The Hillsborough Transportation Planning Organization on June 11 approved its fiscal‑year 2026–2030 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and adopted the fiscal‑year 2027–2031 priority list after public comment urging transit investments and repeated calls from the Citizens Advisory Committee to remove two I‑275 widening segments from planning documents.

The TIP, which staff said programs roughly $2.5 billion in federally funded and regionally significant projects over five years, passed on a roll call vote with unanimous support from board members. The FY27–31 priority list — a ranked list of 72 candidate projects that guides future programming and grant applications — was adopted after debate and a separate roll‑call vote.

Why it matters: The TIP funds projects that will enter design and construction in the next five years; the priority list signals projects the region wants considered for future funding. Several neighborhood groups and advisory panels urged the TPO to shift resources away from highway widening toward bus service, bus stop upgrades, an expanded streetcar and other multimodal projects. Advisory committees recommended removing two I‑275 widening segments from the documents, but the board approved the TIP and the priority list as presented.

TPO staff presentations framed the decisions. Wade Reynolds and Elizabeth Watkins of TPO staff said the TIP reflects federally funded projects and FDOT work‑program priorities. Staff noted there are more than 180 projects in the TIP and that roughly half of the TIP dollars are programmed to major projects (widenings, interchanges, or fixed guideway transit). Staff also said the TIP includes $275 million (construction estimate) for Section 5 of Tampa Bay Next (FPN434045‑2), the I‑275 segment from north of Lois (Lewis) Avenue to north of Howard Avenue, with right‑of‑way programming in FY2030 and design underway, but that FDOT indicated no immediate right‑of‑way acquisitions were expected.

Public comments and advisory committee recommendations were the focus of the meeting. The Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) reported a June 4 vote, by 7–4, recommending removal of FPN434045‑2 from the TIP and removal of project 53 (I‑275 widening from Hillsborough Avenue to Bearss Avenue) from the FY27–31 priority list. CAC members asked staff to investigate alternative methods for ranking projects across categories so that projects in different categories could be compared more directly.

Speakers during public comment — representing neighborhood groups, transit advocates and civic organizations — repeatedly asked the board to prioritize public transit projects and safety improvements over lane expansions. Rick Fernandez, president of the Tampa Heights Civic Association, told the board he and neighborhood groups had long opposed the Tampa Bay Next widening at Section 5 and asked the board to follow the CAC recommendation: “We ask you please to listen to us,” Fernandez said during public comment. Dana Lazarus, a member of the Citizens Advisory Committee, urged the board to remove FPN434045‑2 and project 53 and highlighted that the CAC specifically recommended striking funds programmed for right‑of‑way acquisition tied to Section 5.

Transit advocates urged funding for vehicle replacement, shelters, and HART’s heavy maintenance facility. Multiple speakers — including Julio Lopez of HOPE, Angel Murchison and other members of Tampa DSA, Cameron Pressey and Miguelis (virtual) — called for prioritizing projects listed as priorities 10–12 (bus replacement, HART heavy maintenance facility, and bus shelter repairs), electrifying bus purchases, and ensuring safer, covered bus stops. One speaker cited staff figures presented in the meeting that the maintenance facility phase 2 request is roughly $110 million; another public commenter said fully funding bus stop capital improvements and replacing CNG buses with electric vehicles would reduce emissions and improve service reliability. Several commenters also supported expansions of the TECO Line streetcar (project 44) and multimodal station area work tied to Brightline station planning.

Board discussion and legal limits: Board members pressed staff and legal counsel about the limits of the TPO’s authority to remove projects that have advanced to preliminary engineering. TPO legal counsel noted that projects already on the TIP that have advanced into preliminary design generally cannot be unilaterally removed without FDOT agreement (the so‑called “point of no return” applies to TIP items). The CAC can recommend removal from the priority list; removing an item already in the TIP requires joint action with FDOT.

Votes at a glance:
- Transportation Improvement Program (FY26–30): Motion by board member Gray, seconded by Commissioner Myers. Roll call: Ross, Wostel, Miller, Myers, Cohen, Bowles, Clendenin, Hertek, Carlson, Kilton, Gray, Klug, Stevens, Frey, Hartfield, Joseph — all recorded yes. Outcome: approved unanimously (motion carries).
- TPO Priority List (FY27–31): Motion by Commissioner Wostel, seconded by Mayor Kilton, to adopt the FY27–31 priority list as recommended by staff. Final roll call recorded 12 yes (Ross, Wostel, Miller, Myers, Bowles, Kilton, Gray, Klug, Stevens, Frey, Hartfield, Joseph) and 4 no (Cohen, Clendenin, Hertek, Carlson). Outcome: approved (motion carries 12–4).

Follow up and next steps: Staff said the TIP will be used to coordinate with FDOT and federal partners; any attempt to remove a TIP line item that has advanced in design would require FDOT concurrence. The TPO will receive the CAC’s request for improved prioritization methods; CAC asked staff to investigate alternatives to the current categorical ranking. Staff also noted an upcoming August LRTP hearing to amend the long‑range plan to add the Van Dyke Road widening from Suncoast Parkway to Worley Road for future design work.

What was not decided: The board did not remove the two contested I‑275 projects from the TIP or priority list; the CAC recommendations were recorded and discussed but the board ultimately adopted the staff package. No change to FDOT programming was made at the meeting without FDOT concurrence.

The TPO’s actions set the region’s near‑term construction priorities and preserve the ability for local agencies to pursue discretionary grants for transit, trail and safety work in the coming year.