County transportation staff updated commissioners on the Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) program and presented early results from retiming and adaptive‑signal work, new video analytic devices and an emergency‑vehicle preemption upgrade.

What staff reported: Transportation Division Director Tom Washburn and Public Works Director Kelly Hammer‑Levy said the county has retimed signal corridors, installed intersection video analytic hardware and is rolling out adaptive signal software to improve travel time, reduce delay and detect safety events. The program is funded primarily by the local 9‑cent fuel tax, of which roughly $1.7 million annually is used for capital and the remainder funds operations.

Performance results: Washburn presented before‑and‑after metrics for multiple corridors. Examples included a nine‑signal segment of 40th Street with an estimated multi‑year benefit‑to‑cost ratio of about 51:1 and a longer section of 60th Street with a projected ratio of about 115:1. Retiming produced per‑vehicle travel‑time reductions of roughly one to three minutes on several corridors, staff said.

New technologies and programs: Staff outlined an intersection video‑analytic rollout (pedestrian/bicycle conflict detection, wrong‑way alerts, near‑miss analysis) with the intention to equip most traffic signals countywide over time; an FHWA‑funded connected‑vehicle pilot covering Belcher Road and other corridors is entering a 12‑month evaluation; and a GIS‑based upgrade to emergency vehicle preemption (Glance system) will be deployed to about 270 intersections in an initial phase, covering fire rescue and ambulance units.

Operations and outreach: The county is consolidating fiber communications, mapping county fiber in GIS to avoid construction conflicts, and running more proactive event monitoring for large activities (spring training, PGA, St. Pete Grand Prix). Staff said the traffic control center will adjust weekday operating hours beginning June 1 to better match demand while continuing to respond to incidents and crashes; in January the control center recorded 402 crash responses with rapid operator action.

Commissioner questions: Commissioners praised measurable results but asked about specific trouble spots and ongoing corridor work (for example, Curlew/US‑19 congestion). Staff said the technology is a tool and some corridors will remain congested until larger roadway projects or lane capacity changes are made, but adaptive timing and new detection can reduce delay and improve safety in the meantime.

Ending: Staff committed to sending one‑page performance summaries for each retiming project and quarterly updates to the board and public.