Connecting Tampa Bay Residents to Jobs & opportunities
Focus Areas: Transportation
We are a fast-growing, vibrant region with an estimated 500,000+ new residents moving to Tampa Bay by 2030.
A collaborative, regional approach to transportation planning and operations is critical to improving connectivity and transit options. The Partnership is focused on making it easier, faster, and more affordable for our residents to access jobs and opportunity throughout the entire region through policy positions, and the convening and activating of regional stakeholders.
Data Highlights
5.49
Pedestrian and cyclist safety declined, with fatalities increasing to 5.49 per 100,000 residents. Tampa Bay is remains over 2 times the national average, but this can be attributed to worsening safety throughout the nation..
(Source: 2026 Regional Competitiveness Report)
10.53%
The share of drivers with one-hour-plus commutes increased from 10.49% to 10.53%, representing more than 219,000 individuals.
(Source: 2026 Regional Competitiveness Report)
6.39
Transit ridership increased slightly from 6.39 per capita to 6.60 per capita. Our ranking remains in 19th place.
(Source: 2026 Regional Competitiveness Report)
13.70%
Tampa Bay residents, on average, spend 13.70% of their income on transportation. This can include transit usage, automobile ownership, and/or automobile usage costs.
(Source: 2026 Regional Competitiveness Report) .
29.26 minutes
On average, Tampa Bay residents spend over 29 minutes commuting from home to work. Commutes have gotten worse over time, likely due to increased net migration and relocation of residents to outlying counties farther from job centers in the urban core.
(Source: 2026 Regional Competitiveness Report)
Transportation Working Group
35
Members From
27
Organizations
The Working Group is formed of professionals from the investor organizations who have a passion for addressing transportation issues. Often they have prior experience in the field, and bring insights based on their backgrounds that help build momentum towards Partnership goals.
Key Highlights
Served as a founding contributor to Hillsborough County’s All for Transportation referendum in 2018 and 2022, and the 2018 legal defense fund to support its passage.
Expediting the funding and timeline for the Westshore Interchange.
Helped bring the St. Petersburg SunRunner to life.
Advocated on behalf of Brightline Trains to secure significant federal funding.
Aided in the successful passage of the Hillsborough County Community Investment Tax (CIT) renewal. The Partnership worked behind the scenes, sharing resources, publishing an op-ed, galvanizing organizational support, and contributing funds to a voter education campaign. All were influential in helping to pass the renewal.
Successfully advocated for a $23.4 million RAISE grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation for repairs and modernization of the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) Heavy Maintenance Facility.
Galvanized ~100 business leaders around advocacy efforts seeking the return of revenue from the 2018 Hillsborough County Tax Referendum back to the Hillsborough County community for local road and transportation needs. These efforts facilitated the return of 50% of the $580M collected.
Provided leadership and advocacy to improve regional collaboration on transportation and transit planning, including through the implementation of a regional Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas counties.
Successfully advocated for $1.75M in USDOT funding for the Regional Infrastructure Accelerator (RIA) program. Developed a new partnership with the RIA Office as a trusted regional entity.
Related Research
The Need For Regional Transportation Governance In Tampa Bay
Transit-oriented Development and Value Capture: A Study of Best Practices for the Tampa Bay region
The Connection Between Jobs And Transit in Tampa Bay
Focus Areas
