by David Chapman
Staff Writer
From the White House to City Council, Election Day marked changes within many political offices across the U.S. and Northeast Florida.
Now, some of those changes have caused a delay in the discussion of the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) potentially going forward on a regional transportation authority.
Six members of the North Florida TPO – Clay County Commissioner George Bush, former St. Augustine/St. Johns Airport Authority board member Randy Brunson, Nassau County Commissioner Jim Higginbotham, Neptune Beach Mayor Dick Brown, Nassau County Highway Ocean and Port Authority seat Danny Leeper and recently indicted St. Johns County Commissioner Tom Manuel – are no longer able to serve on the board.
Bush is term limited out of office; Brunson and Brown were unsuccessful in their campaigns for St. Johns County Commissioner and City Council at-large, respectively; Manuel has currently been replaced by St. Johns County Commission Chair Cyndi Stevenson; and Leeper was elected Nassau County Commissioner, but could return pending the Commission’s choice for representation.
Only one new appointment – St. Augustine/St. Johns Airport Authority seat Jack Gorman for Brunson – has been made and the high turnover led acting Chair and Council member Art Graham to encourage members to put off talks until the yet-appointed new members could be brought up to speed on the discussion.
The motion was unanimously approved.
The agenda item was to be a discussion for consideration of a regional transportation authority with recommendations including compilation of board membership; the invitation to Baker, Flagler and Putnam counties to join the authority; and the implementation of North Florida TPO’s long range and priority projects.
For now, though, the discussion is on hold.
Both North Florida TPO Executive Director Denise Bunnewith and Graham suggested a proper time to revisit the situation could be January, when the organization is scheduling a retreat in place of its normal meeting and should have its newly appointed board members in place.
The next meeting will be held Dec. 11 at the organization’s 1022 Prudential Drive office, when new officers will be elected.
Other news from the North Florida TPO monthly meeting Thursday:
• Discussion over use of $4.4 million identified by the Florida Department of Transportation for road projects associated to the Port were not unanimous. North Florida TPO and Port officials were in favor of the money being allocated solely for interchange improvements at the entrance of Port Authority facilities, while members of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority wanted the funds to be evenly dispersed among the Port interchange improvements. The board voted in favor of the entrance improvements.
• The organization approved a reallocation of $20,000 during its 2008–09 and $10,000 in its 2009–10 fiscal years to fund a Web-based Interactive Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP). The money, which was designated for general consulting on the project, will be used to develop a public user-friendly online program that will display maps and reports from the organization. A similar program has been established in Volusia County.
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