2026 FPTA/FDOT/CUTR PDW & Transit Safety and Operations Summit: Full Schedule

8:00am EDT

Level Up Your Leadership – Transit Immersion Leadership Experience (TILE)

Tuesday June 9, 2026 8:00am - 9:45am EDT

Launched in 2022 by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), TILE is a dynamic year-long leadership development program for leaders at all levels. Participants engage in shared learning, innovation, and skill enhancement throughout the program, gaining invaluable insights into partner agencies' operations.
Take advantage of our special presentation featuring the Class of 2026 showcasing their final projects. But that's not all! Dive deeper into how you can become a part of future cohorts and unlock this program's incredible benefits

Moderators

Liliane Finke

President, ExecuCoach360 Training and Consulting, LLC

Dr. Liliane M. Finke, Ed.D., ExecuCoach360 President
As a leadership development consultant, Dr. Liliane M. Finke offers over 25 years of experience in both the public and private sectors and is a seasoned professional with a strong vision and mission to initiate a positive impact on the workplace by supporting the development of indiv... Read More →

Speakers

Stephanie Lewis

Workforce Development Project Manager, USF/CUTR

Stephanie Lewis, M.Ed., is currently a Workforce Development Project Manager and Instructional Designer at the Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida. She has a wide range of skills in online and instructor led course development, webinar coordination, video production... Read More →

Robert Dutremble

Director Fleet Maintenance, Jacksonville Transportation Authority

Maria DeJesus

Transit Coordinator, FDOT

Maria serves as a Passenger Operations Specialist III (Transit Programs Coordinator) in the Modal Development Office at the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) in Tampa, Florida. She supports public transportation systems throughout District 7, which includes Citrus, Hernando... Read More →

Candice Kennon

Administrator, Suwannee Valley Transit Authority

Candice T. Kennon, CPM, MSM, serves as the Administrator for the Suwannee Valley Transit Authority in Live Oak, Florida. She brings more than 20 years of experience working within government agencies, with expertise in public administration, budget management, procurement, human resources... Read More →

Douglas Steiger

Assistant Director, Pasco County Public Transportation

Douglas Steiger, is currently the Assistant Public Transportation Director for Pasco County Public Transportation. In his role, he oversees contract negotiation and management, the demand response service program, the agency transit asset management plan, and community outreach... Read More →

Charles Abbatantuono

Senior Planner, LYNX

Charles Abbatantuono is a Senior Planner with LYNX’s Strategic Planning Department. Charles is an Orlando native who has a passion for helping guide development in his hometown sustainably so visitors and residents can continue to enjoy the City Beautiful for generations to come... Read More →

Rachael Cappolla

Executive Assistant/Certified Records Manager, PSTA

Rachael Cappolla is currently the Executive Assistant/Certified Records Manager for Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) in Pinellas County, Florida. She has over 35 years of experience as an administrative professional, working in both public schools and the transit industry. Originally fro... Read More →

Liz Soriano

Project Manager, Collier Area Transit

Liz Soriano is a Project Manager for Collier Area Transit. With over 22 years of dedicated public service experience within Collier County Government, including 7 years in transit Project Management, she brings extensive experience in planning, coordinating, and delivery of construction... Read More →

Sandra Stanley

Miami-Dade DTPW

I am a proud mother of two daughters and a seasoned Miami‑Dade County transit professional with over 30 years of experience in operations, workforce management, and service delivery. I currently serve as Superintendent of Bus Operations, where I lead operator performance oversight... Read More →

Tuesday June 9, 2026 8:00am - 9:45am EDT
Salons F & G

Panel Presentation

10:00am EDT

Advanced Air Mobility – The Future of Moving People

Tuesday June 9, 2026 10:00am - 11:45am EDT

Salons A - C

Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) represents the next frontier in transportation—leveraging innovative aircraft technology to enable the safe, efficient, sustainable movement of people and goods at low altitudes. This session will cover the definition, core technologies, regulatory landscape, and commercial opportunities of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). It is designed for professionals who may be new to space but want a rapid, high-level understanding that can be applied to strategy, operations, or policy.

