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Hernando Citrus MPO adopts safety targets using 1% reduction, ratifies officers and committee appointments
Summary
On Feb. 5, 2026 the Hernando Citrus Metropolitan Planning Organization adopted annual safety performance (PM1) targets using a 1% reduction methodology rather than the statewide Vision Zero target, while also electing officers and ratifying several committee appointments. Board discussion focused on local crash causes, roundabouts and project prioritization.
The Hernando Citrus Metropolitan Planning Organization on Feb. 5, 2026, voted to adopt its annual safety performance measures (PM1) using a 1% reduction methodology from the five-year rolling averages, and ratified officer elections and multiple committee appointments.
Mary Elwin, the MPO coordinator, presented the PM1 data provided by the Florida Department of Transportation and explained the board’s options. Elwin said the MPO “supports FDOT’s Vision 0 target for traffic related fatalities and serious injuries,” but noted the MPO has historically adopted its own targets. She told the board the five-year rolling averages for 2020–2024 showed an average of 67.8 annual fatalities; a fatality rate of 1.78 per 100,000,000 vehicle miles traveled; 504.12 serious injuries; a serious-injury rate of 13.24; and 49.28 non-motorized fatalities and serious injuries. After discussion about feasibility, the board moved and approved adoption of a 1% reduction methodology for this year’s MPO targets.
Board members debated whether growth and congestion or rural high-speed corridors explain Hernando and Citrus counties’ comparatively high fatality numbers. One board member asked staff to provide deeper data next year on the speeds involved in fatal crashes and a breakdown by crash type, including motorcycles, to help the MPO target countermeasures. Elwin said staff will conduct deeper dives and provide additional analysis to the board and committees.
The meeting also included routine business and votes. The board approved the agenda, elected a Hernando County commissioner as chair and a Citrus County representative as vice chair for the MPO’s 2026 officer roster, reappointed representatives to MPO committees and ratified alternates to ensure quorum and voting continuity. Specific reappointments included Jim McLean to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (Citrus) and Jerry Whitted to Hernando County’s Transportation Disadvantaged Local Coordinating Board.
On local safety treatments, both roundabouts and traffic signals were discussed as tools with trade-offs. A member of the public, Mike Casey of Hernando County, urged caution about roundabouts based on his experience in Bend, Oregon. Hernando County Public Works Director Scott Herring advised that road ownership, enforceability and local legal authority influence whether signage or movement restrictions are feasible in a particular location.
The MPO staff also reported that work to update the List of Priority (LOP) projects for 2026 is underway; staff proposed maintaining the existing list’s size while identifying smaller, cost-feasible projects that can be advanced, and moving larger projects to a secondary list pending funding. The board directed staff to return with refined project lists and additional clarifying detail in a future meeting.
The MPO scheduled its next regular meeting for Thursday, March 5, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. at Brooksville City Hall Council Chambers.
