New Bill to Create Transit System: Network Would Connect Bay Area By Bus, Train, Ferry

By Lyndsey Lewis, The Bradenton Herald, Fla.

Mar. 16–TALLAHASSEE — State lawmakers Thursday set the wheels in motion for a new transportation system to bring greater public transportation to Manatee County and others in the Tampa Bay area.

The measure aims to create a network that could include buses, trains and ferries that would criss-cross the bay area and make it easier for passengers to travel around the region. The transport system would run through Manatee, Sarasota, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties.

A bill sponsored by Rep. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, to create a transportation authority to oversee the system cleared the House Committee on Infrastructure on Thursday. A companion bill is working its way through Senate committees.

The transportation authority running the system would be partially governed by the region’s mayors, as well as commissioners chosen by each of the participating counties.

Galvano acknowledged that creating a transit network over seven counties would be costly. To ensure the regional system doesn’t take money from other transit projects, he said, leaders would probably have to look beyond the state for funding.

For example, the transportation authority could form partnerships in both the public and private sector to pay for projects. A private organization, for instance, could commit to building concessions along a roadway, Galvano said.

A public partnership could mean working with a county to pinpoint locations that need more traffic pipelines, and in turn, the county would contribute money for the project. Additional funding could also come from tolls.

Although Galvano wants the transit authority to have the final say on where road-building takes place, lawmakers Thursday passed an amendment to the House bill that would give counties the last word.

Galvano said he foresees that amendment “diminishing the effectiveness” of the transit authority, but he’s confident he’ll be able to reach a compromise with lawmakers as the legislative session progresses.

“It’s a huge opportunity for the Tampa Bay region,” said Joe Smith, who works with the Tampa Bay Partnership. That organization is designed to spur economic development around the region.

Galvano agreed.

“Bottom line, it was a good day,” he said.

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Copyright (c) 2007, The Bradenton Herald, Fla.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.

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