FDOT says it is pursuing truck parking facilities; Pasco officials ask to be consulted on potential industrial‑land impacts

During the Oct. 9 meeting the MPO board discussed truck parking needs and a potential truck‑parking facility in the region.

An FDOT representative said the department has been assessing districtwide truck parking and is developing facilities, citing a recently purchased roughly 60‑acre site near County Line Road and I‑4 where FDOT plans a truck parking facility with parking, restrooms and pedestrian/bicycle access. The presenter said FDOT selected a Greenfield parcel with a willing seller to develop truck parking where other development was challenging.

Board members voiced concern that large parcels planned for industrial development could be taken out of the market for truck parking without local consultation. "I would respectfully request if the DOT were looking at either...would talk to our county commission before," a commissioner said, adding that the county would not want to lose acreage suited for industrial jobs to truck parking without prior notice. FDOT representatives said they would follow up and would not take large tracts of potential industrial land out of commission without coordination.

Why it matters: Truck parking is a recognized safety and freight‑mobility need, but siting large lots can compete with industrial land desired for job‑producing development. The board asked FDOT to coordinate site selection with county economic development and commissioners.

No formal action was recorded; FDOT agreed to follow up with county staff.