Moderators

Ken Sides

TYLin

Ken Sides is a Professional Engineer licensed by the State of Florida who has spent much of his career as project manager for modern roundabouts and Complete Street projects intended to improve the safety and livability of intersections and streets for both motorized and non-motorized... Read More →

Speakers

Richard Lesniak

Airport Manager, Albert Whitted Airport, City of St. Petersburg

Richard has been with the City of St. Petersburg for over twenty-three (23) years serving in the capacity of Airport Manager during this entire period. In this position, he is responsible for the daily operation and upkeep of the Albert Whitted Airport. This includes maintaining... Read More →

Sierra LePore

Director of Planning, Hillsborough County Aviation Authority

Sierra LePore is the Director of Planning at the Hillsborough County Aviation Authority which owns and operates 4 airports within its system: Tampa International Airport, Tampa Executive Airport, Peter O’Knight Airport, and Plant City Airport. Sierra joined HCAA in April 2024 where... Read More →

Jacques Coulon

Transportation Planning Division Manager, City of Orlando

Jacques leads the City’s efforts on preparing for Advanced Air Mobility and works on a variety of transportation planning efforts including the City’s planned Lake Highland/Alden Road realignment project and Virginia Dr. corridor study. In his current role with the City’s Transportation... Read More →

Santh Sathya

Founder, LuftCar

Santh Sathya founded LuftCar - an autonomous air and road mobility eVTOL mobility company in March 2021. He is also the CEO of LuftCar and serves on its board of directors.

Tuesday June 9, 2026 10:00am - 11:45am EDT
Salons A - C

Panel Presentation

1:15pm EDT

Technology-Enabled Service Design for Improved On-Demand Transit

Tuesday June 9, 2026 1:15pm - 3:00pm EDT

Salons A - C

Transit agencies across Florida are exploring tech-enabled, on-demand service strategies to improve operational efficiency, better align service with demand, and respond to changing travel patterns. This session begins with a presentation summarizing a CUTR white paper on emerging on-demand transit service models in Florida, with a focus on service design considerations, implementation lessons, and key research needs. That presentation will be followed by an overview of microtransit-related highlights from this year’s APTA Mobility Conference. The session will then shift to an interactive panel discussion with representatives from Florida transit agencies and active audience participation. Panelists will share perspectives from their agencies’ experience and discuss how tech-enabled routing, service design decisions, and performance monitoring can be used to improve on-demand service delivery.

Potential discussion threads include:

What kinds of problems agencies are trying to solve through these service strategies

Lessons learned and challenges agencies have encountered

How routing and dispatch technology is being used in practice

Service design trade-offs, such as zones, fleet deployment, and service span

How agencies are thinking about performance, including productivity, wait times, cost per trip, and broader service value

Moderators

Jennifer Flynn

Senior Research Associate, Center for Urban Transportation Research/USF

Speakers

Jarice Rodriguez

Interim Chief of Paratransit Program & Mobility Services, Miami-Dade DTPW

Ms. Jarice Rodriguez serves as the Chief of Paratransit Operations and Mobility Services at the Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW), where she leads the County’s paratransit and on-demand mobility programs. She is responsible for advancing the... Read More →

Carlos Cruz-Casas

VP of Mobility Innovation, TYLin | City Solutions

For over 17 years, Carlos Cruz-Casas has been a driving force in urban mobility, delivering transformative projects in both public and private sectors. From pioneering innovative mobility solutions to leading complex bus network redesigns, he consistently improves operational efficiency... Read More →

Tracy Jahn

Tracy Jahn is St. Lucie County’s Transit Operations Manager. She joined the Transit Team in September 2020. Tracy is responsible for overseeing operational and fiscal aspects of the County’s transit system, Area Regional Transit (ART), and other special transit programs... Read More →

Tuesday June 9, 2026 1:15pm - 3:00pm EDT
Salons A - C

Panel Presentation

3:15pm EDT

Analytics in Practice: Turning Performance Data into Better Transit Service

Tuesday June 9, 2026 3:15pm - 5:00pm EDT

Salons A - C

This session is supported by the Florida Transit Planning Network (FTPN), and all transit professionals are welcome.
The session will focus on the analytical foundation behind operational modernization and system redesign. Panelists will share how they used available data to diagnose performance issues, evaluate trade-offs, and justify redesigning decisions in various operating environments and service mode types. Emphasis will be on practical applications and how agencies translated analysis into service improvements that resulted in demonstrable efficiencies. Case examples will highlight before/after impacts and how results were communicated to boards, elected officials, and the public to support implementation. PSTA will present an approach to align fixed route service with customer travel demand by peak and off-peak service as well as weekend service. Bayway will provide insight for delivering an innovative TNC/Uber Shared model after real world trial and error with a microtransit model demonstration. This is the session to share how transit agencies redefine and improve fixed route and mobility on demand services based on data analysis.

