Hernando-Citrus MPO board to review transit plan, grant agreements May 7

Drivers on Spring Hill roads, riders of Hernando County transit and taxpayers in both Hernando and Citrus counties have several transportation decisions to watch when the Hernando-Citrus Metropolitan Planning Organization board meets May 7 in Brooksville.

The board is scheduled to meet Thursday, May 7, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. in the Brooksville City Hall Council Chambers at 201 Howell Avenue. The agenda reaches beyond routine housekeeping and includes review of the Feb. 5 meeting minutes, the Florida Department of Transportation and MPO annual certification summary and joint certification statement, resolutions 2026-2 and 2026-3, authorization for the MPO executive director to execute Fiscal Year 2027 grant award agreements for Citrus and Hernando counties, and review and adoption of the FY2027-FY2028 Unified Work Program.

The MPO carries formal responsibility for transportation planning in the Spring Hill urbanized area of Hernando County and the Homosassa Springs-Beverly Hills-Citrus Springs urbanized area of Citrus County. Under the Federal Highway Act of 1973, metropolitan planning organizations are required to provide a cooperative, comprehensive and continuing transportation planning and decision-making process, which makes the May 7 meeting part of the region’s official pipeline for deciding which projects and funding priorities move forward.

The timing matters because several planning documents are moving at once. The draft FY2027-FY2028 Unified Planning Work Program was open for public review through May 7, the same day the board meets, and was scheduled for proposed adoption on June 4. The draft List of Priority Projects and draft Transportation Improvement Program were also in spring 2026 review periods, putting the board meeting at the center of a cluster of decisions that can shape future congestion relief, roadway improvements and mobility investments.

The Transportation Improvement Program is especially important because Hernando County says it is developed and updated each year as part of the Hernando/Citrus Area Transportation Study certification process. Maintaining and updating that plan is one of the prerequisites for continued receipt of federal transportation assistance, linking the board’s action directly to future dollars for transportation improvements.

Transit planning is also back on the agenda. The board will hear a presentation from the Center for Urban Transportation Research on the annual update to the Hernando County FY2025-FY2034 Transit Development Plan, a 10-year horizon plan required by FDOT. The county says the current plan, adopted by the Board of County Commissioners on Dec. 3, 2024, is meant to guide transit improvements, support a more effective multi-modal system and help prioritize funding over the next decade.

The agenda also includes discussion of the Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee, which helps the MPO develop bikeway and pedestrian plans, review projects and coordinate with regional multi-use trail networks. Public participation is welcome, and the county says accessibility and language-assistance information is available.