING TO SOME OF THE SECURITY FOLKS WHO WORK OVER THERE, PRIVATE SECURITY FOLKS, AND THEY JUST SIT THERE AND WATCH IT DAY IN AND DAY OUT, AND THEY SAID, JOHN, YOU CAN'T BELIEVE HOW MANY CLOSE CALLS WE SEE, ESPECIALLY WITH THE TOURISTS, YOU KNOW, WALKING -- WALKING ACROSS BETWEEN THERE AND THE NEW -- WHAT'S THE NEW HOTEL OVER THERE? AND THEN, OF COURSE -- >> GUEST SUITES. >>JOHN DINGFELDER: YEAH, THE SUITES THERE. EVEN THOUGH THE EMBASSY SUITES HAS THE OVERHEAD CROSS, BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE CHOOSE NOT TO USE THAT AND THEY GO DIRECTLY ACROSS THERE. THIS IS NOT A QUESTION OF EDUCATION BECAUSE THESE TOURISTS, THESE FOLKS THAT WE WANT TO COME IN, ARE HERE FOR SEVERAL DAYS, SO I'D JUST URGE YOU TO WORK WITH THE CONVENTION CENTER, WORK WITH THE CITY ENGINEERS, AND -- AND FOLKS OVER THERE TO TAKE A REALLY CLOSE LOOK AT THAT BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S A TRAGEDY WAITING TO HAPPEN. >>JOE AFFRONTI: THANK YOU. >>JOHN DINGFELDER: THANK YOU. >>JOE AFFRONTI: MAYOR LOTT. >>RICK LOTT: YES. I WAS EXPANDING ON WHAT COUNCILMAN MILLER WAS TALKING ABOUT, SIGNALIZATION AND SO FORTH. HAS HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY COMPLETED THE I.T.S. SYSTEM YET, AND TWO, WOULDN'T THAT INCREASE PUBLIC SAFETY COMPLETELY, HAVING THE I.T.S. SYSTEM IN PLACE FOR CHANGING SIGNALIZATION FROM PEAK TIMES, LOWER TIMES, AND SO FORTH OR -- OR DO THOSE NOT GO HAND IN HAND? >> I DON'T KNOW THE STATUS OF THE COUNTY'S I.T.S. DEPLOYMENT PLAN, AND REALLY, I GUESS IT WOULD DEPEND HOW IT WAS IMPLEMENTED ON A CORRIDOR-BY-CORRIDOR BASIS. THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT FLAVORS HOW THAT CAN WORK, BUT I'M NOT AN EXPERT ON THAT, SO I DON'T FEEL QUALIFIED TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION. >>RICK LOTT: OKAY. RAY, DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE STATUS IS ON THAT YET? >>RAY CHIARAMONTE: YEAH. I DON'T THINK THAT THE COUNTY'S I.T.S. SYSTEM IS DONE. I'M NOT SURE IF A SYSTEM LIKE THAT WOULD EVER BE DONE. THEY COULD BE CONSTANTLY UPGRADING IT. I KNOW THEY'RE WORKING ON IT, BUT I DON'T KNOW THAT IT'S BEEN DONE. >>RICK LOTT: HAS THE FIRST LEG BEEN INSTALLED YET? >>RAY CHIARAMONTE: THEY HAVE SOME I.T.S. THAT THEY USE. THEY'RE CONTINUALLY ADDING NEW INTERSECTIONS, BUT AGAIN, IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S IN PROCESS AND IS LIKELY TO JUST GO ON INTO THE FUTURE AS THEY INCLUDE MORE INTERSECTIONS. >>RICK LOTT: RIGHT. I'D ENCOURAGE THE BOARD IF THEY HAVEN'T SEEN IT WORK YET -- WE'VE COMPLETED OUR SYSTEM IN PLANT CITY, AND IT -- OBVIOUSLY IT'S DRAMATICALLY MORE THAN I EVER ANTICIPATED ENHANCED TRAFFIC FLOW IN OUR CITY, AND I -- WE DON'T HAVE THE DATA YET, BUT I HAVE TO BELIEVE THAT THE SAFETY HAS INCREASED DRAMATICALLY AS WELL, AND I KNOW THAT AS SOON AS THE COUNTY GETS I WAS THINKING THEIR FIRST OR SECOND PHASE COMPLETED, WE'RE ACTUALLY GOING TO LOOP IN WITH PLANT CITY AS WELL SO WE CAN BE ON ONE STREAMING LOOP ON SIGNALIZATION OF TRAFFIC FLOW, BUT IT'S FASCINATING TO WATCH. >>RAY CHIARAMONTE: YEAH. I'LL TALK WITH THE COUNTY AND FIND OUT EXACTLY WHAT THE STATUS IS AND REPORT BACK TO YOU-ALL. >>RICK LOTT: OKAY. I THINK THAT'S MONEY WELL SPENT. SOMETIMES YOU LOOK AT STUFF AND YOU GO WHAT WILL BE -- YOU KNOW -- I KNOW WE HAVE THE INTENTION, BUT WHAT'S THE OUTCOME OF IT, AND THAT'S ONE UNTIL YOU SEE IT ACTUALLY OPERATE, YOU KNOW, IT'S HARD TO REALLY CAPTURE THE BENEFIT OF THE I.T.S. TRAFFIC SYSTEM, AND I ENCOURAGE THIS BOARD AS IT COMES AVAILABLE IN FUNDING, WE SHOULD, YOU KNOW, MAKE SURE THAT WE EXPAND AND GET AS MANY SIGNALIZATIONS ON THAT SYSTEM AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE THE BENEFIT IS REMARKABLE. >>JOE AFFRONTI: THANK YOU, MAYOR. THANK YOU. OKAY. ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? IF NOT, WE NEED A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE REPORT AND RECOMMEND ITS APPROVAL. >>KEVIN BECKNER: SO MOVE. >>MARY MULHERN: SECOND. >>JOE AFFRONTI: MOVED AND SECONDED. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. [CHORUS OF AYES] OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU, MR. MILLER. >> THANK YOU. >>JOE AFFRONTI: APPRECIATE IT. OKAY. THE UNIFIED WORK PROGRAM, MR. RICHARD CLARENDON. >> GOOD MORNING, BOARD MEMBERS. RICH CLARENDON WITH URS. WE'RE ONE OF YOUR GENERAL PLANNING CONSULTANTS FOR THE MPO. TODAY I'M HERE TO GIVE YOU A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRELIMINARY UNIFIED PLANNING WORK PROGRAM, WHICH IS THE DOCUMENT THAT SETS OUT WHAT THE MPO IS GOING TO DO OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS. IT'S NOT AN ACTION ITEM AT THIS POINT, BUT WE WILL BE BRINGING IT BACK TO YOU NEXT MONTH FOR ACTION. THE ONE THING -- THE SECOND THING THAT I'M HERE FOR THAT DOES REQUIRE ACTION IS AN AMENDMENT TO YOUR CURRENT UNIFIED PLANNING WORK PROGRAM TO DEOBLIGATE OR TAKE SOME MONEY OUT OF THE CURRENT WORK PROGRAM AND MOVE IT TO NEXT YEAR. THE UNIFIED PLANNING WORK PROGRAM IS A TWO-YEAR DOCUMENT. IT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT FROM THE WAY IT'S BEEN IN PAST YEARS -- IT USED TO BE JUST A ONE-YEAR DOCUMENT -- BUT ESSENTIALLY TRIES TO LAY OUT WHAT THE MPO HOPES TO ACCOMPLISH OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS AND CAPTURE NOT ONLY WHAT THE MPO IS GOING TO BE DOING IN THE PLANNING -- TRANSPORTATION PLANNING ARENA BUT ALSO SOME OTHER AGENCIES, NOTABLY HART AND FDOT, AS WELL AS THE FLORIDA COMMISSION FOR THE TRANSPORTATION DISADVANTAGED. THE UPWP DISTINGUISHES BETWEEN THOSE ACTIVITIES THAT ARE GOING TO BE CARRIED OUT BY STAFF AND ALSO BY CONSULTANTS, AND IT SHOWS WHAT -- WHAT PROJECTS OR END DOCUMENTS OR END PRODUCTS I SHOULD SAY ARE EXPECTED TO BE DONE AS PART OF THESE PLANNING ACTIVITIES, AND AS I SAID, IT'S NOT LIMITED TO THE MPO. THIS IS THE FUNDING FORECAST AS IT STANDS RIGHT NOW, AND THERE MAY BE SOME SLIGHT MODIFICATIONS AS WE GO THROUGH INTO THE NEXT MONTH BECAUSE THE FORECAST TENDS TO CHANGE AS WE GET CLOSER IN TIME TO THE ACTUAL BEGINNING OF THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR, BUT ESSENTIALLY THIS INCLUDES ALL OF THE FUNDING SOURCES, BOTH FROM FEDERAL HIGHWAY, FLORIDA -- FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION, TRANSPORTATION DISADVANTAGED COMMISSION, AS WELL AS SURFACE TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM DOLLARS THAT ARE ALLOCATED TO YOUR PLANNING PROGRAM. THESE ARE THE MAIN TASK HEADINGS, AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE DOCUMENT, THIS IS HOW THE TABLE OF CONTENTS READS. IT COVERS EVERYTHING FROM PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT TO SYSTEMS PLANNING. THAT IS TO SAY HIGHWAY TRANSIT, BICYCLE-PEDESTRIAN PROGRAMS, YOUR LONG-RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN, TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM -- THOSE ARE SORT OF THE BREAD-AND-BUTTER PROJECTS OF THE MPO -- AS WELL AS DATA MONITORING, AND WITHOUT GOOD DATA, A LOT OF THESE OTHER PRODUCTS COULDN'T HAPPEN, AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION. THERE'S ALSO SECTIONS DEALING WITH STATE AND REGIONAL COORDINATION AS WELL AS SOME SPECIFIC PROJECTS DEALING WITH SPECIFIC CORRIDORS, SUBAREAS, OR ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES. SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS, CONTINUED OUTREACH ON THE LONG- RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN NOW THAT YOU'VE ADOPTED ONE BACK IN DECEMBER, THE TAMPA PEDESTRIAN AND CYCLING PLAN, SUPPORTING HART'S NEW STARTS PLANNING, ESPECIALLY AROUND STATION AREAS, COMPLIANCE WITH SOME NEW AND EVOLVING AIR QUALITY REQUIREMENTS, TOLL FEASIBILITY STUDIES, COMPLETE STREETS INITIATIVES, A WEB-BASED TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM, AND IMPORTANTLY SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES GRANT APPLICATION WITH SOME REGIONAL PARTNERS. THAT'S PROSPECTIVE. WE DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE GOING TO GET THAT FUNDING, BUT THE UPWP IS SET UP SO THAT IF WE GET IT, WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO WITH IT. THIS IS JUST A VERY SIMPLE BREAKDOWN OF -- SORT OF A PIE CHART SHOWING WHERE THOSE ANTICIPATED DOLLARS ARE GOING TO GO. MOST OF THE DOLLARS GO INTO SYSTEMS PLANNING, FOLLOWED BY PUBLIC PARTICIPATION, AND THEN SOME CORRIDOR STUDIES, TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT, AND SO FORTH, SO THAT'S NEXT YEAR'S, AND THAT'S THE YEAR FOLLOWING. THE YEAR FOLLOWING IS A LITTLE BIT LESS CERTAIN, OBVIOUSLY. THINGS COULD CHANGE BETWEEN NOW AND 2012, BUT THAT'S -- IN THAT CASE WE WOULD PROBABLY COME BACK TO YOU WITH AN AMENDMENT TO THE UNIFIED PLANNING WORK PROGRAM. ANOTHER HIGHLIGHT IS THAT THE ADOPTING RESOLUTION AUTHORIZES THE MPO TO PURSUE AND APPLY FOR ANY NEW GRANTS THAT ARE CONSISTENT WITH THE OBJECTIVES OF THE UNIFIED PLANNING WORK PROGRAM, SO THAT SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES PARTNERSHIP GRANT IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THAT. NOW, I MENTIONED THAT THERE IS NO ACTION ON THE PRELIMINARY UNIFIED PLANNING WORK PROGRAM ITSELF. WE ARE ASKING FOR YOUR APPROVAL TO AMEND THE CURRENT UNIFIED PLANNING WORK PROGRAM TO SHIFT SOME $500,000 IN FHWA PLANNING FUNDING FROM THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR TO NEXT FISCAL YEAR, AND THAT DOES REQUIRE A UNIFIED PLANNING WORK PROGRAM AMENDMENT OF YOUR