A potential bill slated for the 2024 Florida Legislative session would make notable changes to the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority.
During a PSTA committee meeting this week, some of the transit authority's members shared their concerns.
Pinellas Republican Representative Linda Chaney is crafting the draft legislation, which would trim the number of board members from 15 to nine, and completely alter how they're appointed.
According to the latest amendment change, four members would be selected by Pinellas County commissioners, one each would be decided from St. Petersburg and Clearwater officials, while two more would come from the rest of the county's cities and towns. Florida's governor would appoint the final member.
PSTA Chief Financial Officer Debbie Leous says she doesn't know how the reduction of the board's size helps the authority, but she sees the benefit to the board’s current structure.
"It does provide us with I think, a really good diverse amount of people, backgrounds, interests, and of course, it represents a lot of municipalities and cities we serve. And it's something that could potentially be lost here,” Leous said.
PSTA External Affairs Officer Bob Lasher reminded members during a committee meeting earlier this week that the board consisted of nine members nearly two decades ago.
"Back in 2004 2005, when we had nine members on the board and then expanded to 15, the whole idea behind that was we had 21 municipalities that are part of PSTA paying into it, but they really didn't have representation on the board,” Lasher said. “That's why it was expanded, so that everybody had a representative and a voice.”
The bill would also make a host of other changes, including:
- Stripping “street railway, elevated railway, and subway” from the authority’s definition of “Public Transit”
- Restricting PSTA from any lane elimination or bus lane allocation without a supermajority vote by the board and approval by the Pinellas Board of County Commissioners, and preventing anyone or any office from being designated to work on bus lane allocation or lane elimination.
- Limiting the authority from acquiring, selling, leasing or transferring of property without the approval of the Pinellas Board of County Commissioners
- Changing the experience requirements for PSTA’s CEO to 10 years or management level experience in the public or private sector, with at least three years of transit experience
- Restricting PSTA from offering free fares without approval from the county commission, with an exception for veterans
- Banning any bus wrapping, tint, or advertisement “of a political, social or ideological nature,” unless it’s something that applies to veterans or under the list of Florida’s acknowledged holidays
- Monitoring ridership and performance metrics
- Adopting a mission statement
The draft proposal would need to be approved by the Pinellas County State Delegation on Nov. 29, before it can go to Tallahassee before the House and Senate.
