Florida Local Technical Assistance Program |
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Hello Innovators!
Winter has ended and spring is in full swing. This first quarterly newsletter highlights success stories from our local agencies. We encourage you to share your agency's transportation-related success stories and innovations with us as we start accepting applications for the annual Build a Better Mousetrap Competition!
The Florida LTAP Center will continue to provide online training, and we have several series that we will announce in future newsletters and on our training calendar. We also encourage you to check out our growing recorded webinar page to meet your on-demand training needs. Don’t forget, online training for our local and state agencies is free - with local agencies given priority. Fully attending our trainings will award Professional Development Hours (PDHs) or Certificates of Completion.
Remember, the Florida LTAP Center is here to assist you in your professional development and to celebrate your accomplishments!
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Build a Better Mousetrap Competition is Back! |
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A Celebration of Local Innovations |
Have you or one of your coworkers recently built an innovative gadget or developed an improved way to do a job?
If so, now is the time to show off a project your municipality is proud of in the annual Build a Better Mousetrap Competition! The competition celebrates innovative solutions for challenges that local and Tribal transportation workers encounter. Innovations can range from development of tools and equipment modifications to implementation of new processes that increase safety, reduce cost, and/or improve efficiency of our transportation system. The Florida LTAP Center encourages local and Tribal transportation agencies in Florida to share their creative work with others through a friendly, competitive challenge that awards the top three winners based on cost and savings, benefits to the community and the environment, transferability, ingenuity, and effectiveness.
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The Vision of Zero Deaths: Safe Streets through Collaboration and Community Engagement in Tampa Bay, Florida |
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Collaborative Focus on Safety |
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Many communities in which students are returning to school, are focusing on bicycle and pedestrian safety, as highlighted and reinforced during National Walk to School day in October. To help improve safe routes to school, the Tampa Bay area is engaged in complementary Vision Zero efforts in its two largest counties: the Hillsborough Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and Forward Pinellas (Pinellas County MPO). Both organizations are using the Vision Zero framework to address safety and accessibility challenges in a metropolitan area. |
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The success of Vision Zero depends on many factors, one of which is convening diverse stakeholders, through community engagement and collaborating with partner agencies, including school districts, health departments, law enforcement, municipalities, counties, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
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Pinellas County Awarded $4.6 Million Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment (ATCMTD) Grant
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Cutting-edge technologies to improve mobility and safety for America’s travelers.
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The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) awarded a $4.6 million Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment (ATCMTD) grant to Pinellas County for the Pinellas Connected Community project. The ATCMTD program this year awarded grants valued at $49.6 million to 10 projects that use cutting-edge technologies to improve mobility and safety for America’s travelers.
Pinellas County will expand the county’s smart city data platform to integrate data from third-party providers and video analytics. It will deploy connected vehicle roadside units on managed corridors, US 19 and SR 60, along with predictive analytics for incident and congestion risk predictions.
FHWA evaluated 46 applications requesting more than $205 million.
ATCMTD was established under the federal “Fixing America's Surface Transportation” (FAST) Act. State departments of transportation, local governments, transit agencies, metropolitan planning organizations and other eligible entities were invited to apply under the program. Now in its fifth year, the program has funded more than 45 projects worth $256 million.
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March is Florida Bike Month |
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FDOT Celebrates Florida Bicycle Month, Encourages Safety |
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“Whether you bike to work or school, or for recreation, everyone has a right to arrive at their destination safely,” said FDOT Secretary Kevin J. Thibault, P.E. “While taking advantage of Florida’s unique scenery and landscape, the department encourages all bicyclists to always be aware of your surroundings, follow the rules of the road, and never ride distracted.” More people are cycling than ever before, especially in Florida’s beautiful weather.
FDOT is committed to reducing crashes, fatalities, and serious injuries involving pedestrians and bicyclists and has adopted a target of zero traffic fatalities and serious injuries in the state. This initiative is in line with the Complete Streets Policy and Program’s Bicycle Friendly State report card. Florida continues to move the needle forward in this category.
