A proposed merger of regional transportation planning bodies is drawing pushback from Pinellas County leaders, who argue the current structure would give Hillsborough County outsized control over billions in future infrastructure decisions.
The debate surfaced publicly during a Forward Pinellas meeting, where officials discussed a plan to combine Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco counties into a single Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), referred to as a Transportation Management Area (TMA).
Under the draft apportionment plan, Hillsborough County would receive 13 of 25 total votes, or 52%, despite representing roughly 48% of the region’s population. Pinellas would hold eight votes, or 32%, closely aligned with its population share, while Pasco would receive four votes, or 16%, below its roughly 19% share…