FPTA DIRECTOR'S LETTER
AUGUST 2007
Wes Watson
The 2007 Fiscal Year for FPTA is rapidly coming to a close. With
the last Board meeting before year’s end nearly on us (August 29th), and our
upcoming Annual (October 21-23) fast approaching, it is time for a quick look
back on the year’s events – and the current state of our association.
We currently have 102 Business Class members, with 30 fixed route bus/rail
systems. In addition, the City of Coral Gables has joined as an associate
member. Every major fixed route system in Florida is an association member, a
claim that few other large state transit associations can make. And FPTA is in
excellent, healthy shape financially.
Things started with last year’s Annual in WPB, hosted by Tri-Rail, PalmTran and
BCT, our first multi-hosted event. It also marked the first time that the
director of a, primarily, rail property, Joe Giulietti, became the FPTA Chair.
Attendance was heavy, as usual, and we had to cut off the number of Exhibitor
requests due to space limitations. One highlight was certainly the Sunday
evening excursion of the DMU rail cars down to the Hard Rock Casino. Another
note of success was the number and amount of Sponsorships which produced an
income for the event much higher than in past years. This is a sure sign of the
attention and respect our event receives among these business representative who
attend these meetings nationally.
Congratulations to our two new Hall of Fame inductees, our old friend Ken
Fischer, former director of VoTran; and former Speaker of the House, Tom
Gustafson.
For your Executive Director the final months of 2006, and going into 2007 were
spent tieing up the financial loose ends of the Annual Conference, attending to
Legislative matters such as Committee meetings and participating in a number of
events representing transit and raising FPTA’s visibility around the state.
The first of these was an FDOT ‘New Corridors” meeting in late November,
discussing potential new transportation corridors around the state. Criteria for
selection, modal involvement, etc., were among the topics discussed in various
working groups. Interestingly, since becoming Governor, Charlie Crist has shown
less inclination to pursue this program than Jeb Bush.
The next of these meetings was a week later before the Florida Transportation
Commission’s “Multi-Modal Summit” in Jacksonville. This was an interactive,
round table discussion at which all the modes were represented. Each of us gave
presentations as to opportunities and future challenges.
This meeting gave rise to a larger event by the Commission in Orlando on
February 12th and 13th. Again, the subject was ‘multi-modalism’, and our Chair,
Joe Giulietti, gave an excellent presentation to a room crowded with public and
private interest groups. The presentation used a CUTR assisted update of a Power
Point presentation I gave to the Legislature several years ago. The presentation
by Joe, and the visuals, were slick and impressive.
Only a week after that, FPTA was invited by the Florida Senate Transportation
Committee to give a similar presentation. We have an excellent relationship with
legislative staff, and are now included in all such events. In fact, due to the
meeting running long, FPTA was the only group invited to give their presentation
at that meeting. Chairman Giulietti used the same visuals, and again, the result
was impressive and elicited several thoughtful questions from the panel.
The whirlwind seemed to continue, as, in March, FPTA continued our annual
“pilgrimage” to Washington, D.C., to present our state, and individual requests
for Earmarks. This was also in conjunction with the APTA Legislative Meeting and
because of this, our attendance was quite good. Due to the controversy around
lobbying, etc., we did not do our usual lunch or reception for Members or Staff
this year.
The D.C. visit’s highlight had to be a last minute opportunity to meet
personally with Senator Bill Nelson. Our group spent nearly a half hour with the
Senator in an excellent ‘give and take’ session. (Since then we have been
contacted several times by Nelson’s staff asking how he might continue to assist
transit in Florida.) After that we also met with Sen. Mel Martinez’ staff, then
our group fanned out to their respective House Members. I spent the remainder of
that day visiting Committee staffs and handing out our (very popular) earmark
booklets.
On returning home, it was a quick two day turnaround for me to get to our Mega-Roadeo
being held in Jacksonville. JTA did its usual excellent job in hosting the event
which I deemed, tongue in cheek, at the award dinner, as the “Rendoll Whidden
Invitational.” BCT’s Whidden again won the Operator’s event, and Lynx took home
the Mechanic’s as well as the All-Around Trophy. Our thanks to Mike Blaylock and
his JTA staff for a job well done.
By that time the Legislative Session was in full swing. Several pages here could
be spent on these activities alone, and have been spelled out in detail in Board
Meeting attachments. However, in summary, though we were not successful on the
large money items ($2 Dollar Rental Car Surcharge, or the Local Option Charter
Co. Sales Tax); several positive items did come through. We got language
specifically stating that connections between modal hubs were eligible for the
Strategic Intermodal System; and, that transit TRIP funds would be treated, for
matching purposes, as TRIP funds for road projects.
