Life and politics from the Sunshine State's best city

Tag archive

Go Hillsborough

Light rail ranks as top choice in Tampa Bay premium transit study

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

Since the demise of the Go Hillsborough initiative last year, transit officials and Tampa Bay-area lawmakers have pinned their hopes on a transportation study overseen by the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART). On Friday, organizers behind the study — which was paid for by the Florida Department of Transportation — released their top five recommended projects. The number one ranked option is a light-rail system from Wesley Chapel to the University of South Florida Tampa campus and on to St. Petersburg.

Keep Reading

Pat Kemp wants public to put pressure on Hillsborough County Commissioners to fund transit now

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

Pat Kemp lost her battle this week to redirect approximately half of the $812 million in public funds toward transit and not just roads in the next decade. But Kemp says she will continue to advocate for the county to directly fund transit projects over the course of the next four years. During the debate about the Go Hillsborough half-cent sales tax proposal last year (which a majority of County Commissioners ultimately deemed unworthy of inclusion on the ballot), County Administrator…

Keep Reading

Tampa Bay Tea Party transit critics get their say at forum

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

Whatever adjective(s) you may wish to use to describe Sharon Calvert, Tom Rask and Barb Haselden, “effective” has to be one of them. The three Tea Party-aligned citizen activists have led the opposition to the two major public transit initiatives that have gone down to defeat over the past seven years, and contributed strongly to a third never making it to the ballot in Hillsborough County in 2016 (they also proudly add the failed referendums in Polk County in 2010 and…

Keep Reading

In debate, Jim Davison doesn’t dismiss idea of New Tampa secession from Tampa

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

An interesting word popped up at a debate between Tampa City Council candidates for next week’s runoff election — “secession.” Ever since New Tampa was annexed in the late 1980s, some residents have been frustrated that they aren’t receiving the same city services as other Tampa neighborhoods, particularly downtown. During Tuesday night’s debate at the New Tampa Regional Library, District 7 candidate Jim Davison did not rule out the possibility of secession from the city of Tampa. “As far as splitting off and…

Keep Reading

Jeff Zampitella labels Sandy Murman’s transportation proposal ‘a gimmick’

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

(UPDATED) The Democrat trying to oust Sandy Murman from the Hillsborough County Commission says she was disingenuous when she offered an alternative to a proposed transportation tax last fall. “I think Sandy Murman’s plan was a gimmick to get in the headlines,” Jeff Zampitella said Tuesday night at his campaign kick-off event at Anise Global Gastrobar in downtown Tampa. “Ken Hagan‘s words — it was irresponsible because it jeopardized our credit rating, our reserves, and our essential services. So that being said, I think it…

Keep Reading

Brian Willis wants an apology from Pat Kemp regarding transit proposal

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

Hillsborough County District 6 Democratic candidate Brian Willis is calling on one of his opponents, Pat Kemp, to apologize to him and the other two Democrats in the race for having a supporter claim that she is the only Democratic candidate that will “fund transit now.” “Every single Democratic candidate has argued that the County Commission needs to put more money into transit now, ” Willis said in a statement. “Pat has heard us say so at forums many times, she knows these claims are false.” That…

Keep Reading

Sandy Murman optimistic about Hillsborough County finding a way to fund transportation projects in 2016

in The Bay and the 'Burg/Top Headlines by

When the Hillsborough County Commission rejected putting the Go Hillsborough sales tax referendum on the ballot for the second time last month, its many critics cheered, saying the proposal lacked vision. Others were disappointed, saying the vote showed a lack of leadership on a crucial issue that the board has failed to address. On the same day that the board was putting a kibosh on that twenty-year half-cent sales tax, however, they did vote on a proposal by County Commissioner…

Keep Reading

1 2 3 8
Go to Top