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PSTA’s paratransit procurement rules violated, six employees failed to notice. Program in shambles and getting worse.
Tampa Bay Area

PSTA’s paratransit procurement rules violated, six employees failed to notice. Program in shambles and getting worse.

TBG_adminFebruary 25, 2023February 25, 2023

“Bonnie, do you find the GOIN’ proposal technically acceptable?” PSTA’s Director of Procurement Al Burns asked Bonnie Epstein, PSTA’s Director of Mobility Services. “I mean…” Epstein answered and paused. The issue at hand was PSTA’s…

False & unlawful endorsement claims by St. Pete Beach mayor arrive in all voters’ mailboxes
St. Pete BeachTampa Bay Area

False & unlawful endorsement claims by St. Pete Beach mayor arrive in all voters’ mailboxes

TBG_adminFebruary 13, 2023February 13, 2023

In his re-election bid, St. Pete Beach Mayor Alan Johnson appears to have violated Florida campaign law at least twice. First by claiming to have a political endorsement he didn’t have, secondly by also touting…

“It’s Mayor Payne, not Tyler” – Treasure Island Mayor insists on title in text message to citizen in neighboring town
Tampa Bay AreaTreasure Island

“It’s Mayor Payne, not Tyler” – Treasure Island Mayor insists on title in text message to citizen in neighboring town

TBG_adminFebruary 10, 2023February 12, 2023

In developing information for another article we are working on, we discovered that Treasure Island Mayor Tyler Payne told a citizen “It’s Mayor Payne, not Tyler” in a text message. However, Payne doesn’t address others…

Local mayor in re-election bid falsely claims to have been endorsed by a county commissioner
St. Pete Beach

Local mayor in re-election bid falsely claims to have been endorsed by a county commissioner

TBG_adminFebruary 9, 2023February 12, 2023

Two days ago, St. Pete Beach Mayor Alan Johnson posted a graphic on his campaign Facebook page in which he falsely claimed to have received the endorsement of newly elected Pinellas County Commissioner Brian Scott.…

PSTA exec wants to “dabble in light rail” despite 62% hard NO from Pinellas county voters in 2014
Tampa Bay Area

PSTA exec wants to “dabble in light rail” despite 62% hard NO from Pinellas county voters in 2014

TBG_adminFebruary 6, 2023February 7, 2023

PSTA executive Abishek Dayal said in this Tampa Bay Business Journal (TBBJ) interview that he is “hoping the BRT project spawns some other interesting projects in the region. That could be extensions of BRT or…

Vinik-linked Tampa communications firm Catalyst directly involved in PSTA chief misleading PSTA board
Tampa Bay Area

Vinik-linked Tampa communications firm Catalyst directly involved in PSTA chief misleading PSTA board

TBG_adminFebruary 4, 2023February 5, 2023

A draft version of an email PSTA CEO Brad Miller was preparing to send to the PSTA board contained a damning admission which didn’t appear in the email that was ultimately sent to the board.…

Inside joke? Addition of new bus stop for PSTA’s board chair Pat Gerard initiated on her 70th birthday
Tampa Bay Area

Inside joke? Addition of new bus stop for PSTA’s board chair Pat Gerard initiated on her 70th birthday

TBG_adminFebruary 3, 2023February 4, 2023

We reported yesterday that PSTA (the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Agency) in 2019 moved a bus stop to be closer to Pinellas County Commissioner Pat Gerard’s home, this after she lost her driver’s license following multiple…

PSTA moved bus stop closer to board chair Pat Gerard’s house after multiple careless driving tickets ended her driver’s license
Tampa Bay Area

PSTA moved bus stop closer to board chair Pat Gerard’s house after multiple careless driving tickets ended her driver’s license

TBG_adminFebruary 2, 2023February 27, 2023

After a string of traffic citations and car crashes during a two year period, immediate past PSTA chair and former Pinellas County Commissioner Pat Gerard found herself without a driver’s license in 2019. A public…

Beach town provides its own cost-effective free transit
St. Pete Beach

Beach town provides its own cost-effective free transit

TBG_adminJanuary 8, 2023February 12, 2023

As the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) continues to fail to meet their own ridership projections, one Pinellas County beach town has shown that transit can be provided at a much lower cost to the…

