State senator files bill that would abolish regional transit agency
February 11, 2021 - State Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, has filed a bill that, if passed, would abolish the Tampa Bay Regional Transit Authority. Established in 2007, TBARTA was formed to help plan, develop, fund, implement and operate a regional transit system in Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco and Pinellas counties. Its governing board is made up of mayors, county commissioners, gubernatorial appointees and representatives from municipal transit bodies such as the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority. Brandes’ bill, SB 1130, would see the agency shut down as of July 1 and its assets distributed among the region’s various local governments.