Be Skeptical Of Bills Filed For A "Study" When HART Must First Be Investigated and Audited

HART transit agency is a fiscal and operational mess going insolvent next year. Before all the issues with HART can be fixed, we need to know what they all are and who caused them.

HART needs to be investigated and the last 10 years of its operations audited by Florida's Inspector General. 

We applaud the State Legislature for eliminating TBARTA. But we have concerns whether they are eliminating TBARTA to create another regional transit agency. 

HART's CEO Adelee Le Grand Wants to Flee Fiscally Failing HART With Big Payout and Demands Report From Investigation of Her Be Concealed

So much smoke has been blowing around HART, that in November last year the HART Board authorized an external investigation of their CEO.

Now HART's CEO Adelee LeGrand, the one being investigated, wants to resign from HART. She wants to flee fiscally failing HART with a big payout and demands that any report from the investigation of her never sees the light of day. 

Lack of Proper Legal Oversight: Unlawful AFT Transit Tax Costs Taxpayers Over $1.1 Million in Outside Legal Fees

Both All for Transportation (AFT) transit tax referendums, in 2018 and in 2022, were ruled illegal by the Courts. As a result, taxpayers got stuck paying for costly outside legal counsel.

In 2018 warnings were raised by then county commissioner Stacy White and others that AFT's citizen wealthy special interests led transit tax had potential legal issues. 

Those warnings went unheeded by Hillsborough County Attorney Christine Beck and HART's legal counsel Davis Smith. 

Fiscally Mismanaged HART Faces Insolvency in 2024, Florida's Inspector General Must Investigate and Audit Them

HART transit agency is one huge mess. The transit agency is about to hit a fiscal cliff and become insolvent due to its own mismanagement, incompetence and fiscal irresponsibility.

Vinik-linked Tampa communications firm Catalyst directly involved in PSTA chief misleading PSTA board

Repost with permission from Tampa Bay Guardian, original TBG post is here.

A draft version of an email PSTA CEO Brad Miller was preparing to send to the PSTA board contained a damning admission which didn’t appear in the email that was ultimately sent to the board. The omission could be very damaging, both for Miller and for the communications firm Miller sent his draft to. The email was obtained through a public records request.

Send Hillsborough County TPO's Pursuit to Tear Down I-275 to the Ash Heap

The Hillsborough County Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) has been pursuing tearing down I-275 north of downtown Tampa for years. In October just before the election, TPO staff stealthily submitted a Federal grant request for over $1.2 million to study replacing I-275 North with a street level transit Boulevard. 

But the TPO's foolishness pursuing the absurd proposal may be coming to an end. The TPO has scheduled a meeting on Wednesday, January 25th from 4-4:30pm to consider canceling that "tear down interstates" Federal grant.

Citizens who oppose the "tear down interstates" nonsense and wastefully spending their tax dollars on a costly Boulevard proposal that will never happen, can sign up to speak in person or virtually here. Comments can also be emailed to tpo@plancom.org by 5pm tomorrow January 24th.

GOTV Tampa to Defeat Mayor Jane Castor the Disaster

Tampa's Democrat Mayor Jane Castor is running for re-election.

Treat Tampa's municipal election in March as important, if not more so, as a general election.

Tampa voters can defeat Mayor Castor the Disaster by getting out to vote in numbers not seen for municipal elections. They can make Disaster Castor a one-term Mayor.