The Highlands Transit Plan will help establish a strategic vision to guide the planning, development, and potential implementation of public transportation service in Highlands County over the next 10 years.
Learn more and check out the draft plan and options.
This Transit Development Plan (TDP) brings together technical analysis and community voices to create a 10-year Operating and Capital Plan to expand mobility and transportation options in Highlands County and was shaped by:
- Input from residents, community partners, and stakeholders
- Other planning documents like the Florida Transportation Plan and the region’s Long Range Transportation Plan
- An estimate of what the demand for transit might be based on demographic, land use, transportation, and transit data
- An assessment of the land use and design patterns and how that might support or hinder the efficient provision of existing and future transit services
Public involvement is a critical component in the TDP development process to assess a community’s vision for existing and future service needs. The Highlands Transit Plan draws from numerous public outreach activities that were conducted throughout the county to understand and obtain feedback from the community. Public Involvement for the Highlands Transit Plan considers the public participation material that exists in other documents and plans to understand the public’s mobility needs and where the public perceives public transit to fit in that context.
The HRTPO has a strong commitment to ensure public involvement in the transportation planning process. Adopted in March 2023, the Public Participation Plan (PPP) provides guidelines used by the HRTPO to inform and gather input from residents, communities, and interest groups throughout the six counties in order to expand the information available for planning. Following the guidelines in the PPP, the HRTPO will make the draft document available for public comment 30 days prior to adoption, seven (7) days prior to amendment, and continuously during development. The Transit Plan is reviewed by the Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC), the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), and the HRTPO Board at meetings that are open to the public.
The Heartland Regional Transportation Organization presented the draft Highlands Transit Plan to the Heartland Region on August 19, 2024, for a 30-day public comment period.
Public participation is solicited without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability, income, or family status. Persons who require special accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or persons who require translation services (free of charge) should contact Marybeth Soderstrom, HRTPO Title VI Liaison, 863-534-7130, extension 134 (voice), or via Florida Relay Service 711, or by email: msoderstrom@cfrpc.org.
Ways to Comment:
After you have reviewed the Highlands Transit Plan, please let us know if you have any comments:
- Email us @ info@heartlandregionaltpo.org
- Mail to 555 East Church Street, Bartow, FL 33830
- Call (863) 534-7130 x 134
- Use the Comment Box