PSTA – “really exciting to see that we are getting people out of their cars”
Tampa Bay Area

PSTA – “really exciting to see that we are getting people out of their cars”

TBG_adminDecember 8, 2022January 6, 2023

In a presentation about PSTA’s new Sunrunner bus line yesterday, PSTA’s Director of Communications & Marketing Whitney Fox said it was “really exciting to see that we are getting people out of their cars.” Fox…

PSTA claims increased ridership, yet has no underlying ridership data
Tampa Bay Area

PSTA claims increased ridership, yet has no underlying ridership data

TBG_adminDecember 6, 2022January 6, 2023

PSTA’s response to an extensive public records request shows it has no underlying data to base its ridership claims on. PSTA (Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority) said that they had “no records” when asked for data…

PSTA’s one month Sunrunner update: children, beer & deflection
Tampa Bay Area

PSTA’s one month Sunrunner update: children, beer & deflection

TBG_adminDecember 5, 2022January 6, 2023

PSTA staff will give a “Sunrunner one month update” report to the PSTA board tomorrow morning. The presentation includes social media impression claims, survey results, a dozen children…and beer. However, completely absent from PSTA’s presentation…

PSTA unlawfully discloses confidential information on every Sunrunner bus
Tampa Bay Area

PSTA unlawfully discloses confidential information on every Sunrunner bus

TBG_adminDecember 5, 2022January 6, 2023

Last week, we rode PSTA’s much promoted new Sunrunner bus line and documented discrepancies between what PSTA was saying and doing (article). We found serious operational deficiencies. However, the most serious problem we found on…

PSTA backpedals on Sunrunner claims, continues gaslighting
Tampa Bay Area

PSTA backpedals on Sunrunner claims, continues gaslighting

TBG_adminDecember 4, 2022February 9, 2023

In May, PSTA claimed that its new Sunrunner bus “is designed to meet the demands of work commuters and attract tourists and new riders into PSTA’s comprehensive transit system.” PSTA is now backpedaling, perhaps due…

Sunrunner first month ridership far below PSTA’s projections and falling fast
Tampa Bay Area

Sunrunner first month ridership far below PSTA’s projections and falling fast

TBG_adminDecember 2, 2022February 7, 2023

Three years ago, the Tampa Bay Times reported that “studies of the [Sunrunner] route connecting downtown St. Petersburg with the beaches estimate it would have 4,500 daily rides.” On June 2nd this year, PSTA told…

Our test: PSTA’s new Sunrunner bus line doesn’t operate as promised
Tampa Bay Area

Our test: PSTA’s new Sunrunner bus line doesn’t operate as promised

TBG_adminNovember 30, 2022January 6, 2023

“The bus will leave when I’m finished cleaning,” the PSTA driver told the Tampa Bay Guardian reporter. We repeated our question: what is the scheduled departure time? “It’s hard to keep the schedule,” the driver…

What is real purpose of Pinellas County Commish Egger’s term limit petition?
Tampa Bay Area

What is real purpose of Pinellas County Commish Egger’s term limit petition?

TBG_adminJanuary 28, 2022January 6, 2023

Term limits for Pinellas County commissioners has been a flashpoint ever since 73% of Pinellas voters approved 8-year term limits in 1996. The county commissioners waged a court fight along with others, mostly at taxpayer…

Pinellas transit loses over half its riders, spending more than doubles
Tampa Bay Area

Pinellas transit loses over half its riders, spending more than doubles

TBG_adminJanuary 23, 2022January 6, 2023

Three months in to its fiscal year 2022, PSTA’s bus ridership year over year has declined another 20%, according to its own official reporting. PSTA, which is the taxpayer-funded Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, ended its…

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Recent Posts

  • PSTA’s paratransit software plagued with problems, may never work properly, vendor CEO celebrates outcome as “more equity”
  • PSTA’s paratransit procurement rules violated, six employees failed to notice. Program in shambles and getting worse.
  • Oldsmar mayor “asked to stop” using city seal after our article exposing blurring of lines between official city business and personal
  • Oldsmar mayor claims non-existent titles, mixes campaign and city communications, claims ignorance on PSTA scandal
  • Trust issues – beach town is hiring intern to verify PSTA’s ridership claims. Times gives new bus line a tongue bath

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