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Residents press commission on paratransit as city approves federally funded RTS solar canopy
Summary
At a public hearing on the Regional Transit System program, a resident urged a town hall and restoration of door-to-door paratransit and evacuation service; commissioners and RTS staff said the solar canopy is federally funded to generate power for the RTS building and could reduce operating costs. The commission approved the solar canopy RFP award and program-of-projects authorizations.
A resident urged the Gainesville City Commission to hold ongoing town halls on paratransit and to restore door‑to‑door and hurricane‑evacuation services during public comment at the April 16 meeting, while commissioners voted to authorize transit grant applications and to award a federally funded solar canopy project intended to lower RTS operating costs.
The public commenter, identified in the record as a resident, told the commission that paratransit riders are being stranded, that tickets remain unresolved and that some programs previously provided by MV (an earlier vendor) — including an evacuation program — are not being offered. The commenter said repeated requests for a dedicated public forum on paratransit had gone unanswered and urged monthly town halls and expanded public-comment access. The commenter also contrasted the city’s capital investments with perceived shortfalls in paratransit operations, saying, “there's $4,000,000 for a solar canopy for an employee parking lot ... but there's no money for RTS to honor our tickets.”
Transportation staff answered during the transit program discussion. Jesus Gomez, speaking for the city’s transportation department, described the program-of-projects as an annual list of capital projects the city may apply for under Federal Transit Administration and Florida Department of Transportation funding. Explaining the solar canopy specifically, Gomez said the installation’s primary purpose is generation to reduce the RTS building’s electricity costs: “The main goals on this is is to reduce operating cost so we can put some of those dollars back to service.”
Mayor Harvey L. Ward Jr. also explained the canopy’s intent. “We’re not just building shade structures. We’re building power generation to lower costs, and we’re doing it all with federal money,” he said, adding that the city reports an increase in ADA-supported ridership since transitioning from an outside vendor and that the city has data it reviewed earlier in the day to support operational claims.
Commissioners emphasized grant restrictions and enforcement points. Commissioner Engel supported the solar canopy project but asked that worker-protection and apprenticeship requirements included in the federal grant be enforced during negotiations. Commissioners also noted that much of the large federal transit grant is capital‑only and cannot be reallocated to operating costs, but that electricity savings could produce limited operating benefits in later budget cycles.
The commission approved the RTS program-of-projects for federal FY 2026 and authorized staff to pursue related grant applications. It also approved the RFP award for the solar canopy (RFP RTSX-260018-DS) to Advance Roofing Inc. and authorized the city manager to negotiate and execute an agreement subject to city‑attorney review.
Next steps: Staff will proceed with negotiations under the federal grant terms, including Buy America and grant labor provisions where applicable; the city manager will return executed agreements subject to legal review.
