City Council Bill 2011 361 Regional Transportation Center; more info on the background. You will be shocked!

[Patricia M. McBride]

If you want to see the "Plan" and this very much looks like something from the Peyton "reign" .... 2006, go here and scroll down to the article with pictures (hmmm is it just me or is parking missing totally from these pictures?).

http://www.dot.state.fl.us/trafficoperations/Newsletters/2006/02_20...

Below info is primarily from this link, and various pages off this homepage. I have taken the liberty of doing cut and paste on some. Interesting reading, and don't believe for a minute this is a no cost project. The JTA has ideas of grandeur and MUCH power.

http://www.northfloridartsc.com/Pages/default.aspx

Governor Charlie Crist signs a legislation bill (sponsored by the late Senator Jim King and Representative Audrey Gibson) that explores unifying the regions seven counties transportation initiatives under one governing entity.

House Bill: HB1297 can be found here: http://www.jtafla.com/pdf/RTA/HB1297.pdf

The membership of the Regional Transportation Study Commission is established by Senate Bill 2470 as follows:

Studies and Legislation

The idea of developing a regional approach to transportation in Northeast Florida has been discussed for several decades.

In 1987, Executive order 86-148 created the First Coast Regional Transportation Study Committee. The committee’s report recommended the creation of a 5-county regional transportation authority that would be governed by a 9-member governing board. No action was taken on these recommendations.

In 2009, House Bill 1213 was enacted requiring the JTA to perform a Regional Transportation Authority study at the direction of FDOT. That study affirmed the need for a regional approach to transportation in Northeast Florida but also recommended additional study. Most importantly, the 2009 Regional Transportation Authority Study Final Report found that the development of a regional transportation elements plan is needed as the basis for further action on any regional transportation initiative.

On June 4, 2010, Governor Crist signed Senate Bill 2470 into law (Public law 2010-212). Public Law 2010-212 establishes the North Florida Regional Transportation Study Commission (RTSC). The RTSC is required to submit its final report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by December 31, 2012. Its final report must make specific legislative recommendations, including a regional transportation elements plan, the defining characteristics of transportation elements of regional significance, and an implementation plan for undertaking a regional transportation elements plan.

 

On June 4, 2010, Governor Crist signed Senate Bill 2470 into law (Public law 2010-212). Public Law 2010-212 established the North Florida Regional Transportation Study Commission (Commission).

The Commission members include representatives from each of the 7 counties in Northeast Florida (Baker, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam and St. Johns). Additionally, the Chair of the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization, Chair of the Northeast Florida Regional Council and the District II Secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation serve as ex-officio, non-voting members of the Commission.

The Commission is required to submit its final report to the Governor, the President of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives by December 31, 2012.

The final report must make specific legislative recommendations, including a regional transportation elements plan, the defining characteristics of transportation elements of regional significance, and an implementation plan for undertaking a regional transportation elements plan. The implementation plan may include the establishment of the regional transportation authority, draft legislation, and any other recommendations the Commission deems appropriate.

Underneath this, you will find a list of study reports and additional laws for setting this whole thing up. Pay special attention to 2009 Regional Transportation Study Final Report.

This report gives a really good picture of what the JTA has planned and it is going to be VERY expensive, and they see themselves as being extremely powerful and without pretty much any oversight at all. This was from 2009, so I can only imagine what the report due on 12/31/2012 will look like, but that is the point. The report is not due until the end of 2012 which is 1 1/2 years from now. Still plenty of time to take a look at this and the fiscal impact on the taxpayers (the fiscal impact is going to be huge cause these folks are going to build an empire for themselves). I feel the reason Peyton and JTA are trying to do the land transfer now, is to start a process they plan on forcing us into. A study was done in 2008 or 2009 about the use of public transit and what people wanted, and only 13% of those in the poll said they would use such a thing. Most asked for better roads. Timing is everything though, and the study will be after Obama is removed from office hopefully, and he is the high speed rail/high rise living in centralized areas guy (with everyone walking, using public transit and riding a bicycle).

 

The study commission also had a criteria of having the meetings for this study commission in each of the areas making it possible for people included in the whole area to be covered to attend a meeting or meetings, but thus far, they have each and every meeting in the same location in Palatka.  If you check at this link, you can go to each meeting, then click on meeting  information on the left, and it takes you to a page that gives you more info including the location (it is the same for every meeting).  http://northfloridartsc.com/Pages/MeetingInformation.aspx 

Putnam County BOCC
County Commissioners Meeting Room
2509 Crill Avenue, Suite 100
Palatka, FL 32177

• Two citizens of Baker, Clay, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam and St. Johns County appointed by their respective Board of County Commissioners
• Four citizens of Duval County appointed by the City Council of the City of Jacksonville
• The Chair of the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, who shall serve as Chair of the Commission.

Non-voting Members (3)

• The Florida Department of Transportation’s District II Secretary
• The Chair of the Northeast Florida Regional Council
• The Chair of the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization
  

Members (17)What is the RTSC?

COMMISSION MEMBERS

 

	Michael Cavendish Chairman
	Baker County
	Jimmy Anderson Commission Member
	Gordon Crews Commission Member
	Clay County
	Travis Cummings Commission Member
	John Mahoney, III Commission Member
	Duval County
	Eric Green Commission Member
	Pete Kelly Commission Member
	Sam Mousa Commission Member
	Robert Rhodes Commission Member
	Flagler County
	Milissa Holland Commission Member
	Jon Netts Commission Member
	Nassau County
	Steve Rieck Commission Member
	Ken Willette Commission Member
	Putnam County
	Kenny Eubanks Commission Member
	Vernon Myers Commission Member
	St. Johns County
	Jay Morris Commission Member
	Joe Stephenson Commission Member
	Ex-OFFICIO
	Alan Mosley District Two Secretary Florida Department of Transportation
	Elaine Brown Chairman Northeast Florida Regional Council
	Doug Conkey Chairman North Florida Transportation Planning Organization

[Tom Wright]

Patrica,

If you look further down on the artist rendering you will see a 3 story parking garage near the train center and a 5 story garage at the rear of the bus station.

This appears to have been in the planning stages since Jeb Busch was Governor.

I have called all the at large councilmen and my district 13 councilman Dick Brown to voice my opinion on this bill.

Tom Wright