CURRENT PROGRAM. THIS IS THE SCHEDULE. WE NEED TO HAVE A DEOBLIGATION REQUEST IF WE'RE GOING TO DO IT BY APRIL 15th, ADOPT A FINAL UPWP AT YOUR NEXT MEETING IN MAY, AND THEN HAVE IT BECOME EFFECTIVE JULY 1 OF THIS YEAR. SO THIS IS THE REQUESTED ACTION ONCE AGAIN, AND WITH THAT I'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. >>JOE AFFRONTI: ANY QUESTIONS? IF NOT, WE NEED A MOTION TO DEOBLIGATE THE $500,000 IN FUNDING GRANTS THAT WERE NOT EXPENDED -- THAT WILL NOT BE EXPENDED BY THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR 2009 BUT WILL BE INCORPORATED INTO THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2011 PLANNING TASKS, SO -- >> [INAUDIBLE] >>MARY MULHERN: SECOND. >>JOE AFFRONTI: MOVED AND SECONDED. YES. DISCUSSION, MR. DINGFELDER. >>JOHN DINGFELDER: THANK YOU. RICH, ON PAGE 68-69 IT SPEAKS TO THE HART -- HART TASKS, AND -- AS RELATED TO TDP, AND I KNOW IT'S NOT HUGE EXCEPT PERHAPS TO OUR CHAIRMAN, BUT THERE'S A COUPLE OF ITEMS HERE THAT SAYS, LIKE, COORDINATE WITH CITY OF TAMPA, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, AND FDOT ON SIDEWALK AND BUS STOP IMPROVEMENTS, BUT IT DOESN'T MENTION TEMPLE TERRACE, AND THE SAME THING ON THE NEXT PAGE, ON 69, IT SAYS, REVIEW ROADWAY DESIGN WITH CITY OF TAMPA AND HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY FOR INCLUSION OF TRANSIT AND PEDESTRIAN AMENITIES. WOULDN'T HART ALSO DO THAT WITHIN TEMPLE TERRACE? >> I WOULD THINK SO, AS LONG AS THEY'RE SERVING TEMPLE TERRACE. >>JOHN DINGFELDER: ALL RIGHT. IT'S A LITTLE TWEAK, BUT I THOUGHT OUR CHAIRMAN -- I WANTED TO GET BROWNIE POINTS FROM OUR CHAIRMAN. >>JOE AFFRONTI: I APPRECIATE THAT. >>MARY MULHERN: PLANT CITY. >>JOE AFFRONTI: LOOK OUT FOR TEMPLE TERRACE. >>JOHN DINGFELDER: NOT PLANT CITY BECAUSE HART DOESN'T SERVICE PLANT CITY. >>JOE AFFRONTI: ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? IF NOT, ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. [CHORUS OF AYES] OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. OKAY. THE STATUS REPORT, 2060 FLORIDA TRANSPORTATION PLAN. LEE. >> GOOD MORNING. >> GOOD MORNING. >> GOOD MORNING. >> MY NAME IS LEE ROYAL. I'M WITH THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION DISTRICT 7 OFFICE. AND I BELIEVE A LOT OF -- A LOT OF YOU MAY HAVE ALREADY SEEN THIS PRESENTATION, SO I'LL RUN THROUGH IT FAIRLY QUICKLY. THE STATE IS CURRENTLY UNDERTAKING THE UPDATE OF THE FLORIDA TRANSPORTATION PLAN, AND WHAT IS THIS PLAN? WELL, IT'S A 20-YEAR PLAN THAT OUTLINES THE STATE'S GOALS AND OBJECTIVES FOR THE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM, AND REALLY, IT'S A PLAN FOR ALL OF FLORIDA SINCE ALL STATE SYSTEMS AND LOCAL SYSTEMS FALL UNDER THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES. IT ADDRESSES ALL MODES OF TRANSPORTATION, AIRPORT, SEAPORT, SPACE PORTS, PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, AND HIGHWAYS. THAT INCLUDES BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES. THIS PLAN IS REALLY LOOKING CLOSELY AS HOW LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION CLOSELY TIE TOGETHER USING PREVAILING PRINCIPLES FOR THE STATE OF PRESERVATION, ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS, AND TRAVEL CHOICES. OUR CURRENT GOALS OF OUR TRANSPORTATION PLAN IS THE SAFETY, SECURITY, ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP, HOW ARE WE GOING TO MAINTAIN OUR QUALITY OF LIFE, BOTH NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND OUR SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT, MAINTENANCE AND PRESERVATION, SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENTS, IF WE'RE GOING TO INVEST, HOW ARE WE GOING TO MAINTAIN IT AND SUSTAIN IT THROUGH THE LIFE OF THAT INVESTMENT AND BUILD A STRONGER ECONOMY. AGAIN, THE FLORIDA TRANSPORTATION PLAN IS A POLICY DOCUMENT THAT -- THAT GUIDES THE STATE WHERE THEY'RE GOING TO INVEST THEIR REVENUES. WE HAVE A LOT OF PARTICIPANTS AND PARTNERS WHEN WE DEVELOPED THIS PLAN, AND IT'S A STATEWIDE EFFORT, AND WE HAVE A STEERING COMMITTEE THAT WE'VE PUT TOGETHER, AND I'LL TALK ABOUT THAT IN A MOMENT. A LOT OF FOLKS ARE ASKING IF IT'S 20 YEARS, WHY ARE WE GOING OUT 2060? WELL, I THINK THE BIGGEST REASON IS IT TOOK US ABOUT 50 YEARS TO BUILD THE INTERSTATE, AND IF WE'RE LOOKING AT A MAJOR SHIFT HERE IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA OR -- OR WHAT OUR FUTURE WILL BE, WE NEED TO LOOK AT A 50-YEAR PERIOD. A LOT OF THE DOCUMENTS AND PLANS THAT WE'RE SEEING LOCALLY SUCH AS THE TBARTA PLAN IS A 50-YEAR DOCUMENT, AND MANY OF THE PLANS THROUGHOUT THE STATE ARE LOOKING AT A 50-YEAR HORIZON PERIOD, SO WE TOO NEED TO DO THAT ALSO. JUST A FEW OF OUR PARTNERS, THE METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS THIS, OTHER STATE AND FEDERAL AGENCIES, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, REGIONAL PLANNING COUNCILS, AND OF COURSE OUR MODAL PARTNERS ARE INTEGRAL TO THIS PROCESS. WE DO HAVE A STEERING COMMITTEE THAT HAS BEEN MEETING AND WILL CONTINUE TO MEET TO DEVELOP THE HIGH-LEVEL POLICY GUIDANCE AND REVIEW SOME OF THE CRITICAL ISSUES THAT'S FACING FLORIDA TO INCLUDE OUR REVENUE ISSUES THAT WE'VE BEEN DEALING WITH THE LAST FEW YEARS. THEY'RE GOING TO DEVELOP THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS, BUT THEY'RE ALSO GOING TO LOOK TO ADVISORY GROUPS TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. OUR CURRENT SCHEDULE IS WE'RE MEETING WITH A LOT OF PARTNERS RIGHT NOW TALKING ABOUT THE PLAN, AND WE RECENTLY HAD A STATEWIDE WEBINAR. I THINK YOUR CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE PARTICIPATED IN THAT, AND THAT WAS A FABULOUS EVENT THAT WE GOT A LOT OF INPUT. IN AUGUST WE'LL HAVE A STATEWIDE SUMMIT, AND WE'LL ALSO HAVE ANOTHER REGIONAL WORKSHOP HERE IN THE TAMPA BAY AREA. WE'RE LOOKING AT HAVING A DRAFT PLAN OUT ON OUR WEB SITE WITH ADOPTION IN DECEMBER. JUST A FEW OF THE -- OUR PARTNERS. YOU CAN SEE THEY REPRESENT INTERESTS THROUGHOUT THE STATE, AND WE'RE WORKING CLOSELY WITH THEM TO INCLUDE TRUCKING ASSOCIATIONS, SPACE PORTS, AND WHATNOT. THERE HAVE BEEN THE ADVISORY GROUPS THAT HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED, AND I BELIEVE THERE ARE PARTNERS FROM THE HILLSBOROUGH AREA THAT ARE PARTICIPATING IN THESE ADVISORY GROUPS, SAFETY AND SECURITY, ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS, OF COURSE ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP, AND GOVERNANCE AND COORDINATION, AND WE WOULD STRONGLY ENCOURAGE THOSE THAT ARE ON YOUR STAFF OR -- WHO WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE IN THESE GROUPS TO CONTACT US AND -- BECAUSE I KNOW THEY'RE BEGINNING TO MEET, AS A MATTER OF FACT, THIS MORNING. THE GROUPS WILL BEGIN MEETING TODAY. JUST SOME OF THE KEY ISSUES AND TRENDS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, YOU KNOW, TRAVEL BEHAVIOR, LAND USE, THOSE TYPE CHALLENGES. YOU KNOW, OUR DEMOGRAPHICS IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA IS CHANGING. WE'RE SEEING A LARGER POPULATION. OUR BABY BOMBERS ARE GOING TO BE OVER 60. JUST SOME OF THE CHANGES IN OUR TRENDS IN THE STATE OF FLORIDA. FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE FLORIDA TRANSPORTATION PLAN CAN BE OBTAINED AT OUR WEB SITE, WWW.2060FTP.ORG. THERE'S ALSO ALL THE PRESENTATIONS, STEERING COMMITTEE MINUTES AND NOTES, ALONG WITH THE ADVISORY GROUP INFORMATION IS LOCATED OUT ON THE WEB SITE. ALSO, THERE'LL BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT DIRECTLY THROUGH THE WEB SITE OR YOU CAN CALL ME, AND I'D BE HAPPY TO TAKE YOUR COMMENTS. AND THAT WAS MY BRIEF PRESENTATION. >>JOE AFFRONTI: ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FOR LEE? THANK YOU VERY MUCH, LEE. THAT'S GREAT. >> THANK YOU. >>JOE AFFRONTI: THANK YOU. OKAY. CHAIRMAN'S REPORT, LIVABLE ROADWAYS. MARY MULHERN. >>MARY MULHERN: THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. THE LIVABLE ROADWAYS COMMITTEE MET ON MARCH 24th. DISCUSSION THIS MONTH FOCUSED ON TWO PARTICULAR ROADWAYS, LITHIA-PINECREST ROAD IN THE BRANDON-VALRICO AREA, AND BUSCH BOULEVARD IN THE FOREST HILLS-SOUTHERN CARROLLWOOD AREA. THE COMMITTEE HEARD FROM HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY PUBLIC WORKS STAFF ABOUT THE LIVABLE ROADWAYS FEATURES THAT ARE NOW TYPICALLY INCLUDED IN MAJOR ROAD PROJECTS, AND THAT WOULD BE PART OF A PROPOSED WIDENING OF LITHIA-PINECREST ROAD. THE COMMUNITY WAS PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN THE MEDIANS, THE BUDGET SET ASIDE FOR LANDSCAPING AND USE OF DROUGHT- TOLERANT PLANTS, ADA ACCESSIBLE SIDEWALKS AND CURB CUTS, AND BIKE LANES WITH FORMAL MARKINGS AND SIGNS. THERE THEN WAS A DISCUSSION ABOUT WHETHER THE LONG-RANGE PLAN SHOULD BE AMENDED TO INCLUDE THIS WIDENING PROJECT. THE COMMITTEE RAISED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CHARACTER OF THE LAND USE IN THE AREA AND ASKED THAT THE MPO'S OTHER COMMITTEES REFUTE -- REVIEW THE NEED FOR THE WIDENING BEFORE IT CONSIDERS SUPPORTING AN AMENDMENT OF THE LONG- RANGE PLAN. THE COMMITTEE THEN HEARD FROM FDOT AND CITY OF TAMPA STAFF. THESE AGENCIES BOTH HAVE PROJECTS SCHEDULED IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS ON BUSCH BOULEVARD GENERALLY FROM NORTH BOULEVARD TO DALE MABRY. ENHANCEMENTS WILL INCLUDE FILLING SIDEWALK GAPS, ADDING CROSSWALKS AND TEXTURED PAVEMENT, PEDESTRIAN COUNTDOWN SIGNALS, AND ACCESSIBILITY FOR THE DISABLED. THE NEXT LIVABLE ROADWAYS MEETING IS SCHEDULED FOR APRIL 28th AT 9:00 A.M. IN THE PLANNING COMMISSION BOARDROOM, AND YOU'RE ALL INVITED. >>JOE AFFRONTI: THANK YOU, MARY. ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FOR MARY? IF NOT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. BICYCLE-PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE, MICHELE OGILVIE. >>MICHELE OGILVIE: THANK YOU. MICHELE OGILVIE, MPO STAFF. YOU HAVE HEARD THAT THE BICYCLE-PEDESTRIAN -- I'M SORRY -- HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY COUNTYWIDE PEDESTRIAN ACTION PLAN WAS UNANIMOUSLY SUPPORTED BY THE BICYCLE-PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE AT ITS MEETING MARCH 10th. JUST TO LEAVE ONE MESSAGE, AND THAT IS THAT WALKING AND BICYCLING ARE TRANSPORTATION. THE BPAC ALSO UNANIMOUSLY SUPPORTED THE BAYSHORE BOULEVARD PEDESTRIAN SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS WHICH WILL BE WONDERFUL FOR THE CITY OF TAMPA AND THE ENTIRE REGION. THE COMMITTEE CONTINUES ITS WORK ON COMPLETE STREETS, LOOKING OUT 30 YEARS. THEY HAVE FOUR SAMPLE STATEMENTS OF THEIR WORK. ONE IS THAT THE CITY OF TAMPA HAS 100 MILES OF BICYCLE LANES IN 30 YEARS, BUS BAYS AT EVERY STOP, LESS CARS AND MORE BICYCLES, AND WE DON'T HAVE TO GET INTO OUR CAR TO GET AROUND, SO WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS TO ACHIEVE THOSE GOALS. THE NEXT BPAC MEETING WILL BE HELD WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14th, AT 5:30 IN THE PLANNING COMMISSION'S BOARDROOM ON THE 18th FLOOR. >>JOE AFFRONTI: THANK YOU, MICHELE. ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FOR MICHELE? GOOD JOB, MICHELE. THANK YOU. OKAY. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S REPORT, MR. CHIARAMONTE. >>RAY CHIARAMONTE: THANK YOU. I'VE INCLUDED MEETINGS THAT I'VE ATTENDED IN YOUR PACKET. THE MOST ESSENTIAL MEETINGS ARE MEETINGS THAT I'VE ATTENDED WITH HART, WITH THEIR CONSULTANTS AS THEY WORK ON THEIR LONG-RANGE PLAN FOR TRANSIT HERE IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY. I ALSO ATTENDED THE ANNUAL WESTSHORE ALLIANCE MEETING THAT WAS HELD, AGAIN MEETING WITH HART CONSULTANTS, THE TBARTA BOARD MEETINGS. I'VE BEEN TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH ALL THE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT ARE KIND OF TAKING PLACE IN THE LINES OF TRANSIT, AND AGAIN, I HAVE A LIST OF ALL THE MEETINGS INCLUDED. I WANT TO REMIND THE BOARD THE ISSUES ARE PROBABLY GOING TO BECOME MORE DIFFICULT OVER THE NEXT SIX MONTHS AS WE GET INTO MORE DETAILS OF THE TRANSPORTATION. I FEEL LIKE MY ROLE IS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE LONG-RANGE PLAN OF THE MPO IS IMPLEMENTED IN THE CORRECT WAY BY THE IMPLEMENTING AGENCIES, AND THAT'S WHAT I'M GOING TO BE LOOKING AT OVER THE NEXT SIX MONTHS AS WE GO THROUGH THIS PROCESS. MAYOR AFFRONTI AND I ATTENDED THE MPOAC MEETING IN TALLAHASSEE LAST THURSDAY WHERE MANY THINGS WERE DISCUSSED. THE BIGGEST CONCERN AND THE LEAD-IN I BELIEVE MR. SKELTON WANTS TO GO IN IS THE -- I GUESS THE THREAD ON THE TRANSPORTATION TRUST FUND WHICH DOES AFFECT FUNDING OF PROJECTS. THERE IS -- JUST TO LET YOU KNOW, AFTER THIS MEETING I'LL BE GOING OVER TO STETSON LAW SCHOOL. THERE IS A HIGH-SPEED RAIL MEETING TO DISCUSS THE COORDINATION OF THAT. THAT WAS AN ISSUE THAT CAME UP AT THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS LAST WEEK, AND I DID FORWARD THE COMMENTS TO MR. SKELTON, WHICH D.O.T. WILL BE ANSWERING, BUT WE ARE WORKING TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CONSIDER THE COORDINATION OF ALL THESE TRANSIT PLANS TOGETHER AS WE MOVE FORWARD. THANK YOU. >>JOE AFFRONTI: THANK YOU, MR. CHIARAMONTE. ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? IF NOT, IS THERE ANYONE IN THE AUDIENCE THAT CARES TO ADDRESS THE BOARD ON ANY ITEMS? IF NOT, THANK YOU SO MUCH. ANY OLD BUSINESS WE HAVE TO DISCUSS? IF NOT, MR. SKELTON, YOU -- OH, I'M SORRY. DID YOU HAVE -- >>RICHARD WAINIO: [INAUDIBLE] CURRENT BUSINESS, BUT I WAS JUST WONDERING -- AND MAYBE THIS WAS A QUESTION FOR OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THAT WE'RE ALL FAMILIAR WITH THE MOVEMENT IN THE HOUSE UP IN TALLAHASSEE TO -- TO DO A SWEEP OF THE STATE TRANSPORTATION FUNDS. IN THE LAST FEW DAYS THE TAMPA PORT AUTHORITY WROTE A NUMBER OF LETTERS TO OUR REPRESENTATIVES TO OPPOSE THAT ACTION, AND I WAS JUST WONDERING IF THE MPO HAS TAKEN ANY SPECIFIC POSITION ON THAT AT THIS POINT AND HAS WRITTEN LETTERS TO THE APPROPRIATE PEOPLE TO -- TO TRY AND STOP THAT ACTION FROM TAKING PLACE. >>RAY CHIARAMONTE: I HAVE TO APOLOGIZE. I WAS TALKING TO OUR ATTORNEY, SO I HEARD THE LAST PART OF WHAT YOU SAID, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE ISSUE WAS. >>RICHARD WAINIO: WHETHER OR NOT WE'VE TAKEN ANY ACTION OR INTEND TO TAKE ANY ACTION RELATED OR ANY POSITION RELATED TO THE SWEEP OF THE TRANSPORTATION -- THE STATE TRANSPORTATION FUNDING. >>RAY CHIARAMONTE: I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE -- WE, THE MPO BOARD, HAS TAKEN ANY ACTION SINCE THAT'S A FAIRLY RECENT DEVELOPMENT. I BELIEVE DON SKELTON IS GOING TO SPEAK TO THAT UNDER NEW BUSINESS. >>RICHARD WAINIO: OKAY. GOOD. GOOD. AND MY OTHER -- MY OTHER COMMENT -- AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S APPROPRIATE OR NOT, BUT THERE'S A -- A BILL THAT'S MOVING FORWARD, IT'S GONE THROUGH A NUMBER OF COMMITTEES IN THE HOUSE IN TALLAHASSEE ALREADY. IT'S BEING PUSHED BY REPRESENTATIVE LAKE RAY OUT OF JACKSONVILLE, AND IT WOULD BE A -- WHAT IS I GUESS DEFINED AS A FUNDING BILL FOR FREIGHT MOBILITY PROJECTS. IT -- IT WOULD CREATE A NEW GOVERNMENT CORPORATION CHAIRED BY OTTED WITH A NUMBER OF MEMBERS, INCLUDING FDOT AND THE PORT, THE HEAD OF FSTED WHICH IS THE PORT FINANCING GROUP. I'M CURRENTLY, IN FACT, THE CHAIR OF THAT GROUP. THE INTENT WOULD BE TO PROVIDE A POT OF MONEY FROM TAX CREDITS BASICALLY TARGETING INSURANCE COMPANIES, ALLOWING THEM TO INVEST IN FREIGHT MOBILITY PROJECTS AND GET A TAX CREDIT IN RETURN AND HOPEFULLY CREATE A POT OF ABOUT $100 MILLION FOR FREIGHT MOBILITY PROJECTS. WE'RE SUPPORTING THAT BILL. IT'S REALLY OUR ONLY OPTION AT THIS POINT THAT WE SEE TO GET MONEY FOR KEY FREIGHT MOBILITY AND PORT-RELATED PROJECTS, AND I WOULD LIKE TO EXPLORE WHETHER THE MPO COULD SUPPORT US BY DOING SOME -- SOMETHING LIKE A LETTER OR SOME -- IN SOME WAY SUPPORTING -- SUPPORTING THAT BILL. >>RAY CHIARAMONTE: THAT WOULD PROBABLY NEED TO OCCUR NOW, I GUESS, RIGHT? >>RICHARD WAINIO: SOON. SOON, YES. IT'S MOVING FAST. IN FACT, THE HOUSE IS GOING TO ADDRESS IT THIS WEEK ON THE FULL HOUSE FLOOR, AND I THINK IT'LL GO TO THE SENATE IN THE NEXT COUPLE WEEKS. >>RAY CHIARAMONTE: I GUESS I WOULD LIKE TO DEFER TO OUR ATTORNEY AND MAKE SURE THAT'S OKAY SINCE IT WASN'T AN ADVERTISED ITEM FOR THE MPO TO TAKE ACTION SUPPORTING THAT FREIGHT BILL. >>ADAM GORMLY: I DON'T THINK IT WOULD BE OUT OF LINE THAT IT WAS NOT ON THE AGENDA. NOT ALL ACTION ITEMS ARE ACTIONS -- ARE REQUIRED TO BE SPECIFICALLY LISTED ON THE AGENDA, AND I THINK THAT'S WITHIN THE PURVIEW OF THE MPO'S FUNCTION, SO I THINK THAT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE IF THE BOARD WERE SO INCLINED. >>JOE AFFRONTI: OKAY. SO SHOULD WE GO AHEAD AND APPROVE DRAFTING A LETTER, RAY? >>RAY CHIARAMONTE: SURE. >>JOE AFFRONTI: AND THEN YOU COULD SEND IT TO ALL THE BOARD MEMBERS TO MAKE SURE -- >>RICK LOTT: DO WE NEED A MOTION OR ARE WE GOOD JUST WITH THE CONSENT FROM THE BOARD? IS THAT A MOTION? >>JOE AFFRONTI: YEAH, WE'LL NEED A MOTION. >>THOMAS SCOTT: IF THAT'S YOUR MOTION, YOU'RE ASKING FOR THE SUPPORT? >>RICHARD WAINIO: YEAH, I'M ASKING FOR SUPPORT. CORRECT ME, I DIDN'T EVEN BRING -- I CAME HERE IN A RUSH AND DIDN'T BRING ALL MY MATERIALS, BUT DON, I THINK IT'S HOUSE -- HR 1169 OR -- I'LL HAVE TO GET THE EXACT -- >>DON SKELTON: THAT'S CORRECT. >>RICHARD WAINIO: I THINK IT IS, AND I BELIEVE FDOT IS SUPPORTING IT AS WELL. >>DON SKELTON: THAT IS ALSO CORRECT. >>JOE AFFRONTI: OKAY. >>RICK LOTT: RICHARD, I APPRECIATE YOU BRINGING THAT TO THE BOARD'S ATTENTION, AND I'LL GO AHEAD AND SECOND THAT THEN. >>JOE AFFRONTI: OKAY. MOVED AND SECONDED. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? >>MARY MULHERN: I'D LIKE TO HEAR A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT IT. IF YOU COULD GIVE ME A LITTLE -- A LAYMAN'S EXPLANATION. >>RICHARD WAINIO: YEAH, YEAH. WE'VE -- PORTS HAVE BEEN SEEKING WAYS TO FUND TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS, PORT PROJECTS, FREIGHT MOBILITY PROJECTS FOR A LONG TIME. THE STATE HAS DONE VERY LITTLE TO SUPPORT US IN THE PAST WITH -- WITH DIRECT FUNDING. WE -- WE RECEIVE A VERY SMALL AMOUNT OF MONEY THROUGH 311 - - WHAT THEY CALL 311 FUNDS THAT ARE PROVIDED TO US THROUGH -- THROUGH FDOT. THERE IS SOME MONEY THAT COMES TO THESE PROJECTS, OF COURSE, FROM SIS MONIES, BUT LOOKING FORWARD WE FEEL THAT A MUCH LARGER AMOUNT OF MONEY IS NEEDED TO SUPPORT TRANSPORTATION AND SPECIFICALLY FREIGHT-RELATED PROJECTS IN THIS STATE. WE SEE TRADE AS BEING AN INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT PART OF THIS STATE'S ECONOMY. WE SEE THESE PROJECTS CREATING LOTS OF ECONOMIC VALUE, LOTS OF JOBS. WE'VE BEEN PUSHING THOSE ARGUMENTS FOR SOMETIME IN TALLAHASSEE TO GET MORE FUNDING. WELL, THEY FINALLY CAME UP, WITH THE HELP OF REPRESENTATIVE LAKE RAY, WITH A BILL THAT WOULD NOT DRAW ON GENERAL REVENUES, WOULD NOT -- OBVIOUSLY THOSE MONIES ARE NOT AVAILABLE NOW. WE HAD INITIALLY WANTED TO GET MORE MONEY FOR WHAT WE CALL THE 311 MONIES. WE WANTED TO INCREASE THE MINIMUM AMOUNT THE STATE GIVES US UP TO $30 MILLION OF 311 MONIES. THAT BILL BASICALLY WITHERED ON THE VINE. INSTEAD, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF SUPPORT ON THIS NEW BILL THAT WOULD CREATE A CORPORATION, A STATE GOVERNMENT CORPORATION. THE CHAIR OF THAT CORPORATION WOULD BE OTTED, THE TRANSPORTATION, TOURISM, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OFFICE IN THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE. THERE WOULD BE SIX MEMBERS -- AND I'M DOING THIS ALL FROM MEMORY, I DON'T HAVE IT IN FRONT OF ME, BUT THERE WOULD BE SIX MEMBERS THAT -- THAT ARE APPOINTED, TWO FROM THE GOVERNOR, TWO BY THE -- AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG HERE, DON, IF YOU HEAR ME SAY SOMETHING WRONG, BUT TWO -- TWO THAT WOULD BE APPOINTED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND TWO THAT WOULD BE APPOINTED BY THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE. IN ADDITION TO THAT, THE CHAIRMAN OF -- OF FSTED, THE FLORIDA SEAPORT TRANSPORTATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL, WOULD BE -- WOULD BE AN EX OFFICIO VOTING MEMBER, AND THE REPRESENTATIVE FROM -- FROM FDOT WOULD BE AN EX OFFICIO MEMBER BUT IN A NONVOTING STATUS. I BELIEVE THAT IS THE -- THE CORE OF -- OF THE BOARD THAT WOULD -- THAT WOULD HEAD UP THIS CORPORATION. THEY WOULD ALSO BE -- BE AUTHORIZED TO -- TO HIRE FINANCIAL ADVISORS AND -- AND OTHERS TO MANAGE THE FUNDS AND TO HELP WITH THE ALLOCATION, THE DECISIONS TO ALLOCATE THE FUNDS. THE FUNDING FOR THE CORPORATION WOULD NOT COME FROM -- FROM TAX DOLLARS OR GENERAL REVENUES, IT WOULD COME FROM A PROCESS REFERRED TO AS TAX CREDITS. INSURANCE COMPANIES COULD -- COULD -- I BELIEVE IT'S A ONE- TO-ONE -- $1, IF THEY INVEST A DOLLAR, THEY GET A $1 TAX CREDIT. THERE'S A LIMIT HOW MUCH THEY CAN INVEST. IT'S 10 MILLION PER COMPANY, I BELIEVE, AND THE POT OF MONEY THEY'RE TRYING TO -- TO ESTABLISH, THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT IS $100 MILLION THAT WOULD BE ALLOWED IN THIS TAX CREDIT PROCESS. ONCE THAT POT OF MONEY IS CREATED, PORTS AND FREIGHT MOBILITY PROJECTS AND OTHERS -- OTHER TYPES OF RELATED PROJECTS WOULD BE ELIGIBLE. THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT CRITERIA THAT'S THERE TO -- THAT LIMITS THE TYPES OF PROJECTS, BUT BASICALLY FREIGHT MOBILITY PROJECTS THAT WOULD CREATE -- WHICH WOULD IMPROVE THE EFFICIENCY OF FREIGHT MOVEMENT AND CREATE ECONOMIC VALUE AND JOBS WOULD BE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY, MUCH LIKE A GRANT PROCESS, TO THIS -- TO THIS CORPORATE BODY, AND THEY WOULD THEN DETERMINE WHETHER THOSE PROJECTS SHOULD RECEIVE FUNDING AS A THEY MOVE FORWARD. I DON'T KNOW IN A NUTSHELL IF THAT -- >>MARY MULHERN: THANK YOU. NO, THAT HELPS. THAT HELPS. >>JOE AFFRONTI: OKAY. SO THE MOTION IS TO DIRECT STAFF TO DRAFT A LETTER SUPPORTING THE BILL, AND YOU'LL GET THE LETTER OUT TO ALL THE BOARD MEMBERS, AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS -- GIVE HIM MAYBE A COUPLE DAYS, RAY, AND IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS, YOU'LL GET IT BACK TO RAY. >>THOMAS SCOTT: WELL, THE QUESTION IS, THOUGH, THE MOTION IS STAFF DRAFT A LETTER FOR YOUR SIGNATURE? >>JOE AFFRONTI: YES. >>THOMAS SCOTT: OKAY. JUST WANT TO BE CLEAR. >>JOE AFFRONTI: OKAY. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. [CHORUS OF AYES] OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY. MR. SKELTON. >>DON SKELTON: YES. ACTUALLY I NOW HAVE TWO THINGS TO TALK ABOUT. THE FIRST ONE IS GOING TO BE LEE ROYAL IS GOING TO HAND OUT A TABLE. THE REVENUE ESTIMATING CONFERENCE THAT OCCURRED NEAR THE END OF FEBRUARY HAD AN IMPACT TO OUR FIVE-YEAR WORK PROGRAM REQUIRING US TO MOVE OUT $930 MILLION WORTH OF PROJECTS STATEWIDE, AND SO EACH DISTRICT HAD TO GO INTO OUR PROGRAM AND ADJUST OUR FIVE-YEAR WORK PROGRAM. PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING THAT WE HAD PROPOSED TO ADVANCE WHEN WE PROPOSED -- WHEN WE PRESENTED THE WORK PROGRAM TO THIS BODY WE ARE NOW HAVING TO MOVE BACK OUT, SO THIS LIST OF EIGHT PROJECTS ARE THE ONES IN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY THAT ARE AFFECTED BY THIS MOVE. YOU CAN SEE CONSTRUCTION OF THE SEGMENT OF MARTIN LUTHER KING FROM HIGHVIEW TO PARSONS HAS MOVED OUT OF THE FIVE- YEAR WORK PROGRAM COMPLETELY, THE ADVANCED RIGHT-OF-WAY FOR THE NEXT SEGMENT OF MARTIN LUTHER KING AND THE DESIGN -- OR THE RIGHT-OF-WAY WAS MOVED COMPLETELY OUT, THE DESIGN PHASE FROM KINGSWAY TO McINTOSH WAS MOVED ONE YEAR FROM 2013 TO '14. A SIGNAL SYSTEM