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Luminaire Product Deficiency Investigation |
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FDOT received deficiency reports for the following product listed on the FDOT Approved Product List or APL:
LED Luminaire (Conventional) from American Electric
Autobaun (LED Cobrahead) models ATB0, ATB2, ATBM & ATBL
APL #715-005-001
To date, FDOT has identified or received reports of failures including color change to a purple hue, diminished output, and/or flickering. FDOT is sharing this information with local partners so they may seek remedies with the manufacturer for affected luminaires installed on locally delivered projects. The manufacturer has informed FDOT that the deficiencies are isolated to a specific lot(s) of production between 2017 and 2019, and the repairs are covered under the manufacturer’s warranty.
To report product deficiencies, visit the Product Evaluation webpage and select the “Report Product Deficiency” at the bottom left.
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Florida Automated, Connected, Electric, and Shared (ACES) Webinar
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How to Contribute, Collaborate, and Benefit from the Florida Automated, Connected, Electric, and Shared (ACES) Database and Activity Viewer |
The dramatic transformation in transportation through the development and adoption ACES transportation systems is currently underway. Advanced technology is impacting, and will continue to impact, the development of vehicles, infrastructure, communities, commerce, and the economy.
The FDOT is leading the way in the field of emerging transportation technologies, including the Florida Connected Vehicle Initiative, the Florida ACES Transportation System Roadmap Initiative, and others. As Florida is making progress in preparing for and advancing ACES transportation technologies, a robust ACES database and activity viewer are essential to support planning and policy efforts. This webinar will focus on how local and state agencies, ACES stakeholders, industries, and academia can contribute, collaborate, and benefit from the Florida ACES database and activity viewer.
In this webinar, you will learn the following:
- Contents of the Florida ACES database and project examples.
- How to contribute and input your ACES project(s) into the database.
- Strategies for collaborating with others using the database and activity viewer, Florida ACES website, and other collaboration tools.
- Benefits of using the ACES database and activity viewer, including areas of improved project information access, collaboration opportunities, research engagement, and promoting transportation solutions.
This webinar is provided at no cost and will award a certificate of training for attendees requesting the 1.0 PDH or a certificate of completion verifying your attendance. Certificates will be awarded only for fully attending and completing this webinar.
Monday, March 29, 2021
10:00 - 11:00 AM (ET)
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Instructors:
Dr. Pei-Sung Lin, P.E., PTOE, is Director of the ITS, Traffic Operations and Safety Program at the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) at the University of South Florida (USF). He is the Director of the Florida LTAP Center, housed at CUTR.
Dr. Nikhil Menon is a Research Associate at CUTR and teaches at USF in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Austin Sipiora is a Research Associate at CUTR. Austin is the co-coordinator of the U.S. Department of Energy-sponsored Tampa Bay Clean Cities Coalition, which serves a six-county region in West Florida.
Jason Jackman is a Senior Research Associate at CUTR in the ITS, Traffic Operations and Safety group. He is a Board Member of Bike Florida and an Executive Member of the Transportation Research Board’s Bicycle Research Subcommittee (ACH20).
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Pavement Preservation Wednesdays |
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The Florida LTAP Center is partnering with the Florida Pavement Preservation Council for an ongoing series of webinars called “Pavement Preservation Wednesdays”, airing the last Wednesday of each month in 2021. Check out the new Pavement Preservation page for recorded webinars and pavement resources!
Upcoming Webinar:
Introduction to Bridge Preservation
This 90-minute webinar features various panelists who will introduce attendees to bridge preservation, and will cover bridge concrete sealers, bridge concrete patching materials, and bridge deck overlays. A Q&A session will allow participants to ask questions.
The webinar will cover the following topics:
✔ Topic 1: Introduction to Bridge Preservation
✔ Topic 2: Bridge Concrete Sealers
✔ Topic 3: Bridge Concrete Patching Materials
✔ Topic 4: Bridge Deck Overlays
This webinar is provided at no cost and will award a certificate of training listing the PDHs or a certificate of completion verifying your attendance. Certificates will be awarded only for fully attending and completing this webinar. A total of 1.5 PDHs can be earned.
Wednesday, March 31, 2021
2:30 - 4:00 PM (ET)
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Effective Motivation of Transportation Employees Webinar Series |
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The Florida LTAP Center presents a webinar series aimed at providing supervisors and managers with the tools to effectively motivate transportation employees. The webinar series is divided into three two-hour webinars and will cover what makes agencies successful, how to define worker needs and wants, increasing productivity through rewards, utilizing the “One-Minute Manager” approach, and improving communications.
