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The 2023 Florida Commuter Transportation Summit, sponsored by the Florida Department of Transportation, and hosted by the Center for Urban Transportation Research, was held on April 5-7, 2023 in St. Petersburg, Florida.
The Summit is an annual event that includes innovative presentations on Transportation Demand Management topics and updates from the FDOT districts. Recipients of the Florida Travel Choices Awards and Commuters Choice Certificate and Social Marketing in Transportation Graduates were recognized, as well as a recognition of the Florida Best Workplaces for Commuters members for 2023. Use the links below to download PDF copies of the presentations.
Wednesday, April 5, 2023
Training Workshop
Making It Stick: Improving effectiveness of Commuter Assistance Program (CAP) communication messages and materials using neuromarketing
Making It Stick: Improving effectiveness of Commuter Assistance Program (CAP) communication messages and materials using neuromarketing
Mahmooda Khaliq Pasha, USF CUTR
Philip Winters, USF CUTR
Marketing commuter assistance programs has primarily focused on how to get the word out about travel options and where to place those advertisements to reach the largest audience. Less attention is paid on what goes where on the advertising page to increase the likelihood the commuter will act on the message. Neuromarketing is the study of how the brain responds to marketing and advertising to improve the delivery of the messages and likelihood of follow through on the calls to action.
Wednesday, April 5, 2023
Training Workshop
Building Successful Vanpool Programs
Building Successful Vanpool Programs
Arlinda Karuli, Commute with Enterprise
Kenneth Boden, TBARTA
Our speakers helped participants learn to identify target markets and engage employers to reach commuters. This workshop provided tips for expanding your program to multiple markets and ensuring its continued growth. Participants learned how vanpooling has impacted Tampa Bay and Southwest Florida by creating solutions that improve parking challenges, employee recruiting and retention, and employee engagement to drive productivity, lower costs, and reduce environmental impact.
Thursday, April 6, 2023
Summit Presentations
Partnering for Success: Moving People in St. Petersburg
Nicole Roberts, St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership
Cheryl Stacks, City of St. Petersburg
Collaboration has been a key ingredient in solving St. Petersburg’s transportation puzzle and continues to generate creative options for the diverse commuters welcomed daily to the city’s urban core.
Expanding E-Bike Ownership in Tampa
Austin Britt, City of Tampa
The City of Tampa recently developed and launched an eBike Voucher Program aimed at providing residents with sustainable, affordable, and reliable transportation to jobs and other essential trips. This presentation covers the development of the program, engagement with stakeholders, and the voucher development process.
Work From Home Study
Jeremy Mullings, South Florida Commuter Services
South Florida Commuter Services partnered with Miami-Dade Transportation Planning Organization to conduct a one-year study on working from home. Hear the ins-and-outs of the study and how the results might benefit your own telecommuting program.
Keynote Address: Carbon Reduction Strategies at the State Level
April Combs, Florida Department of Transportation
Hear what the Florida Department of Transportation is doing to reduce Florida’s carbon footprint while making our roadways safer, more efficient, and resilient.
A TOD-Focused Marketing Plan
Jo Santiago, FDOT District 5
Kayla Finch, reThink Your Commute
Brendan Guess, reThink Your Commute
reThink Your Commute is concentrating marketing efforts on residents and employers in Transit Oriented Developments (TOD) in close proximity to SunRail and around Park & Ride lots. The initiative, internally called (P)reThink Your Commute, utilizes Story Mapping to identify existing and future developments and their demographics.
Friday, April 7, 2023
Summit Presentations
AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities
Ann-Marie Waterman AARP Florida
AARP is working to make our communities even better places to live for all ages and transportation plays a key role. Age-friendly transportation options improve health; support vibrant neighborhoods; and connect people to economic, social and civic opportunities in their communities. Learn about AARP’s Age-Friendly Network of States and Communities, and other transportation programs and resources.
Where Art & Bicycling Meet
Pat Maurer, Apalachee Regional Planning Council
The speaker shared how Apalachee Regional Planning Council (ARPC) and RideOn developed “Cycle the Arts” as a fun way to engage new bicyclists. Following a behavior change model, ARPC partnered with the local Council on Culture & Arts to overlay its guide to outdoor art installations with the City’s bike path network. The campaign was honored with a National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) Impact Award.
Balancing Your Brand and Messaging
Stephen Alianiello, HDR, Inc.
Trinity Otero, HDR, Inc.
In the business of moving people, transportation professionals inevitably provide services that meet the needs of a wide variety of users. For
those charged with marketing these services, it is often difficult to maintain a solid overarching brand for one program or agency while
communicating compellingly to different audiences. Learn strategies and best practices for maintaining your organization’s brand while reaching
multiple target markets.
Commuter Choice Certificate Graduates
The Commuter Choice Certificate (CCC) program provides the most comprehensive training program for transportation professionals involved in managing demand for our transportation systems.
The non-credit certificate is awarded to participants who complete the required and elective courses to receive total of 80 credits over a two-year period. Each attendee participates in class discussions through a webinar and completes short homework assignments.
Participation does not require a college degree. This program is designed to help participants develop in-depth knowledge and skills in a professional field in relatively short time.
The following students graduated with a Commuter Choice Certificate and were recognized at the 2023 Florida Commuter Transportation Summit.
Leigh Anderson
Program Director
GWRideConnect
Richard Fontela
Shuttle Coordinator
Commute.org
Claudine Schneider
TDM Regional Program Manager
TDM Specialists Inc.