Moderators

Martin Catala

Program Director, Transit Management and Innovation Group, CUTR

Martin Catala is the Program Director of the Transit Management and Innovation (TMI) Group at the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) at the University of South Florida, where he brings more than 30 years of experience in public transportation research, planning, and program... Read More →

Speakers

Lamar Hobbs

Transit Program Administrator, Bayway

Lamar Hobbs is the Transit Program Administrator of the Bay County Board of County Commissioner’s Transit Department. Having worked in public service for more than 25 years, Lamar’s vast experience coordinating and leading administrative and operational functions has allowed him... Read More →

Devan Deal

Devan Deal is the Planning and Data Analyst Manager at Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority and holds a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Florida. At PSTA, Devan leads service planning analysis, performance monitoring, and data-driven reporting to support... Read More →

Tuesday June 9, 2026 3:15pm - 5:00pm EDT
Salons A - C

Panel Presentation

3:15pm EDT

Shared Use Session

Tuesday June 9, 2026 3:15pm - 5:00pm EDT

Magnolia Room

Microtransit services are expanding across Florida as agencies explore flexible, on-demand mobility options. This session will provide a practical look at microtransit services operating in the state through a set of case studies from VoTran, Palm Tran, and Seminole County. Topics will include service planning, operational strategies, and costs, as well as implementation challenges. Session participants will leave with up-to-date lessons and considerations for designing, launching, and evaluating microtransit programs.

Moderators

Victoria Perk

Program Director, Transit Research Program, CUTR

MA, Economics, University of South Florida, 1993, BA, Economics, Eckerd College, 1992. Specialties: transportation economics, transit system performance analysis, transit development plans, transit service planning, survey design and analysis, statistical analysis.

Speakers

Bobbie King

Director, Transit Services, VOTRAN/Volusia County

Bobbie King (Votran) is a 26-year county employee with Volusia County Government. She currently holds the Transit Services Director position, overseeing Votran. She is experienced in project management, contract management, staff development and is highly regarded for her effective... Read More →

Ronald Jones

Senior Manager of Paratransit, PalmTran

Ron Jones has more than 35 years of experience in the paratransit industry, with hands-on expertise across all aspects of service delivery. He currently oversees Palm Tran Connection, a system that schedules approximately 5,000 passenger trips each weekday across 260 routes.Palm Tran... Read More →

Ji Li

Ji Li serves as the Micro Transit Manager for Seminole County’s Scout program, where he provides day-to-day operational oversight, performance monitoring, strategic planning, inter-agency coordination, and grant development and management.
With 20 years of experience in fixed-route and micro-transit planning and operations, Ji Li previously served as Senior Transit Planner for SunTran in Ocala, Florida. In that role, he successfully secured a $16.1 million Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Low or No Emission Program... Read More →

Kristian Swenson

Assistant County Manager, Seminole County

Kristian Swenson is an Assistant County Manager for Seminole County responsible for providing executive oversight of operational departments, including Environmental Services, Parks and Recreation, Utilities, Fleet & Facilities, and Public Works. These five departments account for... Read More →

Tuesday June 9, 2026 3:15pm - 5:00pm EDT
Magnolia Room

Panel Presentation

8:00am EDT

Fare Free Frontiers – Successes and Challenges

Wednesday June 10, 2026 8:00am - 9:45am EDT

Salons F & G

In this session, attendees will learn real‑world outcomes of fare‑free programs transit systems. Presentations will demonstrate how each agency approached financial and operational challenges and will highlight key successes. The presenters will provide actionable takeaways on funding models, ridership trends, and stakeholder engagement that can guide any transit agency considering a fare‑free services. A portion of the session will also examine how these systems are evolving to meet future demands.

Moderators

Stephanie Lewis

Workforce Development Project Manager, USF/CUTR

Speakers

Omar Peerzada

Senior Planner, HART

Omar Peerzada is a Senior Planner for the Hillsborough Transit Authority (HART). Omar leads on National Transit Database (NTD) reporting and supports major planning projects and development review on behalf of HART. He has a background in transit operational analysis, collaborative... Read More →

Chris Stephenson

Director of Transportation, Indian River Transit

A proud Texan, Chris was born and raised in the Lone Star State. Chris received his undergraduate degree in Communication and his MA in Non-Profit Business Management from Abilene Christian University. Chris previously worked for Sears Methodist Retirement Systems, the largest... Read More →

Jesus Peraza-Garcia

Planning & Scheduling team, Hillsborough Transit Authority (HART)

Jesus Peraza Garcia is the Manager of Planning for the Hillsborough Transit Authority (HART). Jesus leads in the development of HART's major planning projects and acts as an agency representative for projects impacting the Tampa Bay region. He holds a variety of skills including data... Read More →