UPDATE ON DALE MABRY FROM HUMPHREY TO VAN DYKE WAS MOVED FROM '13 TO '14. A DRAINAGE PROJECT ON FLORIDA AVENUE FROM '12 TO '13. A PROJECT ON TAMPA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WAS MOVED OUT OF THE FIVE-YEAR WORK PROGRAM. IT WAS IN 2015, SO IT MOVED OUT. DESIGN OF DALE MABRY FROM VAN DYKE TO LUTZ-LAKE FERN MOVED OUT OF THE FIVE-YEAR WORK PROGRAM. AND A PD&E STUDY -- THIS IS THE HOWARD FRANKLAND PD&E STUDY WHERE WE HAD AN ADDITIONAL MILLION DOLLARS OUT IN '13, THAT HAS MOVED TO 2014. AGAIN, $930,000 WAS FROM THE REC, PRIMARILY FROM THE LOWER- THAN-PROJECTED INCOME FROM VEHICLE REGISTRATION. FUEL CONSUMPTION HAS BEEN FAIRLY STEADY. IT HAS BEEN ABOUT WHAT WE HAD BEEN PROJECTING, BUT THE VEHICLE REGISTRATIONS WENT DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY. NOW, THAT GIVES YOU AN IDEA OF A SNAPSHOT IN TIME, WHICH WILL THEN LEAD TO MY SECOND ITEM THAT MR. WAINIO REFERRED TO. IN THE HOUSE-PROPOSED BUDGET THAT THEY PASSED OUT, THEY INCLUDED A $278-MILLION SWEEP OF STATE TRANSPORTATION TRUST FUNDS FOR CURRENT YEAR. IN ADDITION TO THAT, THEY WOULD REINSTITUTE A SURCHARGE THAT WOULD GO BACK TO GENERAL REVENUE THAT FOR THE FIRST YEAR IS ABOUT $179 MILLION, AND THEN IT ESCALATES UP. ALL TOLD IN OUR FIVE-YEAR WORK PROGRAM, THAT'S ABOUT A BILLION DOLLARS WORTH OF CASH RIGHT THERE. THOSE TWO ITEMS, IF THEY STAYED AS THEY ARE, WOULD REQUIRE US TO MOVE ANOTHER $3-BILLION WORTH OF PROJECTS OUT OF OUR FIVE-YEAR WORK PROGRAM AS IT STANDS, SO THAT'S THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THOSE SWEEPS ON -- ON THAT, SO I GUESS THAT WOULD TAKE THE QUESTION BACK TO WHETHER THIS BOARD WOULD LIKE TO TAKE AN ACTION TO -- TO SEND A LETTER AS WELL ON THAT. >>JOE AFFRONTI: BOARD. I THINK WE SHOULD, BUT LET'S HEAR -- >>KEVIN BECKNER: YEAH, I JUST HAD A QUESTION. WHEN WE MOVE OUTSIDE THE FIVE-YEAR PROGRAM, IS THERE ANY OTHER ESTABLISHED DATE WHEN THAT WOULD BECOME -- WHEN THOSE PROJECTS WOULD COME BACK INTO A PROGRAM, OR WOULD THEY KIND OF BE ON PERMANENT HOLD THEN? >>DON SKELTON: WELL, THEY WOULD BE OUT OF OUR FIVE-YEAR WORK PROGRAM, AND THE ONLY THING THAT WE TALK ABOUT COMMITMENTS IS OUR FIVE-YEAR WORK PROGRAM. THE WAY WE ADDRESS OUR PROGRAM IS IF THERE ARE ADDITIONAL REVENUES OR REVENUE INCREASES OCCUR, LAST OUT WILL BE FIRST IN, SO IF SOMEHOW WE FOUND $930 MILLION BECAUSE THE ECONOMY PICKED UP AND EVERYTHING WAS GOING GOOD, THESE WOULD BE THE PROJECTS THAT MOVE BACK IN ABSENT SOME OTHER PRIORITY CHANGE AMONGST THIS BOARD. >>KEVIN BECKNER: SO THEY DO RETAIN SOME PRIORITY IF THEY'RE MOVED OUT? >>DON SKELTON: YES. >>KEVIN BECKNER: OKAY. I'LL MAKE A MOTION FOR THAT LETTER. >>JOE AFFRONTI: OKAY. DON, WOULD YOU PLEASE GIVE US SOME IDEA AS TO EXACTLY WHAT WE SHOULD BE PUTTING IN THIS LETTER? >>DON SKELTON: AGAIN, THE ISSUE IS IF THERE IS A SWEEP OF THE STATE TRANSPORTATION TRUST FUND OR A MOVE BACK TO THE SURCHARGE, IT WOULD HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON OUR FIVE- YEAR WORK PROGRAM. >>JOE AFFRONTI: OKAY. >>DON SKELTON: SO IF THIS BOARD WAS TO WRITE A LETTER THAT ENCOURAGED NOT TO HAVE A SWEEP OF THE STATE TRANSPORTATION TRUST FUND BECAUSE OF THE SIGNIFICANT IMPACT TO THE ECONOMY THAT TRANSPORTATION HAS. >>JOE AFFRONTI: NOW, WOULD THAT AFFECT THE 930 AND THE 278 OR -- >>DON SKELTON: THE 930 IS A REALITY. THAT'S REVENUE. >>JOE AFFRONTI: THAT'S A DONE DEAL? >>DON SKELTON: THAT'S THE PURE REVENUE. THAT'S JUST INCOME. >>JOE AFFRONTI: OKAY. >>DON SKELTON: THAT'S NOT ACTION BY SOMEBODY SAYING, NO, WE'RE GOING TO MOVE THIS MONEY SOMEWHERE ELSE. THAT'S PURELY INCOME. >>JOE AFFRONTI: BUT THE 278 -- >>DON SKELTON: THE $278-MILLION SWEEP OF CURRENT YEAR AND THEN THE OTHER GENERAL SURCHARGE THAT AFFECTS EACH OF OUR FIVE YEARS WOULD BE AN ACTION OF THE LEGISLATURE. >>JOE AFFRONTI: OKAY. >>RICHARD WAINIO: MR. CHAIRMAN, I COULD SEND OVER TO RAY AS WELL THE LETTERS WE'VE ALREADY SENT OUT TO SENATOR FASANO -- >>JOE AFFRONTI: THAT WOULD BE GREAT. >>RICHARD WAINIO: -- AND REPRESENTATIVE GLORIOSO AND MANY OTHERS. THERE MAY BE SOME ADDITIONAL DETAIL YOU WANT TO INCLUDE FROM FDOT, BUT I THINK THEY'RE PRETTY WELL-WRITTEN LETTERS. THEY MIGHT SERVE AS A BASIS FOR WHAT YOU DO. >>JOE AFFRONTI: THAT WOULD BE GREAT. >>RICHARD WAINIO: WE'LL GET THAT TO YOU TODAY. >>JOE AFFRONTI: OKAY. AND THEN WE'LL GET THAT OUT TO THE BOARD AS A DRAFT, AND THEN YOU GET BACK TO RAY IF THERE'S ANY PROBLEMS WITH IT. OKAY. ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. [CHORUS OF AYES] OPPOSED. MOTION CARRIES. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY. IS THERE ANY OTHER BUSINESS? IF NOT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE ADJOURN. WE'LL SEE YOU NEXT MONTH. 1