Florida’s Multi-MPO Alliances: Model for Planning Across Metropolitan Planning Organization Boundaries

This paper details research findings on how alliances of metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) have been formed across Florida to take advantage of the opportunity provided in Florida law to formally plan for transportation on a scale covering multiple MPO planning boundaries without requiring those MPOs to consolidate. Some have primarily used this opportunity as a mechanism to advance eligibility of projects for Transportation Regional Incentive Program (TRIP) funding, a Florida program intended to advance regionally significant transportation projects by providing state funds as a match for local funds. Others have used the opportunity to conduct a broader planning process that focuses on a variety of planning activities including long range planning, priority setting, and public involvement. In all, 22 of Florida’s 26 MPOs have entered into formal arrangements to coordinate regional transportation planning activities with neighboring MPOs. Researchers surveyed an MPO from each regional alliance of MPOs, learning that a variety of regional transportation planning products have been generated due, in part, to the efforts of these regional alliances. Most involve two contiguous MPOs working together, but there are three major alliances of three or more MPOs working together that have been successful in conducting formal, multi-MPO planning and coordination. This paper focuses on those three major alliances and the planning and project implementation efforts they have undertaken over the past several years, describing a model for improving regional transportation planning and project implementation generally by highlighting current planning activities and projects that have been made possible through MPO coordination.