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Governing Board, Elected Officials, and Staff Members Gather to Dedicate New SFRTA Operations Center
Past and present members of the Governing Board of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA), elected officials, and past and present staff members recently gathered for the dedication of the new SFRTA Operations Center. Following brief remarks by Vice Chair Andrew Frey, over 200 guests enjoyed a light lunch and the opportunity to catch up with old friends.
The new station is enhanced by solar panels that provide 100% of the power needed to operate the facility. The landscaping has native vegetation that requires little watering. An overpass allows passengers to move from platform to platform without having to cross the tracks at grade level. The station also provides new, secure bike lockers, charging stations for electric vehicles, and ample accessible parking.
“After many years of operating in a temporary headquarters, the Agency has moved into a permanent facility that can accommodate the entire operation under one roof. This allows for an enhanced level of communication and efficiency that can only be of benefit to our passengers,” said Mr. Frey in making his remarks.
The campus includes the Operations Center, a revamped Pompano Beach Station built to LEED certification standards, and a four-level garage, providing 472 parking spaces for passengers, visitors and staff. It was built by Gulf Building and was funded by the Federal Transit Administration, a State Infrastructure Bank Loan, the Florida Department of Transportation, and local support from the counties.
The Operations Center houses all the departments needed to run a commuter rail system: operations and maintenance, dispatch, customer service, planning, engineering and construction, finance, safety and security, information technology, human resources, procurement, legal services, and administration.
Mr. Frey concluded the dedication by saying, “This is a facility that any transit system in the State would be proud to call home.”
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Peze bouton sa si ou vle li an Kreyol
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SFRTA Elects Commissioner Esteban L. Bovo Chair at June 22 Monthly Meeting
Broward County Commissioner Tim Ryan Elected Vice Chair
The Governing Board of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA) has elected Miami-Dade County Commissioner Esteban L. Bovo, Jr. to serve as Chairman of the Agency. Broward County Commissioner Tim Ryan was elected Vice Chair. Their terms are effective July 1, 2018. The Miami-Dade County Commissioners appointed Commissioner Bovo to serve as their representative to the SFRTA Governing Board in June 2018. The Broward County Board of County Commissioners appointed Commissioner Ryan in January 2015.
Elected to represent District 13 in 2011, Commissioner Bovo represents the vibrant and diverse communities of Hialeah, Miami Lakes, Palm Springs North and several other unincorporated neighborhoods.
Commissioner Bovo is currently Chair of the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners. On the Commission, he currently serves as Chairman of the Board’s Transportation and Mobility and is a member of the Unincorporated Municipal Services Committee and the Strategic Planning and Government Operations Committee.
 Esteban L. Bovo, Jr. was born on June 12, 1962 in Queens, NY to Marilyn and Esteban Bovo-Caras. As a member of Brigade 2506, a US supported military unit that saw combat during the Bay of Pigs invasion, Commissioner Bovo’s father instilled in him a sense of duty, justice and fair play. Commissioner Bovo has been a proud resident of Miami-Dade County for over 45 years and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Florida International University. He is married to Viviana and has five children: Oscar, Bianca, Esteban, Sofia and Alessandro.
Commissioner Tim Ryan served as Chair of the SFRTA Governing Board from July 2016 to June 2017. A lifelong resident of Broward County, he was elected to the Broward County Board of County Commissioners in November 2012 and was elected mayor of the county in November 2014. He represents District 7, which includes the cities of Dania Beach, Lazy Lake, and Wilton Manners, as well as parts of Davie, Fort Lauderdale, and Hollywood and the Broadview Park neighborhood.
Before his election to the Broward County Commission, he served for 8 years in the Florida House of Representatives from 1998-2006 before leaving office due to term limits. During his time in the legislature, Ryan focused on legislative initiatives to protect consumers, improve public education, enhance accountability and ethical standards for elected officials, and to protect our state’s environment and natural resources. Commissioner Ryan follows in a long family tradition of public service to the people of Broward County.
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Palm Beach County Commissioner Hal R. Valeche |
Palm Beach Commissioners Appoints Hal Valeche to SFRTA Governing Board
The Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners has appointed Commissioner Hal Valeche to serve as its representative on the SFRTA Governing Board, effective immediately.
