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Pasco MPO director invites Zephyrhills council to Nov. 17 principals workshop on regional merger
Summary
Pasco MPO Executive Director Tania Gorman briefed the council on an ongoing study of a potential merger of Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough MPOs and invited the mayor and council to a principals workshop on Nov. 17; discussion touched on board apportionment, rotating city seats and potential grant advantages for a merged MPO.
Tania Gorman, executive director of the Pasco Metropolitan Planning Organization, asked the Zephyrhills City Council on Oct. 13 to attend a principals workshop on Nov. 17 to discuss a possible regional merger of the Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough MPOs.
Gorman said the MPOs first submitted a high-level study in December 2024 and later hired a consultant (the White House Group) to compile data and facilitate workshops. She described the exercise as a long-running discussion with differing governance models across the country and cited MetroPlan (Osceola, Seminole and Orange counties) as a local example the council could visit; the council was invited to travel to MetroPlan on Oct. 27 to observe its governance structure.
Gorman said proposed board apportionment for a merged Tampa Bay MPO would be population-based; she said Pasco is evaluating expanding its board to about 25 seats and that the MPO has discussed a rotating city seat so cities would retain a sustained voice on the board. She also said a larger regional MPO could be more competitive for discretionary federal grants that fund major projects, such as large interchanges or port access improvements.
Council members asked whether Pasco (one of the smaller counties in the region) would risk marginalization in a larger MPO. Gorman replied that apportionment follows the decennial census and that cities would be represented through rotating seats and by city-level committees, similar to how other merged MPOs operate.
Gorman said the White House Group consultant is gathering documents and meeting with MPOs that have merged to learn governance options; the MPO has reached out to MetroPlan and other merged MPOs to study models that aim for equitable voting arrangements.
Why it matters A merged MPO covering Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough would change regional transportation planning, board representation and the way federal discretionary transportation dollars are sought and allocated. City-level elected officials and staff would have opportunities to influence membership, board apportionment and committee structures during continued discussions.
Provenance First related presentation: transcript block 383.96503–622.27 (Tania Gorman presentation). Last related comment in council Q&A: transcript block 2580.7102–2604.8 (council discussion of workshop timing and water issues).
