Regional Metropolitan Planning Organization

Three counties image, Pinellas, Pasco and Hillsborough.

What is the Proposed Tampa Bay MPO?

Consideration is underway to merge the region’s Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) of Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco Counties into a single Tampa Bay MPO. Formation of the Tampa Bay MPO would create a tri-county council of city and county elected officials to agree on plans and priorities for funding major roads, rapid transit, greenway trails and other transportation improvements.

Quarterly Progress Reports

As Forward Pinellas, the Hillsborough TPO and Pasco County MPO continue to investigate a regional MPO for Tampa Bay, regular progress reports on the work recently completed, ongoing and upcoming will be provided.

January 2025 Report
April 2025 Report
July 2025 Report
October 2025 Report
January 2026 Report

Frequently Asked Questions

If you wish to participate in the regional MPO discussions, you may attend the Transportation Management Area Leadership Group meetings, which are convened quarterly. We encourage public participation in the ongoing conversations. Each meeting has a public comment period on the agenda. In addition, you may request a presentation to a community group or organization on the topic and MPO staff will be available to come to a meeting and engage in discussions about regional transportation and next steps in the process. Further details can be found at this link under TMA Leadership Group: Suncoast Transportation Planning Alliance (SCTPA). 

This has been a continuing dialogue for nearly 40 years. The three Tampa Bay area MPOs were created in the 1970s when Florida experienced rapid growth, and the Legislature adopted a growth management framework based on local government comprehensive plans. Transportation funding was a key component of that framework, and county-based MPOs helped direct dollars to projects that helped local governments meet those growth challenges. In addition, Regional Planning Councils had authority to review “developments of regional impact” and require substantial transportation investments by developers to help ensure adequate road infrastructure. That growth management framework largely ended more than a decade ago, resulting in calls for the MPOs to take a stronger regional focus. Since 1992, in response to official State of Florida direction to merge or demonstrate reasons why the region’s MPOs should not become one entity, the Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas MPOs have periodically explored and evaluated the potential of merging into one consolidated MPO to strengthen regional transportation planning efforts. They have usually cited differences in geography, demographics, and transportation needs to justify remaining separate. The MPOs have participated in studies and case study research documenting a variety of coordination frameworks allowing for enhanced regional collaboration and support for regionally significant transportation projects. This current effort recognizes that history and seeks to improve on how the region grows and adapts to change.

The forthcoming MPO Merger Study seeks to comprehensively evaluate the pros and cons of consolidating the MPOs of Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas into a single organization. Transportation funding from federal and state sources is often highly competitive, and tapping into those funds for larger projects often requires a collective voice reflecting efforts to work collaboratively on the region’s priorities. Merging the three MPOs may enhance the effectiveness of our shared regional and local transportation needs and strengthen the advocacy for advancing state and federally funded projects. It may also help the region align long-term efforts around housing affordability, economic opportunity, and transportation investment in all three counties. The full scope of potential benefits will be documented through completion of the study and made available to the public and local decision makers to inform the next steps. 

The current timeline indicates that the regional merger could be scheduled for implementation on July 1, 2027, which is the beginning of the state’s fiscal year. That schedule reflects the time entailed for the management and legal analysis of the proposed merger to conclude with recommendations on how to proceed, and the time it will take to create and approve the regional planning documents necessary for a new regional MPO to be certified and redesignated to serve the three-county Tampa-St. Petersburg urban area. While the schedule may change, the MPO staff directors expect that we remain aligned with that milestone objective to be consistent with the feasibility report submitted to the Florida Legislature and Governor in 2023 at their request.

If the MPOs of Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas were to be merged, the size of the MPO Board would be determined by agreement of the affected units of general-purpose local government and with approval by the Governor of Florida. Generally speaking, the voting membership of an MPO Board is established in Florida State Statute 339.175(3)a, which currently requires at least five but not more than 25 members apportioned by population. The exact number is determined on an equitable geographic-population ratio basis.  

While a final determination has not been made, there appears to be consensus among the three MPO boards that a regional MPO consisting of 25 members would be better able to reflect the Tampa Bay region’s diversity. Of those 25 voting seats, using the 2020 Census population as a basis, 11 would come from Hillsborough County, eight from Pinellas County, and four from Pasco County. The remaining two seats would be given to executive-level staff of the Tampa International Airport and Port Tampa Bay, recognizing their regional role in providing passenger and freight transportation. That consensus will be reviewed and confirmed through the upcoming merger study, along with how each county will allocate seats among its member local governments. Furthermore, each decennial Census requires an MPO to reevaluate its apportionment plan to reflect changes in population over time. 

Assuming that there is a final agreement to merge the existing MPOs of Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas into one consolidated transportation planning agency, the designation of a newly merged MPO by the federal government would result in a net elimination of two government agencies. This may lead to an increase in efficiencies for transportation planning across the region. All three existing MPOs are currently hosted by local governments, with a staff services agreement in place to support the MPO staff logistically and financially, pending federal reimbursement for expenses. The host local governments, i.e., Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission (Plan Hillsborough), Pasco County Government, and the Pinellas Planning Council (d/b/a Forward Pinellas) would continue to function as allowed under state law.

No. One of the goals of a potential merger is to build the collective strength of the region’s transportation network to better keep up with the growth that has occurred and is expected to continue. That takes building and sustaining relationships across the region, uniting different constituencies around transportation plans and priorities. A regional MPO will need to build consensus and advance transportation projects that are responsive to the needs of different places and communities, whether they be in the urban core areas or in fast-growth outlying areas. 