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Learning Objectives:
✔ Know how to evaluate the needs of both the workers and the organization.
✔ Understand how to effectively motivate your personnel.
✔ Understand how to analyze and improve performance.
✔ Provide tools to assist in motivating your personnel.
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April 7, 2021
2:30 PM - 4:30 PM (ET)
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April 14, 2021
2:30 PM - 4:30 PM (ET)
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April 21, 2021
2:30 PM - 4:30 PM (ET)
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This webinar series is provided at no cost and will award a certificate of training listing the PDHs or a certificate of completion verifying your attendance. Certificates will be awarded only for fully attending and completing one, two, or all three sessions of this webinar series.
Sessions will award 2 PDHs each and a total of 6 PDHs can be earned for fully attending all three sessions.
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Instructor:
Todd Morrison, P.E. is a road safety advocate, speaker, workshop instructor, and online trainer. For the past 12 years he has worked for numerous Contractors, Local Technical Assistance Programs, Cities, Counties, and DOT’s. He retired from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet after serving in the Divisions of Construction, Maintenance and Traffic and is an ATSSA certified Traffic Control Supervisor, Flagging Instructor, and Traffic Control Design Specialist. He has taught over 500 workshops and trained15,000+ individuals.
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Florida LTAP Webinars on Demand |
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Instructor(s): Various
Instructor(s): Peter J. Yauch, P.E., PTOE, RSP2i, Transportation Systems, Iteris
John A. Albeck, P.E., PTOE, Transportation Systems, Iteris
Instructor(s): Various
Instructor: Kevin Kuhlow, P.E., Ayres
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Florida LTAP Center recorded webinars are available on our website which is updated regularly. The recorded webinars are provided at no cost and will award a certificate of training listing PDHs or a certificate of completion verifying your attendance. Certificates will be awarded only for fully completing a webinar.
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FDOT Local Agency Program (LAP) |
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LAP Construction Checklist and Specifications |
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LAP Construction Checklist and Specifications training identifies federal and some State requirements of construction contracting. The course will provide in-depth coverage of the federal and State requirements for local agency staff preparing project solicitations, specifications, and contracts. Course materials include compliance best practices. This 4-hour course includes 3.5 hours of presentation time and 0.5 hour of Q&A.
The course is intended for Local Agency project, engineering, and procurement staff who develop bid packages, construction specifications, contracts, and other related procurement documents for construction. Attendance will fulfill training requirements for LAP Certification as indicated in Chapter 2 of the LAP Manual and will award 3.5 PDHs. The class will be recorded and posted to the LTAP website, and may be taken on demand by local agency staff at a later date. All agencies that are currently LAP Certified or are pursuing LAP Certification must have the appropriate staff take the training. This training is offered in person every two years, but due to CDC guidelines, will be offered virtually in 2021.
This course is offered free of charge by the FDOT and the Florida LTAP Center.
Wednesday, April 21, 2021
9:00 AM to 1:00 PM (ET)
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APWA Virtual Roundtable and Panel Discussion: Managing Infrastructure During Current Economic Times
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In the current changing economic times and, due to the impact of COVID-19, agencies responsible for managing critical infrastructure are facing a major dilemma when it comes to maintaining the expected level of service during potential budget cuts and dropping revenues. This session will share how local agencies are managing their assets while evaluating budget options. The intent is to share leadership and management strategies that any agency can use to effectively navigate through the uncertain times while improving the deteriorating network condition of aging infrastructure.
Participants will be better able to:
✔Identify best practices to manage infrastructure network proactively.
✔Evaluate existing asset and maintenance management systems and programs and choose which options will work best for their operations.
✔Educate and promote the benefits of strategic infrastructure investment and budgeting.
This webinar is provided by the APWA Florida Chapter at no cost. APWA will provide 1 PDH for those individuals who fully attend and complete this webinar.
Wednesday, April 7, 2021
12:00 - 1:00 PM (ET)
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Panelists:
Katia Delgado, P.E.,
Section Manager, Asset Management, Polk County, FL.
Jason McHugh, AICP, CPM, City Manager, Wildwood, FL.
David Gwynn, P.E.,
District 7 Secretary, FDOT
Jim Proce, ICMA-CM,
City Manager,
Anna, TX.
