The Metropolitan Transportation Planning Organization recently voted to rebrand to the Gainesville and Alachua County Transportation Planning Organization, reflecting its recent expansion to serve all of Alachua County.
The organization, which oversees urban transportation planning projects such as designing roads, previously only served Gainesville and some unincorporated parts of Alachua County.
The change also reflects the organization’s new status as a transportation management area. This is a status given by the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration to metropolitan planning organizations that serve populations of 200,000 or more.
The new name was voted on at a Feb. 2 Alachua County Commission meeting. To understand the effects of this rebranding, it is necessary to understand what this new status means and what the Gainesville and Alachua County Transportation Planning Organization does.
The Gainesville and Alachua County Transportation Planning Organization is a metropolitan planning organization. These organizations act as coordination agencies between the federal, state and local governments, according to the Gainesville and Alachua County Transportation Planning Organization’s executive director, Anoch Whitfield.
Metropolitan planning organizations decide the best way to allocate federal funds to create safe, continuous and comprehensive transportation systems. They help planning for various modes of transportation, including roads, ships and air travel.
The Gainesville and Alachua County Transportation Planning Organization also acts as a neutral body between the county and city governments, said Whitfield.
For instance, state roads, county roads and city roads all fall under different government jurisdictions. Each type of government acts independently and will have its own plans to maintain and improve these roads.
The Gainesville and Alachua County Transportation Planning Organization’s role is to bring each of these government levels together to coordinate their plans, which helps improve the overall quality of transportation systems.
“Our role is to look at what everyone is doing so that money can be spent more efficiently and in the areas that need it most,” said Whitfield.
The organization is governed by a board of directors. The board includes commissioners from both the City of Gainesville and Alachua County. There are also representatives from the Alachua County Public Schools’ board and Gainesville Regional Airport.
Why did they change their name?
In June of 2023, the Federal Transit Administration and Federal Highway Administration announced that all urbanized areas with more than 200,000 people were considered transportation management areas.
Since the Metropolitan Transportation Planning Organization expanded to include all of Alachua County, it fell under this designation. Whitefield and the organization’s board of directors voted to rebrand to reflect this change, and to signal a fresh start for the organization.
“We wanted to have a name that was inclusive of the entire county,” said Whitfield.
This new status means that the Gainesville and Alachua County Transportation Planning Organization has more reporting responsibilities and is eligible for more funding from the federal government.
Funding is calculated based on the population of the area that the metropolitan planning organization serves. The Gainesville and Alachua County Transportation Planning Organization’s planning funds are capped at roughly $1.6 million for the next two years, said Whitfield.
To remain eligible for this funding, it must develop and implement a Unified Planning Work Program for the next two years, according to a press release from Alachua County. This plan will outline transportation priorities and costs for Alachua County.
There are seven areas the organization is required to spend money on, according to Whitfield. These include administration, data collection, a transportation improvement plan, a long-range transportation plan and public involvement systems.
The organization’s new coverage will be helpful for previously uncovered areas in Alachua County, said Whitfield.
Prior to the organization’s shift, several rural areas in Alachua County did not fall under any metropolitan planning organization. This is similarly true for rural areas throughout the state of Florida, as there are only 27 metropolitan planning organizations in Florida’s 67 counties. These areas mainly receive funding directly from the state.
“It’s my responsibility to make sure that the entire county’s needs are being met,” said Whitfield.
The new status also changed the makeup of the organization’s board of directors. There is now a voting seat for a rural community representative. This representative represents members from areas including Alachua, Waldo, Hawthorne, Newberry, High Springs and Micanopy. The seat is currently filled by Monique Taylor, a Waldo City Council member.
The new boundaries also mean that residents from anywhere in Alachua County can sit in and speak at meetings of the board of directors.
“The [Florida state] statutes have a specific definition for affected parties,” said Whitfield. “But now basically everyone in the county can be considered an affected party.”
The Gainesville and Alachua County Transportation Planning Organization will continue to draft its future working plan for the next two fiscal years. It will also continue to amend its current working plan.
These amendments and drafts will be reviewed by the Gainesville and Alachua County Transportation Planning Organization advisory committees before being looked at by the Gainesville and Alachua County Transportation Planning Organization board, according to an Alachua County press release.
These advisory boards include the Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Board and the Technical Advisory Committee, which will meet Feb. 17, and the Citizen Advisory Board, which will meet Feb. 18.
The organization is also planning to build out in different ways. Whitfield is planning to hire people to fill four new positions to help with the work required to serve a larger area.
She is also looking to find a new physical space. The Gainesville and Alachua County Transportation Planning Organization is currently based out of the Alachua County Administration Annex building, but she is hoping to find a new office to accommodate the growing staff.
Her larger goal is to move people and goods safely throughout the county, helping both residents and visitors to the area.
“My vision is that this TPO grows and becomes an asset to the city and county and the small communities,” said Whitfield.