Commissioner Valeche graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor’s degree in American Studies. Upon graduation, he entered the US Navy flight-training program at Pensacola, Florida. On completion of training, he was assigned to Fighter Squadron 191 at NAS Miramar California. During this tour, he flew 85 combat missions in Vietnam, logged 230 carrier landings and received six awards of the Air Medal.
After his service in the Navy, Commissioner Valeche attended the Wharton School, where he received an MBA in Finance and received Director’s List recognition for academic achievement in both years of the program. Following graduation, he moved to New York and began a ten-year career as an investment banker with Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch and Smith Barney. As an investment banker, he advised many public and private companies in conjunction with debt and equity issuance, mergers and acquisitions and strategic recapitalizations.
Hal moved to Palm Beach Gardens in 1993. Since then, he has started and operated several successful businesses, served as head of acquisitions for a Boca Raton-based public company and is currently working once again as an investment banker and venture capitalist.
He has a daughter, Claire, born in December 1998.
Commissioner Valeche was elected to the Board of Supervisors of the Northern Palm Beach County Improvement District in 2002 and subsequently was elected and served two terms on the City Council of Palm Beach Gardens.
In November 2009, Florida’s Governor appointed him to the Board of Directors of Enterprise Florida. He served as chair of Enterprise Florida’s Technology, Entrepreneurship and Capital Committee, and on the boards of Space Florida, BioFlorida, and the Florida Institute for the Commercialization of Public Research.
Commissioner Valeche was elected to the Palm Beach County Commission District 1 seat in November 2012, and was re-elected to a second term in November 2016.
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G4S Officer Recognized with Certificate of Appreciation
Custom Protection Officer Leslie Penix was commended for her diligent attention to duty and keen use of investigative skills by G4S at the June meeting of the SFRTA Governing Board. While performing her duties, CPO Penix observed an adult male interacting with a female student. Continued surveillance of the individual showed him interacting with another female commuter, who also appeared to be a minor.
After making sure that the other students had safely boarded their buses, CPO Penix made contact with a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Deputy who was actively patrolling the area. The deputy located the suspicious male and conducted a field interview. A subsequent interview disclosed that the male is the subject of a current criminal investigation involving human trafficking in two Florida counties. The female commuter had been reporting missing from Broward County.
CPO Penix is a testament to the men and women of G4S who keep our passengers safe and secure during their travels. She showed the highest commitment to the G4S mission and values. The SFRTA is proud to call her a member of our team.
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Florida Supercon
Florida Supercon will run a free shuttle service between Tri-Rail and their upcoming event on Saturday, July 14 and Sunday, July 15. The buses will run on an hourly loop between the event location at the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention Center and Tri-Rail’s Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport Station at Dania Beach, located at 500 Gulf Stream Way.
Though the event takes place July 12-15, shuttle bus service from Tri-Rail will only be available for Saturday and Sunday.
For more information about Florida Supercon visit floridasupercon.com or call 954-399-1330.
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SFRTA: Building Stronger Connections
 The South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA) continues to seek public input to prepare for the Transit Development Plan (TDP) Major Update for 2019-2028 titled:
“SFRTA: Building Stronger Connections”
The TDP is a strategic planning document that defines public transit needs and opportunities throughout the Tri-Rail service area for the next 10 years.
A brief online survey has recorded more than 430 responses, and is still available for you to complete at www.TriRailTDP2018.com/input.
Thank you for your input to identify Tri-Rail improvements for our trains, commuter buses, and at stations! To date, the top ten improvements Tri-rail customers and survey-takers have identified are:
1. More frequent service
2. Add a mobile ticketing app for fare payment
3. Expand rail service onto the FEC railroad between West Palm Beach and Ft. Lauderdale
4. Improve cleanliness of trains
5. Expand rail service on the FEC railroad between Fort Lauderdale and Miami
6. Earlier / later train service hours
7. Expand service north into Jupiter
8. Expand rail service North to Martin County
9. Additional / new Tri-Rail station(s)
10. More weekend service
Please continue to inform SFRTA on how we can best plan for the future.
Whether you’re a regular or one-time rider, we want to hear from you. Comments can be emailed to us at: TDP@sfrta.fl.gov Thank you for helping us define Tri-Rail’s priorities!
For more information about the TDP Major Update, please contact: Vicki Gatanis, Project Manager at (954) 788-7977.
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