Charlie Justice,
Vice Chair, Board of County Commissioners, Pinellas County, FL.
Moderator/Panelist:
Addie Javed, Chair, APWA FL Leadership & Management Committee and Managing Director, The Kercher Group
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April 2021 TransPlex Webinar Series |
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Hosted by the FDOT Office of Policy Planning, the April 2021 TransPlex Web Series will allow you to take part in the conversation with national and state leaders as they discuss the most complex transportation questions including:
- How has the national vision for our transportation future changed?
- How can we address economic growth, climate change, equity, and safety in our daily work?
- What is ahead for transportation funding?
Starting Friday, April 9, 2021
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FHWA Value Capture Webinar Series |
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FHWA is hosting a webinar series of Value Capture Strategies webinars beginning in March 2021 that will detail the Value Capture techniques promoted in the FHWA's Every Day Counts (EDC-5) initiative. This year's series focuses on the intersection of Innovative Finance and Innovative Project Delivery Tools.
These webinars will detail more Value Capture best practices collected from throughout the nation and will highlight FHWA's recently completed Value Capture Primer series of technical documents.
Value Capture is a set of powerful techniques that recover a portion of land value created by public infrastructure investments, and can:
✔ Address funding gaps.
✔ Leverage and optimize federal and State resources.
✔ Accelerate project delivery.
✔ Meet and improve system performance goals.
✔ Maintain transportation infrastructure assets in good repair.
✔ Save time and money.
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Rethinking Streets for Physical Distancing. |
Re-allocating space on streets to accommodate new uses – particularly for walking, biking, and being – is not new. However, COVID-era needs have accelerated the process that many communities use to make such street transitions. Many communities quickly understood that streets are actually public places and a public good that serves broader public needs that are more urgent than the free flow or storage of private vehicles. This webinar describes a new case study book that captures some of these quick changes to city streets in response to societal needs during COVID, with two open questions:
- What changes will endure post-COVID?
- Going forward, will communities be more open to street reconfigurations, including quick and inexpensive trials?
This webinar is provided at no cost and will award a certificate of training listing 1 PDH for AICP (see provider summary). An electronic attendance certificate for other types of certification maintenance can be requested from the webinar host.
Tuesday, April 6, 2021
1:00 - 2:00 PM (ET)
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2021 AARP Community Challenge |
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Application Period Now Open! |
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The AARP Community Challenge provides small grants to fund quick-action projects that can help communities become more livable for people of all ages. Applications are accepted for projects to improve public spaces, housing, transportation, civic engagement, coronavirus recovery, diversity and inclusion, and more.
Important Dates:
🚩April 14, 2021: Applications are due by 8:00 pm (ET)
🚩June 2021: All applicants will be notified of their status by email
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USDA Rural Development Grants |
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Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training Grant |
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Grants are made available to public bodies and private nonprofit corporations, (such as states, counties, cities, townships, and incorporated towns and villages, boroughs, authorities, districts, and Indian tribes on federal and State reservations) to provide associations with technical assistance and/or training with respect to essential community facilities programs. The technical assistance and/or training will assist these entities to identify and plan for community facility needs that exist in their area. Once those needs have been identified, the grantee can assist in identifying public and private resources to finance those identified community facility needs. The maximum grant award is $150,000. Grant funds are limited and are awarded through a competitive process.
What is an eligible area?
✔Rural areas including cities, villages, townships, towns and federally recognized Tribal Lands outside the boundaries of a city of 20,000 or more.
How may funds be used?
✔Assist communities in identifying and planning for community facility needs.
✔Identify resources to finance community facility needs from public and private sources.
✔Prepare reports and surveys necessary to request financial assistance to develop community facilities.
✔Prepare applications for Agency financial assistance.
✔Improve the management, including financial management, related to the operation of community facilities.
✔Assist with other areas of need identified by the Secretary.
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Stay tuned for more Florida LTAP-sponsored trainings, and be sure to visit our website or contact us for your technical assistance needs! |
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We want to showcase your success!
Does your agency have a successful project or initiative you would like for us to share? We would like to feature you in our next newsletter.
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Florida Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Center
Center for Urban Transportation Research
University of South Florida
4202 East Fowler Ave., CUT100
Tampa, FL 33620-5375 USA
T: (813) 974-4450
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