Commissioner Baugh elected chair of transportation planning organization

Manatee County District 5 Commissioner Vanessa Baugh was elected as the new chair of the Florida Metropolitan Planning Organization Advisory Council on Jan. 31.

The appointment of Baugh, who oversees the Lakewood Ranch area as county commissioner, took place at the MPOAC meeting held that day according to a Manatee County press release.

Baugh has been a member of MPOAC for the past five years and vice chair for the past three years.

The MPOAC is a statewide transportation planning and policy organization created by the Florida Legislature to enhance cooperative transportation planning among local Metropolitan Planning Organizations by serving as a forum for collective policy discussion, according to the release.

“It is an honor to take on the chairwoman position,” Baugh said in the release. “I look forward to leading the council in a forward direction with its future endeavors.”

The organization is made up of a governing board of 27 members including local elected officials, some of whom serve on a staff director's advisory committee. 

The release said the MPOAC actively participates in the activities of the Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations and the National Association of Regional Councils, and it works with other stakeholder groups to help shape state and national policy around metropolitan transportation issues.