September 2020 – The American Planning Association’s (APA) 2020 Florida Planning Conference was held as a virtual conference September 9 – 11. Jay Collins, AICP served as the Conference Awards Chair. Beth Alden, AICP and Melissa Dickens, AICP presented on Equitable Public Engagement Strategies and Planning for Women in Florida, respectively. Missed a session you…
Johnny Wong, PhD | Principal Planner | Tenure: 4 years Johnny Wong works as a Principal Planner for the MPO managing the Data & Analytics and Smart Cities programs. Johnny has been happily working for the MPO for four years and has been invited to participate in several notable plans like the 2045 Long Range…
Jerid McAdoo | Planning and Mapping Technician | Tenure: 1 year Jerid McAdoo is a Planning and Mapping Technician with the Comprehensive Plan Review Team where he assists with amendment intake through final adoption. He is currently working on the maps for two Tampa Neighborhood Commercial Corridor Studies, the Main Street and Bay-to-Bay studies. Jerid…
September 2020 – On August 27, the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) voted unanimously to transmit the One Water Chapter for state and regional review, the last step in the plan amendment process prior to adoption. At this stage, state and regional agencies will provide review and comment on the document. Following this…
September 2020 – There are a few factors that make our Annual Planning & Design Awards so special. As important as the great work being done throughout Hillsborough County is the jury selected from outside of Hillsborough County who bring a wealth of planning and design experience to the jury table. Meet this year’s jury!…
September 2020 – At the Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) meeting on June 10, Mr. Hoyt Prindle shared a draft resolution on racial discrimination which supports peaceful protests and ending racial discrimination in transportation. Mr. Prindle’s draft included edits by CAC members. At the same meeting, the CAC subcommittee on Racial Discrimination and Equity was formed…
September 2020 – It’s time for the Vision Zero Leadership Summit! The Hillsborough Metropolitan Planning Organization and Vision Zero Hillsborough are hosting the virtual summit on Tuesday, September 22 from 9 a.m. – noon via GotoWebinar. Register to hear panel discussions on better uses of law enforcement resources to deter the most dangerous traffic behaviors,…
September 2020 – Three workshops that are free and open to the public will be held virtually in October. They are being offered by the MPO for learning about and discussing managing lanes for transportation efficiency and fairness. The featured speaker will be Todd Litman, founder and executive director of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute,…
September 2020 – The Hillsborough Metropolitan Planning Organization’s first Smart Cities Mobility Plan is currently underway. Smart Cities technologies can improve safety on the network of roads and reduce congestion without the hefty price tag of more traditional improvements. The Plan will involve identifying and classifying mature and emergent technologies, such as real-time adjustment of…
September 2020 – Beth Alden, AICP, MPO Executive Director, participated in the Houston AQ webinar on Health & Highways: Impacts of Transportation Infrastructure on Communities hosted by Air Alliance Houston, LINK Houston, and Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research. The panelists consisted of local and national experts who discussed how transportation infrastructure projects, like…
September 2020 – Urban Rivers, a 501(3)c non-profit organization, is proposing living shoreline enhancements along the Hillsborough River. In recent years several areas of the lower Hillsborough River were enhanced with living shorelines or other restored habitats which not only beautified the river but provided wildlife habitat and water cleansing benefits. These include USF Park,…
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…
