November 2020 – Throughout the course of history, racial discrimination has been evident in transportation and land use planning. In Hillsborough County, neighborhood clearing was manifested in the construction of I-275 and I-4 which were used to divide African American communities and eliminate the Central Avenue Business District. After a wave of protests for racial…

November 2020 – On Thursday, November 19 several Plan Hillsborough staff participated in the Great American Teach-In, held virtually due to the pandemic. Our staff presented to 16 classes of high schoolers at Tampa Bay Tech on how technology can change transportation. Many of the students were excited about the possibilities of Smart Public Safety…

November 2020 – The Bureau of Economics and Business Research (BEBR) recently released the highly anticipated 2020 population estimates by jurisdiction. BEBR was founded in 1930 and, amongst many other things, produces the state’s official population estimates and projections. This is essentially the “soft-opening” of the Census 2020 data release season. As we (can’t!) wait…

November 2020 – November 4, 5, and 7 saw a series of virtual and in-person open houses with the public in Wimauma and Balm. Attended by approximately 150 people, the meetings consisted of presentations of the study recommendations, and provided a forum for residents, business owners and other interested parties to ask questions about the…

November 2020 – It was an emotional day for the attendees who came out to recognize the annual World Day of Remembrance of Road Traffic Victims. Vision Zero Hillsborough, partner agencies, and members of the community observed the 200+ families and victims that have been killed in traffic crashes this year. The event took place…

November 2020 – The Hillsborough County Vision Zero Corridor Study surveys wrapped up at the end of September. The study focused on the top eight High Injury Network (HIN) corridors with the greatest number of fatalities and serious injuries per mile: Mango Road/CR579 (MLK Boulevard to US 92) 78th Street (Causeway Boulevard to Palm River…

November 2020 – Plan Hillsborough continues to work on enhancing resiliency in Hillsborough County through planning and collaboration with its local partners. Tropical Storm Eta has passed, but the 2020 hurricane season does not end until November 30. It’s not too soon to consider a plan for the next hurricane season! You can share your…

November 2020 – Allison Yeh and Gena Torres, Executive Planners for the Hillsborough MPO, participated in the 2020 Annual Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations (AMPO) Conference that took place October 26-30. AMPO is a transportation advocate for metropolitan regions and is committed to enhancing MPOs’ abilities to improve metropolitan transportation systems. Allison had the opportunity…

The Hillsborough County Independent Oversight Committee (IOC) was created in 2019 to oversee spending of the penny tax for transportation projects. The main functions of the IOC are to provide a transparent process by reviewing an audit of the proceeds to ensure compliance with applicable laws and statutes; approve Agency Project Plans; prepare an annual…

November 2020 – Gone are the days when the lower river was a stagnant backwater without any water flowing down from the middle river. The Lower Hillsborough River running through Tampa is once again healthy for wildlife and recreation. This is in no small part due to the establishment of a regulatory minimum flow of…