The Tampa Bay Transportation Planning Organization board on voice vote adopted the agency’s 2025 safety performance targets after staff presented a marked reduction in roadway fatalities for calendar year 2024.

Connor Trejos McDonald, TPO staff, said the region saw a drop from 236 fatalities in prior reporting to 157 in 2024 and recommended targets that would hold calendar‑year fatalities at no more than 156 and a five‑year rolling average at no more than 204. McDonald described the targets as a hybrid approach informed by recent trends, model projections and available funding.

The targets include numeric limits for annual fatalities, fatality rate (per 100 million vehicle miles traveled), motorcycle fatalities and non‑motorized fatality and serious injury totals. McDonald said VMT (vehicle miles traveled) figures are provided by FDOT and that some local extrapolation is used to estimate recent volumes.

Board members praised the improvement but urged caution. Commissioner Cohen said the board ‘‘all wish the target could be zero’’ but asked whether the drop reflects sustained policy gains or an anomaly. Dr. Wong, TPO executive director, said he is optimistic the region’s focus on Vision Zero and programming of shovel‑ready safety projects has contributed and that the TPO will conduct before‑and‑after studies to measure effect.

Several members asked staff to produce more disaggregated analysis by location and time of day, and to clarify inclusion of modes such as electric scooters and e‑bikes in non‑motorized counts. Staff agreed to bring a high‑level segmentation of the data and to consider a focused motorcycle safety study.

Council member Maniscalco moved to approve the targets; Council member Clendenin seconded. The motion passed by voice vote with ayes and no nays recorded.

The board’s adoption sets the region’s official safety benchmarks for 2025 and will guide project prioritization in the TIP and LRTP. Staff said a more detailed data presentation can be provided to the board in April or May prior to TIP decisions.