August 2020 – “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today of its strength.” — Corrie ten Boom As we face continued pandemic and bad economic news from the last three months (Q2 2020), it may help to take a longer view. Fortunately, the July Economic Estimating Conference – Florida Economy report…
August 2020 – On Thursday, September 3rd from 8:30 am – 9:45 am, join a tapestry of top Tampa Bay real estate and land use organizations for an important conversation about race, equity, and real estate. Leading equity expert and keynote speaker, Charles T. Brown, MPA, CPD, LCI, senior researcher and adjunct professor at the…
Felicia Pulliam | Financial Manager | Tenure: 23 years Felicia started working at the Planning Commission in April 1997 as an Accountant I and is now the Financial Manager for the Hillsborough County Planning Commission and MPO. She creates and maintains both agency’s budgets and submits them to the county annually. She is also responsible for…
Gena Torres | Executive Planner | Tenure: 26 years Gena Torres is an Executive Planner with the Hillsborough Metropolitan Planning Organization. After graduating from the University of South Florida, she has spent the past 30 years working to make the streets of Tampa and surrounding communities safer. She has tackled the challenge of turning around…
August 2020 – Approximately 140 rarely seen geo-referenced aerial photographs are now available to researchers and the general public via a new Planning Commission story map. The Oblique Aerials Browser provides access to high-resolution Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) images documenting Tampa’s changing post-war urban landscape prior to the development of the 1960s. Many of…
August 2020 – The State of Florida’s Demographic Estimating Conference recently announced that, due to the pandemic, Florida’s Population for 2025 will be 200,139 fewer people than originally projected in December of 2019. This announcement raises the thorny issue of population projections in the era of COVID-19. How can we prepare population projections in a…
August 2020 – The Hillsborough MPO recently published the 2020 Ride Guide which contains information about transportation services offered throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas Counties. The local coordinating boards for these counties coordinate transportation services with the goal of improving the quality of life and transportations needs for children, the elderly, and other citizens who…
August 2020 – The Vision Zero Progress Report (2018–2020) highlights the great strides our community has taken over the last two years towards reducing traffic injury and deaths. The report recognizes specific projects and programs that show data-backed success at improving safety, and others that have influenced behavior where the number of lives saved may…
August 2020 – The MPO initiated a transit study this year to explore the needs and feasibility of implementing transit service to Plant City to serve the residents and fulfill their daily needs and provide access to jobs and recreation. This study is conducted in partnership with Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART) and will analyze…
August 2020 – Speed is the number one factor in whether a person will survive a traffic crash or be involved in one. With the concerning numbers of people being hurt and killed on roadways in Hillsborough County, several approaches are needed to reduce injuries and deaths. This is why the Hillsborough MPO sponsored a…
August 2020 – Tampa City Council Chair Guido Maniscalco represented the City of Tampa on the Hillsborough River Interlocal Planning Board for four years. Councilmember Maniscalco diligently served the residents of Tampa on the River Board, always noting the importance of the river to the City and its residents. While the River Board is sad…