MPOs are required by federal law to have a forum for citizens in the planning area and technical staff from local government agencies and transportation providers to advise the governing board. Under state law, they also must have a Local Coordinating Board for the Transportation Disadvantaged program. MPOs may choose to form other committees, such as bicycle and pedestrian advisory committees, safety task forces, and others. The merger process will explore options for ensuring that those committees work for the needs of the region, where meetings would occur, and how accessible those meetings would be to the public. This will be an important consideration for the new MPO structure and how it serves the Tampa Bay region. 

The three counties and their respective MPOs operate within the same designated urban area, which is typically served by one MPO. However, there are sometimes multiple designated urban areas within a single MPO’s planning boundary. The MPOs have historically made the case they should be separate due to different geographic, demographic, and transportation needs. Since 1992 and as recently as 2023, the Governor and Florida Legislature have urged the Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas County MPOs to consider merging. In 2023, HB 425 passed into law and required the three MPOs to submit a feasibility report on the merger by the end of the year. The Legislature is also looking at the Lee County and Collier County MPOs for a possible merger and may be examining other MPOs statewide for potential consolidation. 

This is to be determined. It would be logical for the MPO staff and board meetings to be located in a geographically accessible location, but that location may depend on whether the MPO is hosted by an existing local government or an independent agency. The merger study will explore options that consider how best the MPO can support regional and local transportation issues in each of the three counties, perhaps even having some of its staff embedded within county-based planning organizations.

Each MPO today has a very different financial structure based on local hosting arrangements. There will be certain start-up costs and operating costs associated with forming a new regional MPO, which will depend on whether the MPO remains hosted, is independent, or set up in some other fashion. The feasibility report estimated as much as $5 million may be needed to form the new MPO if it is an independent organization with its own office and meeting space. That estimate will be reviewed and refined based on different assumptions and areas of consensus. In addition, local sources of revenue need to be in place to cover staff salaries and other operating expenses until reimbursed by federal funds each quarter. The merger study will explore different potential local funding options to cover those short-term expenses, as well as to provide more flexible funding to help the regional MPO carry out its mission effectively. 

Meaningful public participation and community engagement is the cornerstone of an effective MPO. It’s a challenge to do that well from a geographically remote office. A regional MPO will need to be creative and strategic in its public participation plan and engagement activities. The merger study will examine best practices and explore options for how best a regional MPO can ensure the public in all kinds of communities is equitably and fairly represented in decisions concerning transportation investments.  

At this point, there is no reason to think a merger would require additional taxes. A merged MPO would not commit any agency, whether it be state, regional, or local, to raise taxes or levy new taxes. An MPO in Florida does not have the ability to raise any taxes by itself. A decision about increased transportation funding, which has been placed before the voters in each county in prior years, requires local government approval, not MPO approval. 

The merger itself would not have a direct effect on funding transportation maintenance and operations, which generally falls under the responsibility of a general use government (city or county) or a transportation provider. MPOs have responsibilities for directing federal and state funding for transportation to projects that they choose as priorities for funding, and mostly entail capital spending for roads, bridges, transit vehicles, traffic signals, bike lanes, safety projects, etc. This could include maintenance of a capital facility. A regional MPO may be an effective champion for calling attention to operational and maintenance needs and could help build consensus among local governments to make those needs more of a priority. 

Current Status

In 2023, Forward Pinellas, the Hillsborough TPO and Pasco County MPO signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreeing to investigate the formation, organization and governance structure of a new regional MPO to serve the urban area of Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties. A report was also submitted to the Florida Legislature on the potential merger.

In 2024, the Transportation Management Area (TMA) Leadership Group approved a scope of services to assist the staff and boards of the three MPOs in creating a staffing, management and procedural framework to fulfill the responsibilities of a federally designated MPO.

A Request for Proposals to fulfill the scope of services was published in February 2025. Following the Request for Proposals release and process for consultant selection, the Hillsborough TPO entered into an agreement with Whitehouse Group August 13, 2025. Whitehouse Group and its consulting team will provide support for exploring options for creating a regional MPO and make recommendations on how that MPO could be organized and operate.

On August 25, 2025, TPO staff held a kickoff meeting with the consultant team. On November 14, 2025, officials from throughout Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties are invited to participate in a workshop to discuss representation and Board membership. In December, the TMA Leadership Group discussed the November workshop and upcoming steps for early 2026. As the work progresses, updates will continue to be provided.

Related Documents & Presentations

Tampa Bay MPO Flyer
Status and Next Steps Presentation, January 2025
Regional MPO Principals’ Workshop Invitation: November 14, 2025 from 12:30pm-3:00pm
November 14, 2025 Regional MPO Principals’ Workshop Agenda
Regional MPO Principals’ Workshop Fact Sheets
Regional MPO Employee Survey Report
Draft Summary Organizational Structure Board and Committees
Draft Summary Organizational Structure Contracts and Agreements
Draft Summary Organizational Structure Financials
Draft Summary Organizational Structure Staffing and Management

Stay Informed

For more information visit the Sun Coast Transportation Planning Alliance.

Contact

Sarah Caper, AICP, Transportation Planning Organization
352-834-1355 | [email protected]

Accessibility

Persons needing assistance reading or interpreting items in this document, free of charge, are encouraged to contact the ADA Coordinator at (813) 272-5940 or [email protected]. Plan Hillsborough (the Planning Commission, the Hillsborough TPO, and the Hillsborough River Board) cannot ensure accessibility for items produced by other agencies or organizations.

Nondiscrimination

Plan Hillsborough (the Planning Commission, Hillsborough TPO, and Hillsborough River Board) assures that no person shall, on the grounds of race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, income, religion, familial status, or disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination or retaliation under any agency activity or program. Learn more about our commitment to nondiscrimination and diversity. For more information contact our Civil Rights Officer at (813) 946-5334 or [email protected].

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Plan Hillsborough 2026