State Rep. Michael Owen of Apollo Beach told the Hillsborough Transportation Planning Organization that local governments must agree on a three-county merger or the Legislature may act for them.

Owen, an attorney who previously served on the Hillsborough County Commission, sent a letter that Sarah Caper, the TPO's assistant executive director, read to the board at a Sept. 1 special meeting, according to a Plan Hillsborough summary published Sept. 22. The meeting focused on a draft plan to fold the Hillsborough TPO, the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization and Forward Pinellas into a single regional metropolitan planning organization, or MPO.

Owen wrote that the state supports combining the three agencies into one regional transportation planning body but that he prefers the four principal governments, the three county commissions and the Tampa City Council, to negotiate the terms locally. If those governments do not reach an agreement before the next legislative session, Owen wrote, the Legislature could pass a law moving the merger forward through the state process.

Cost estimates and voting rules under debate

The merged MPO would generate roughly $10 million a year in federal and state grants, TPO staff told the board. Member governments would need to contribute about $2 million annually to match those grants and build a contingency fund. Staff stressed that both figures are starting points that could shift as talks continue.

Board members debated how votes and seats would work under the new structure. The draft requires major plans, including the Transportation Improvement Program and the Long Range Transportation Plan, to pass with both a majority of the quorum and a majority of each county's delegation. TPO staff noted that any voting threshold beyond a simple majority would require a change in state law.

Members also discussed representation for Tampa, Plant City, Temple Terrace, the airport and the port, along with questions about rotating seats and an executive committee.

Formal agreement is next step in yearslong effort

Among the draft documents is a memorandum of understanding that will go to the three county commissions and the Tampa City Council later this year. If signed, the memorandum would signal each government's intent to move forward.

The merger effort has been building since 2023, when the three agencies signed an initial memorandum of understanding to explore consolidation and submitted a report to the Florida Legislature, according to a separate Plan Hillsborough progress update. A consultant was hired in 2025, and leaders from all three counties held a workshop in November 2025 to discuss board membership and operations.

Board approves $254 million in project roll-forwards

At a separate regular meeting Sept. 9, the TPO board unanimously approved annual roll-forward amendments moving 22 previously approved projects and about $254 million into the new fiscal year. About $157 million of that total is for transit and $77 million is for seaport projects.

Regional MPO merger discussions are scheduled to continue at the Oct. 2 Transportation Management Area meeting.