Stacey King
Ride Smart Program Manager
Department of Public Works & Transportation, Prince George’s County Maryland
Emma Shlaes
TDM Program Manager
Commute.org
Social Marketing in Transportation Graduates
Social marketing is the systematic application of marketing, along with other behavior change concepts and techniques, to achieve specific behavioral actions for a social purpose. The Social Marketing in Transportation Certificate can help transportation professionals who are looking to reduce congestion and improve access by increasing carpooling and transit ridership, or seeking to reduce pedestrian injuries and fatalities.
The following students graduated with a Social Marketing Certificate and were recognized at the 2023 Florida Commuter Transportation Summit.
Andrea Atran
Pamela Blankenship
Rosemarie Bruckner
Susanne Campbell
Marlena Compton
Maria Jose Espinoza
Karen Favorite
Irina Grant
Derek Hofbauer
Lee Kramer
Miranda Lansdale
Stephen Maples
Clarissa Marino Diaz
Nicole Mills
Stephanie Moss
Elena Ortiz Rosado
Lindsay Owens
Aranza Mia Piccone
Laura Pierson
Lindsey Robertson
Chloe Robinson
Alvin Sanchious
Rima Shamieh
Tenille Warren
Tamara Watkins
Julaina Webber
Brianna Weber
Sophie Wolfram
2023 Florida Travel Choices Awards
The 2023 Florida Travel Choices Awards were presented at the 2023 Florida Commuter Transportation Summit on April 7, 2023. The Florida Travel Choices Awards recognize excellence in Florida public transportation. The Florida Travel Choices Awards are divided into three categories:
- Innovative Program
- Marketing Excellence
- Leadership
Innovative Program Award
The Innovation Award is given to a Florida public transportation system, commuter assistance program, transportation management organization or other Florida entity that has designed and implemented specific public transportation-related programs that demonstrate innovative concepts or effective problem-solving techniques. The program should be of proven value and adaptable for use by others.
2023 Award Winner:
Hurricane Ian Disaster Response
Commute with Enterprise
Arlinda Karuli
District 1 utilized the vanpools through the Commute with Enterprise contract to provide evacuation services to worksites on Sanibel before Hurricane Ian. Once employees were allowed back on the island, D1 coordinated with the City Manager to secure prioritization of the vanpools as they crossed the bridge to decrease congestion, while encouraging use. This secured the vanpools priority for bridge access to get hospitality staff, cleaning crews, landscape and grocery store workers back to work to restore services. Their efforts contributed not only to get employees to safety prior to this major disaster, but contributed to the economic recovery and restoring of services on the island. Because of Arlinda’s thorough understanding of the contract and constraints, she was able to lead this work creating new connections with diverse employers and introducing them to the program potentially contributing to growing the vanpool program. Great job Arlinda!
Marketing Excellence Award
Recognizing excellence in Florida public transportation-related marketing including advertising campaigns, electronic media, print media and special events.
2023 Award Winner:
reThink Your Commute
Retro Look
The objective of reThink Your Commute’s Retro Look campaign is to convey the benefits of alternative transportation that commuters might not otherwise consider. The campaign illustrates the mental health benefits of avoiding traffic and taking the opportunity to observe your surroundings while riding a bus. Additionally, the campaign was designed to reflect classic Florida landscapes and highlight the unique communities in District 5. To give the campaign an authentic look, reThink Your Commute contracted Orlando artist Kelly Williams-Cramer. Kelly drew inspiration from the Depression-era Works Progress Administration series created for the National Parks Service. Her first creation depicts a young woman riding the bus while watching a rocket launch out of the window, a nod to the Space Coast community. The artwork was made into posters and reusable bags being distributed throughout District 5. Kelly has also adapted the artwork to feature Lake County for a park and ride billboard in that area. Kelly’s art is also being used for brand assets on reThink Your Commute’s social media. Quarterly social media themes highlighting different commute modes have been identified and Kelly will create additional art for multimodal commuting, working from home, and carpooling/vanpooling. The campaign has received universally positive feedback, which is difficult to quantify. However, since the campaign’s implementation, the program has seen measurable results in social media engagement featuring the art and continued growth in app usage.
Leadership Award
The Leadership Award honors a Florida individual who has made outstanding contributions to the public transportation industry. This award may be conferred upon a public transportation policy maker or private citizen who has made outstanding contributions to public transportation at the local or state level.
2023 Award Winner:
Michelle Peronto
Florida Department of Transportation, District 1
Through the program that Michelle manages, District 1 utilized the vanpools through the Commute with Enterprise contract to provide evacuation services to worksites on Sanibel before Hurricane Ian. Once employees were allowed back on the island, D1 coordinated with the City Manager to secure prioritization of the vanpools as they crossed the bridge to decrease congestion, while encouraging use. This secured the vanpools priority for bridge access to get hospitality staff, cleaning crews, landscape, and grocery store workers back to work to restore services. Their efforts contributed not only to get employees to safety prior to this major disaster but contributed to the economic recovery and restoring of services on the island. Through this work, Michelle’s team created new connections with diverse employers introducing them to the program and potentially contributing to growing the vanpool program. Had it not been for Michelle’s understanding of the CAP requirements and her willingness to allow this innovation, the Sanibel workers would not have received this valuable service and some of this new employer partnerships would not have been possible particularly because some of the businesses are smaller than what the program normally targets. Great job Michelle!
