Forward Pinellas outlines plan for three‑county MPO merger; commissioners raise equity and voice concerns

Forward Pinellas representative Whit Blanton updated the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners on plans to explore a merger of the three county MPOs covering Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco counties.

Blanton said the merger study responds to state direction and growth pressures and aims to create a single regional planning body to set transportation spending priorities. "MPOs are a federal creation, but there is a lot of statutory language in Florida statutes that govern MPOs," he told the commission, noting the agency’s role in producing the long‑range plans that set priorities for state and federal funds.

Why it matters: The Tampa Bay region is among the fastest growing in the country, Blanton said, and some large projects compete statewide for discretionary funding. A larger regional MPO could present a single set of priorities to state decision‑makers and strengthen coalition building, he said. But staff and several commissioners stressed the merger would not change…