HART

HART says it is phasing out its normal paper fare cards as a way to make the boarding process quicker and more efficient.

Route 1 has 56 stops and runs from USF to downtown Tampa.

The buses are washed and repaired each night at the 44-year-old building, which has had its fair share of problems, including flooding, cramped space and mechanic bays with stifling heat.

Many pots of money, such as ride fares, were larger than projected, while operating cost expenses were lower.

HART's budget is on par with cities like Bridgeport, Connecticut and Buffalo, New York that each serve roughly 1.5 million fewer people.

David Green discusses the hardships the organization faced in recent years, and what would need to change if a similar effort were to take shape.

The initial version of the bill, filed by Zephyrhills Republican Sen. Danny Burgess, brought up exploring the potential dissolution of HART within its first few sentences, and mentioned it seven times throughout the legislation’s language.

The board voted Tuesday to pay Le Grand roughly $90,000 along with two months of health benefits, with her resigning the position immediately.

The report from an outside attorney described a culture at HART that lacks effective leadership, organizational morale, and experiences too much turnover.

The bills only reference the possibility of dissolving HART, or the "transfer of governance" of its responsibilities, without describing where the agency's roles would be transferred.

A bill filed by State Sen. Danny Burgess would have the state Department of Transportation explore merging the entities, while also looking into the pros and cons of dissolving HART.

An investigation into whether Le Grand fostered a hostile work environment is expected to be completed in two weeks.