Florida in Motion

Latest Episodes:

E10: PSTA‘s Electric Bus Fleet Jan 25, 2022

Show notes

Electric powered public transportation is being implemented all over the state and Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority is once again at the cutting edge. Their electric bus fleet is currently in operation with much success and is planning to expand. Listen in to our conversation with Henry Lukasik, the PTSA's Director of Maintenance on how they are implementing this technology.

E09: PSTA's Bus on Shoulder Pilot Nov 23, 2021

Show notes

In this episode, we spoke with Abhishek Dayal and Kessia Harris from the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority about the Bus on Shoulder pilot program. This program allows busses to drive on the road's shoulder during times of traffic and better keep their schedule. Want to learn more, listed in.

E08: CFX‘s Visitor Toll Pass program Sep 28, 2021

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Have you ever gone on vacation, had a wonderful time, then a month later receive a bill for toll roads you didn’t even know you were going to be billed for? Or were you talked into renting a toll pass for your rental car with a daily fee only to realize you never needed it? Thanks to CFX‘s Visitor Toll Pass program, those days are over. It combines the convenience of a mobile app with the lowest toll rate available. It allows you to track your bill in near real-time instead of getting a surprise bill a month later. Tune in as I spoke with Laura Kelley, the executive director of the Central Florida Expressway Authority about this revolutionary program.

E07: Railway Safety Sep 14, 2021

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Whether you live in a big city or a rural area, there's a railway running near you. However many of us don't think about railway safety until we see an accident on the news. In this episode, our guest was Billy Parker, a 47 year veteran of the railway industry. He shared his knowledge and experience about trains, railroad crossings. gates, regulations and so much more. If you've ever been curious about trains and railway safety, this is the episode for you.

E06: JTA's U2C Program Aug 31, 2021

Show notes

In this episode we spoke with Bernard Schmidt and Michael Feldman of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority about the U2C program. U2C stands for the Ultimate Urban Circulator and it's the JTA's vision of how we can leverage existing infrastructure and emerging technology to create a full expansive transportation system. It involved updating Jacksonville's existing Automated People Mover know as the Skyway, with autonomous vehicles capable of operating on the existing elevated Skyway track and at grade. This means driverless vehicles traveling across the skyway could leave their track and accessing the streets to provide a more expansive service area.

E05: Autonomous Vehicles Jul 20, 2021

Show notes

In the near future, autonomous vehicles are coming. They will drive us to work, come home on their own, and pick us up when they are summoned. Imagine how parking will change when our cars can go off and park themselves. They will provide safer, faster, and more convenient travel than we have today.

However, beyond these marvels of technology will be a vast infrastructure of high-speed networks, integrated traffic devices, and navigation information, not to mention teams of engineers, cybersecurity personnel, and safety experts to make this possible. So how is Florida preparing for inevitable changes? Tune in as we spoke with Raj Ponnaluri from the Florida Department of Transportation about the changes we've already made and what's coming up next.

E04: FDOT with Secretary Kevin Thibault Jul 06, 2021

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Most everyone has heard of the Florida Department of Transportation, but what do they do? How are they funded? How are planning for the future? In a state facing unprecedented growth as well as a top tourist destination, our transportation infrastructure is vital to our success. Additionally, with hurricanes impacting Florida every year, it's vital to our safety. Listen in as we talk with Kevin J. Thibault , the Secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation. Kevin J. Thibault Kevin J. Thibault was named Secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) by Governor Ron DeSantis on January 18, 2019. As Secretary, Thibault oversees the lead agency in state government with the statutory responsibility to coordinate the planning and development of a safe, viable, and balanced transportation system serving all regions of the state, and to assure the compatibility of all components, including multimodal facilities. He is passionate about mentorship and building a diverse workforce for the future of Florida’s transportation system and has prioritized the implementation of several initiatives centered on improving safety, enhancing mobility, and inspiring innovation within the agency. Secretary Thibault spent half of his professional career in the private sector and the rest in various roles within FDOT and is a Civil Engineering graduate from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.

E03: The Selmon Extension Jun 09, 2021

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A new highway extension recently opened in the Tampa Bay Area where the impact on the local businesses and residents was a high priority during the construction. The Selmon Extension is a 2 mile addition to the Selmon expressway that is a combination segmental and suspension bridge giving a 30 foot clearance to the area below. In addition to relieving traffic, it's a needed additional hurricane & evacuation path buts also constructed with aesthetics in mind. Tune into the conversation with Joe Waggoner, the Executive Director of the the Tampa-Hillsborough County Expressway Authority to find out about the impact, the innovations and the challenges that were involved in creating the Selmon Extension.

E02: Electric Vehicles in Florida May 25, 2021

Show notes

A decade ago, hybrid cars were the new shiny thing but now we’ve moved on to fully electric vehicles. However, with new technology comes new challenges and changes. Changes to how people travel changes to businesses like gas stations and vehicle repair shops and changes to our roads and even taxes. How will these changes affect you? Listen in as we chated with Jennifer Fortunas, P.E. from the Forecasting and Trends Office Manager of FDOT, and Matthew Alford, the Executive Director of Drive Electric Florida.

Guests Jennifer Fortunas manages FDOT’s Forecasting and Trends Office (FTO), the trusted source for transportation system performance in Florida. FTO is responsible for transportation forecasting, modeling, performance, trends, customer satisfaction surveys, and demographic analysis. Matthew Alford is the Executive Director of Drive Electric Florida, a nonprofit organization composed of a diverse membership from the environmental, government, transportation, technology, and electric utility sectors dedicated to accelerating Florida’s transition to electric transportation.

E01: Funding Florida's Roads May 18, 2021

Show notes

In our premiere episode of Florida in Motion, a TeamFL podcast, we're going to be talking about how our roads and highways in Florida are funded. Did you know most of the funding comes from the gas tax? While the FDOT is funded by the Florida Transportation Trust Fund, the 3,500 lane-miles of toll roads in Florida are managed and funded completely separately. Want to find out more? Listen in now as I chat with Robert Poole, the Director of Transportation Policy and the Searle Freedom Trust Transportation Fellow at the Reason Foundation.

Robert Poole's Biography

Robert Poole is Director of Transportation Policy and the Searle Freedom Trust Transportation Fellow at the Reason Foundation. He has advised the U.S. DOT and half a dozen state DOTs on transportation policy. Over the past 20 years, he has helped introduce a number of policy ideas into U.S. transportation, including long-term toll concessions, HOT lanes, and dedicated truck-only lanes. A Reason policy paper Bob wrote in 1988 directly inspired the first state PPP law, enacted in California in 1989. That law led directly to the 91 Express Lanes—the world’s first express toll lanes project and the first U.S. long-term toll concession project. Bob received his B.S. and M.S. in mechanical engineering at MIT and did graduate work in operations research at NYU. He’s an emeritus member of the Transportation Research Board’s Managed Lanes Committee, and was a member of TRB’s special committee on the long-term viability of fuel taxes for highway funding. In 2007 he was named “Private Sector Entrepreneur of the Year” by the Public-Private Partnerships division of ARTBA. In 2008 he was a member of the Texas Study Committee on Private Participation in Toll Projects. In 2010 he was a member of Washington State DOT’s Expert Review Panel on the I-405 corridor and was also a member of the transportation transition team for Florida Gov. Rick Scott. Bob produces Reason’s monthly e-newsletter, Surface Transportation Innovations, and writes a monthly column on transportation policy for Public Works Financing. His book, Rethinking America’s Highways: A 21st Century Vision for Better Infrastructure, was published by the University of Chicago Press in July 2018.

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