Transportation Disadvantaged Program
The overall mission of
Florida’s transportation disadvantaged program is to ensure the availability of
safe, efficient, cost-effective, and quality transportation services for the
transportation disadvantaged population of a designated service area.
Definition of
Transportation Disadvantaged
Means those persons who
because of physical or mental disability, income status, or age are unable to
transport themselves or to purchase transportation and are, therefore,
dependent upon others to obtain access to health care, employment, education,
shopping, social activities, or other life-sustaining activities, or children
who are handicapped or high-risk or at-risk as defined in s. 411.202.
COMMISSION FOR THE
TRANSPORTATION DISADVANTAGED
Florida’s transportation
disadvantaged program was created in 1979 and reenacted in 1989. The 1989 act
created the Florida Transportation Disadvantaged Commission – currently the
Florida Commission for the Transportation Disadvantaged (www.dot.state.fl.us/ctd) and the
enhanced local participation in the planning and delivery of coordinated
transportation services through creation of local coordinating boards (LCBs)
and Community Transportation Coordinators (CTCs).
The Commission for the
Transportation Disadvantaged meets quarterly at various locations throughout
the State of Florida.
DESIGNATED OFFICIAL
PLANNING AGENCIES
Metropolitan Planning
Organizations (MPOs) or designated official planning agencies (DOPAs) perform
long-range planning and assist the Commission and Local Coordinating Boards
(LCB’s) in implementing the
transportation disadvantaged program in designated service areas. The Central
Florida Regional Planning Council is the designated official planning agency
for the multi-county service area encompassing Hardee, Highlands, and
Okeechobee.
The CFRPC’s primary
responsibilities include providing staff support to the Multi-County local
coordinating board, providing technical assistance to the CTC, ensuring that
the LCB conducts an annual evaluation of the CTC’s performance, and preparing a
five-year transportation disadvantaged service plan (TDSP) for the service
area.
LOCAL COORDINATING
BOARDS
The Central Florida
Regional Planning Council created a multi-county local coordinating board per
the guidelines of Rule 41-2 FAC for the three counties of Hardee, Highlands,
and Okeechobee. The LCB is an advisory board which provides information,
advice, and direction to the Community Transportation Coordinator.
The Multi-county LCB
meets quarterly. Its committees meet when necessary to conduct an annual
evaluation for the Community Transportation Coordinator, write annual updates of
the TDSP, and review grievances which may be brought to them regarding service
delivery.
Membership of the Local
Coordinating Boards
Pursuant to Chapter 427,
Florida Statues, and Rule 41-2, Florida Administrative Code, the membership of the
Multi-County Local Coordinating Board is as follows:
- 3 Elected Officials (1 from each county). One must serve as the Chairperson and
another must serve as the Vice Chairperson
- Elderly Representative
- Disabled Representative
- Citizen Advocate
- Citizen Advocate, representing people who use the
coordinated system
- Veteran Representative
- Community Action Agency (economically disadvantaged)
Representative
- Public Education Representative
- Department of Transportation Representative
- Department of Children and Families Representative
- Dept. of Education Vocational Rehabilitation or Blind
Services Representative
- Department of Elder Affairs Representative
- Agency for Health Care Administration – Medicaid Office
Representative
- State Coordinating Council (Early Childhood )
Representative
- Private Transportation Industry Representative
- Mass/Public Transit Industry Representative (if
applicable)
- Workforce Development Board Representative
- Medical Community Representative
COMMUNITY TRANSPORTATION
COORDINATOR
The Council selects the
Community Transportation Coordinator (CTC) for the three county service area
through a formal request for proposal process conducted every five years. The
current Community Transportation Coordinator for Hardee, Highlands, and
Okeechobee is Veolia Transportation Services, Inc. Veolia arranges transportation for consumers
through a total brokerage operation. Veolia contracts with four private
for-profit operators who provide the direct transportation service.
For information regarding program service eligibility, contact Tim Banks, General Manager, 863/382-6004 tim.banks@veoliatransportation.com
.