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 federally‑prescribed population‑based formula allocations. "There is no guarantee of more funding; the formula funding is based on population," Blanton said.

Commissioners asked about who would decide whether the merger goes forward. "Fundamentally, it will be the general purpose local governments" representing at least 75% of the urban area population, Blanton said; he added the governor would have a final role in the process under state direction enacted in 2023. Commissioner Nowicki cautioned that merger is "not a minor administrative reorganization" and pressed staff for examples of projects that failed because of the current MPO structure. Blanton could not point to a single Pinellas project that failed solely because of the current MPO structure; he cited a transit referendum defeat in 2014 as a voters' choice.

Board structure and representation were recurring concerns. Blanton outlined a proposed governing board of 25 members, with 23 elected seats and two reserved for regional entities (Hillsborough County Aviation Authority and the Tampa Port Authority). He described options discussed to ensure small municipalities have a voice — for example, an advisory committee that appoints a voting representative, modeled on an Orlando‑area approach. Commissioners and League of Cities representatives said they wanted explicit structural protections so smaller beach and coastal communities would not be overshadowed.

Operational questions: Blanton outlined practical issues the consultant will study, including a funding mechanism for startup costs (MPOs often rely on federal reimbursements but need a local float), whether the merged MPO should be independent or hosted by a county or authority, and how to maintain links between land‑use and transportation planning — a linkage Forward Pinellas said is strong in Pinellas but may not scale unchanged across the three counties.

Next steps: Forward Pinellas said it has adopted a memorandum of understanding among the three MPOs, submitted a feasibility report in 2023 and will ask a management/legal consultant to evaluate governance options; consultant selection will be forwarded to the TMA leadership group in May and to the Hillsborough TPO in June. Blanton said public outreach and a consultant study would take much of the next year.

What commissioners asked staff to clarify: how small‑city representation would be guaranteed; whether merger could be imposed without all three counties; and whether consolidated governance might shift funding away from local safety and multimodal projects toward larger regionally‑prioritized highway projects. Blanton and commissioners agreed those tradeoffs need more public discussion and that the county should expect further briefings before any formal decision.

Ending: Commissioners did not take a vote. Several members said they would withhold final judgment pending consultant work, more public outreach and a written plan spelling out board composition, voting rules and mechanisms to protect smaller jurisdictions' voice.