Mitch Perry
Jeff Brandes says he’s mad as hell, and doesn’t want to take it anymore.
The St. Petersburg-based Republican state senator wrote on his Facebook page Thursday that he will propose legislation next year to eliminate the Hillsborough County Public Transportation Commission. His statement comes a day after the controversial agency said that although a Hillsborough judge denied its preliminary injunction against Uber last week, it would keep citing Uber and Lyft drivers in Hillsborough County.
“This is a perfect example of government run amok,” Brandes wrote. “Enough is enough. I’m drafting sweeping legislation to reform the PTC. It’s time our leaders stood up on behalf of our residents, tourists, and businesses to make sure Tampa Bay has the most robust network of transportation options available.”
It won’t be Brandes’ first attempted to kill the PTC, which regulates taxis, limos and ridesharing companies such as Uber and Lyft.
In December 2013, Brandes and fellow Hillsborough/Pinellas state Rep. Jamie Grant proposed such a bill initially at a meeting of the Hillsborough County legislative delegation. The delegation rejected it, though.
Undaunted, the two tried again to push a bill through the Legislature in 2014, to no success.
At the time, neither Uber nor Lyft actually operated in the area. The only experience Tampa Bay riders had with the service was during the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa. But Uber Black, its black car service, said the PTC’s minimum $50 fare was prohibitive and prevented them from operating in the market.
While the two Tampa Bay area Republicans tried to pass legislation that year (unsuccessfully), both Uber and Lyft opted to begin Hillsborough County operations in April of 2014, later spreading their services through the Bay area (and in other major cities across the state).
Attempts this past year in the Legislature in Tallahassee to come up with a bill regulating Uber and Lyft also failed.
Meanwhile, the PTC, created by a special act of the Legislature and operates at Tallahassee’s whim, continues to battle the ridesharing companies over drivers’ background checks, insurance policies, and vehicle inspections.
On Wednesday as a PTC meeting took place, about 20 Uber drivers protested in front of County Center, demanding that Hillsborough County officials let the ride share company operate in the open.
