State Representative Michael Owen, who serves Florida’s House District 70 in Hillsborough County, is poised to introduce legislation by October that would dissolve the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) and create a new, city-specific transit agency, the Tampa Transit Authority (TTA). Owen’s reasoning is that most of HART’s users are Tampa residents, so a city-focused agency could better align funding and service priorities. He emphasized his view that HART isn’t financially viable on its own and that Tampa deserves a more sustainable transit solution.
Previously, HART has struggled with solvency issues and declining ridership. Tampa’s mayor, Jane Castor, has prioritized transit through the Tampa M.O.V.E.S. initiative, focused on Mobility, Opportunity, Vision, Equity and Safety as part of the broader “Transforming Tampa’s Tomorrow” strategy. While city officials have yet to be briefed on the proposal and declined comment, the idea has also spurred alternative funding concepts, including a proposal from County Commissioner Josh Wostal for a city-only transit sales tax to fund urban transit without raising property taxes.