And sometimes success can be found in things NOT passed, such as an effort to
require a 50% return from the farebox. Instead, after quite a bit of hard
educational work by a number of our systems, this was changed to supportable
language required in our annual reports to DOT.
Shortly thereafter, a sad time for FPTA, as HARTline director, Ray Miller,
passed away after a long illness. I was glad to be able to get away for a day to
attend the Memorial for Ray in Tampa. I was able to spend a few moments with his
family and express the affection that FPTA’s members had for Ray during his (all
too short) time with us. HART is fortunate to have someone with Steve Roberts
experience to serve in the interim Director’s position.
On May 20th there followed the FPTA and Finance Corporation Board Meetings.
Several significant items came from these. One was a time certain for my
retirement, January, 2011. This will give FPTA ample time to plan for the
transition in terms of both personnel and structure.
But also at those meetings was an impressive milestone for FPTA, With financial
assistance from the FTA Finance Corporation, FPTA will have its own Educational
Endowment with APTA – an annual award to a deserving college student sponsored
by a Florida transit property. FPTA is the only state association having funded
one of six existing APTA Endowments. This will be presented each year at the
APTA Annual beginning in 2008 by someone from FPTA.
With other funds from the Finance Corporation, Florida’s systems will also
participate in a Mechanic’s Apprentice Program, a way to encourage future
vehicle mechanics to go into the transit field. This is a way to meet a growing
problem in filling our needs for attracting and keeping qualified mechanics.
Only a week after the Board meeting was the FDOT/FPTA/CUTR Professional
Development Workshop in Tampa, on June 3rd. The event gets larger and better
every year now, and has found a solid home near the CUTR campus. As I say before
this group every year, FPTA has a unique partnership with CUTR and our FDOT that
few, if any, state associations can match. This unique event is probably where
this best shows up and where no registration fee is required. The registration
number this time were over 250 and the program, as usual, was full and
comprehensive.
In late July, while I was vacation, Linda Watson of Lynx, attended the Florida
for Better Transportation’s Retreat, and did the primary transit segment of that
event. FPTA also sponsored that segment and Linda did her usual great job
representing the transit mode and FPTA.
Since then, there has been a brief time to catch the breath, but already we are
in full swing preparing for the Board Meeting on August 29th, and the Annual
Conference in October. The brochures have been sent out, and we are already
getting in registrations. And all this while the detailed Annual program is not
even fully developed.
..………………………….
A few moments now on our “spin-off” the FTA Finance Corporation
(the FC). Our Pooled Purchase program is unique in the nation to state
associations. As we enter the fourth year of this contract with Gillig, over 500
buses have been purchased – with considerable savings not only on basic prices,
but in administrative costs and time as well.
A recent survey to update our properties’ needs, indicates that we are actually
‘overcommitted’ on several bus sizes as we try to come in as closely as possible
on our projections and contract commitments. Several of our agencies have
purchased equipment in sizes differently than they projected, and we have had
several others participate in the Program that were not in our original
projections. But this is alright as it is, understandably, difficult to make
equipment projections five years in advance with the constantly shifting funding
environment that transit systems endure.
The FC Board will try to meet everyone’s needs in the remaining contract time
(which expires in January of 2009). We are, at the same time, beginning work on
a new bid and contract that will probably overlap the current one, to insure
that everyone’s equipment needs are met. HARTline has volunteered to continue as
our host and to provide the detailed procurement assistance that the FC needs.
The new bid will include hybrids. Also with VoTran as host, we are now
formulating a contract to purchase trolleys.
Even with the $50,000 Endowment to APTA, and a commitment to the Mechanic’s
Apprentice program, the FC remains in excellent financial health. The FC Board
will continue to look for other ways that it can assist the public transit
programs in Florida.
Overall, it has been a good year for the Association, and several major local
successes around the state. Tri-Rail has completed its double tracking project.
The Central Florida Commuter Rail project looks very promising as local
governments show support. Miami-Dade’s rail extensions, the upgrading of the
Metro-Mover, and continuation of the Miami Intermodal Center project also
continue.
Many other local successes have been mentioned in our Newsletters, and our
Membership Directory continues to be used and appreciated around the state, and
by our Business Class, particularly.
Some individual recognitions are in order. First to Lynx’, Linda Watson, for her
position as Chair of the Transportation Research Board’s Executive Committee;
Joe Giulietti for the receiving the highest award from COMTO (Conference of
Minority Transportation Officials; and to Mr. Harpal Kapoor, appointed Director
of our “flagship system”, MDTA. And lastly to Stephanie Kopelosous, our new FDOT
Secretary, who we hope to see at the Annual. Apologies for many others out there
I may have overlooked.
Thus goes FY 2007, and seemingly, all to swiftly. FY 2008, with “property tax
reform” and all its implications, should be both interesting and challenging for
us all.