Tracy Jahn

Wednesday June 10, 2026 8:00am - 9:45am EDT
Salons F & G

Panel Presentation

8:00am EDT

Transit Vehicle Automation

Wednesday June 10, 2026 8:00am - 9:45am EDT

Magnolia Room

Transit automation technologies have the potential to improve safety, reduce operating costs, and increase convenience of the transit service. An increasing number of transit providers nationwide continue testing and demonstrating passenger vehicles with high levels of automation. Yet, these technologies still face challenges with ensuring adequate safety in all operating conditions, achieving public acceptance, overcoming legal and regulatory obstacles, and other issues. Transportation professionals continue debating when transit automation technologies will see widespread market adoption and what impact they will have on transportation costs, workforce development, urban planning and overall travel behavior. This session will cover the latest developments in automated transit in Florida, including the review of the best practices and lessons learned from recent deployments, as well as the discussion of the existing challenges and obstacles to practical AV implementation in transit service.

Moderators

Victoria Perk

Program Director, Transit Research Program, CUTR

Speakers

Jarice Rodriguez

Interim Chief of Paratransit Program & Mobility Services, Miami-Dade DTPW

Tim Merzheku

Director of Automation and Innovation, JTA

Tim Merzheku is a Licensed Professional Engineer (PE) and Project Management Professional (PMP) with over 10 years of experience leading complex capital construction and infrastructure programs from preconstruction through closeout, with both project delivery and operational experience... Read More →

Arman Sargolzaei

Assistant Professor, USF

Dr. Arman Sargolzaei's expertise is in applying linear and nonlinear control methods, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to the field of connected and autonomous vehicles. His mission is to enhance the quality of life for people, assuring security and privacy concerns through... Read More →

Wednesday June 10, 2026 8:00am - 9:45am EDT
Magnolia Room

Panel Presentation

10:00am EDT

Transit Modernization Playbook: Practical Strategies for Delivering More Efficient and Reliable Service

Wednesday June 10, 2026 10:00am - 11:45am EDT

Salons F & G

This session addresses the “what” and “why” of transit modernization — exploring how and why agencies evolve their service models. Discussion may include transitions across fixed-route, hybrid, and on-demand service; strategic decision-making under fiscal and performance constraints; implementation realities; and lessons learned from agencies navigating these shifts.
Discussion topics include:

What conditions or triggers most often prompt agencies to consider a service model shift

Implementation realities: technology, procurement, staffing, training, and change management

How agencies define success for fixed-route, hybrid, and on-demand services in different contexts

Decision frameworks and trade-offs under fiscal constraints, performance expectations, and public/administrative expectation

Common pitfalls, course corrections, and lessons learned from agencies that have made a system transition

Moderators

Jonathan Roberson

Research Associate, Center for Urban Transportation Research/USF

Jonathan Roberson, AICP, is currently a Research Associate with the University of South Florida’s Center for Urban Transportation (CUTR). Jonathan has over twenty years of expertise in transit planning and project implementation, including leadership positions at Manatee County... Read More →

Speakers

Jacob Labutka, MCRP

Planning Manager, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority

Jacob Labutka, as the Planning Manager at PSTA, leads a variety of planning projects such as the agency’s system redesign. He also leads the development of PSTA’s discretionary grant applications such as federal grants for buses & technology programs and state grants for operating support of new services. Jacob oversees several... Read More →

Mansoor Lajmiri

Planner II, GoPasco

Manny Lajmiri brings more than 30 years of transportation planning experience, including planning, development, and implementation of a variety of transportation planning plans and programs. Manny worked at the Pasco MPO for 30+ years developing several Long-Range Transportation Plans... Read More →

Thaddeus J. Davenport

Mass Transit Director, Escambia County Area Transit

Thaddeus Davenport serves as the Mass Transit Director, overseeing Escambia County Area Transit and all public transportation operations for the Mass Transit Department. Davenport brings over two decades of industry experience to the role, with a proven track record of success in strategic transportation... Read More →

Heidi Maddox

Transit Operations Manager, Charlotte County Transit

Heidi Maddox has served as Charlotte County’s Transit Operations Manager since 2023. She directs policy development, ensures contractual compliance, and oversees both long-range planning and daily operations. Heidi has driven key improvements, including implementing scheduling software to reduce... Read More →

Wednesday June 10, 2026 10:00am - 11:45am EDT
Salons F & G

Panel Presentation

2026 FPTA/FDOT/CUTR PDW & Transit Safety and Operations Summit

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