Trump Announces $21.8M In Funding For Pinellas Beaches Bus Plan

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — President Donald Trump announced Friday that the U.S. Department of Transportation has committed $21.8 million to provide bus service to Pinellas County beaches.

On his Twitter announcement, Trump said the funds will be spent on state-of-the-art transit buses with free Wi-Fi connecting St. Petersburg to the Pinellas County beaches.

The Central Avenue Bus Rapid Transit project will be the first of its kind in Tampa Bay, according to Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority CEO Brad Miller. It also is the largest single capital investment into public transportation in the history of the Tampa Bay region, he said.

The BRT line will initially connect downtown St. Petersburg to St. Pete Beach within a 35-minute bus ride, compared to the current 55-minute trip using the current Central Avenue Trolley.

Eventually, the line will connect St. Pete to all the county's most popular beaches. Then the PSTA plans to provide a connection to downtown Tampa and Tampa International Airport.

“This is an incredible day, this is a day that Pinellas County, St. Petersburg, Tampa Bay, the whole region got a little bit better,” said Miller during a news conference. “It is enormous for public transit, it makes us immediately a lot better.”

Miller said the funding was a long time coming. The PSTA began its grant application for the BRT line three years ago.

“I think it shows that determination, putting your head down and constantly working and being focused toward your goal, that’s the key to this project’s success,” he said. “I know it will be successful. We are on our way.”

St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman said this transit system is a major win for lower-income residents who depend on public transportation.

“A lot of the people who live in St. Petersburg work on the beach and it's tough for them to get to work,” Kriseman said. “This will provide them with an easier way of getting back and forth to work.”

It's also a win for the environment, Kriseman said.

"What a great way of addressing climate change and helping us achieve our goal of reducing our carbon footprint by 80 percent by 2050,” he said. “This is how we do it, folks.”

Pinellas County Commissioner Janet Long, who fought for the project as the PSTA chairwoman, said the BRT line is just the first step in improving public transportation in Tampa Bay.

“This project is the catalyst that will propel the 41-mile plan that will run all the way from downtown St. Petersburg out to the beaches, all the way up to the Howard Frankland, into downtown Tampa, out to the university (USF) and Wesley Chapel.”

She said the PSTA will apply for more federal funding to make this happen.

In a statement, U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, D-St. Petersburg, hailed the appropriation.

“With these federal dollars, this state-of-the-art project will finally become a reality,” Crist said. “The new BRT line will increase accessibility to the beaches for tourists, hospitality industry and other workers, and take more cars off the roads. I look forward to its completion and a new way of moving Pinellas forward!”

The BRT is unlike most public bus transportation services. It will run in a dedicated traffic lane. Stops will be limited and riders will have to prepay to use the service. The buses will have no steps that prevent wheelchairs from easily boarding the buses. And the buses will be able to turn traffic signals to green allow them to drive through intersections unimpeded.

Buses will run every 15 minutes during the day and every 30 minutes on evenings starting at 6 a.m. and ending at midnight.

Proponents of the service say the system will not only reduce traffic but also the need for parking in beach communities, which is always at a premium.

Construction of the project is currently out for bid and the PSTA hopes to have a construction contract in hand by June.

The estimated total price tag is $43.93 million. In addition to the $21.8 million from the Federal Transit Administration Capital Investment Grants Small Starts Program, the Florida Department of Transportation will kick in $10.5 million, $7.6 million will come from the PSTA and $4 million from the city of St. Petersburg.

The PSTA plans to have the line up and running some time next year.

Courtesy PSTA