February 2022 – For the second year in a row, the Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission (the Planning Commission) has been named one of the 2022 Best Workplaces for Commuters for offering exceptional employee commuter benefits.
The Planning Commission is among a select group of workplaces in the United States that have achieved the Best Workplaces for Commuters National Standard of Excellence. The Planning Commission offers employees several commuter benefits, including:
- 75% subsidy of monthly bus passes
- Designated parking for carpools and vanpools
- Access to workplace fleet vehicles for business
- Flextime scheduling where employees may periodically change starting and quitting times around our core business hours
- Promotion of and participate in healthy initiatives to encourage and increase walking and bicycling
- A robust telework program
“The Planning Commission is one of the top employers in the nation offering high-level commuter benefits to their employees,” said Julie Bond, Program Manager, Best Workplaces for Commuters. “They give their employees the support they need to get to work and be at their best before, during, and after their workday.”
“We are extremely proud about our progressive commuter benefits that have helped our employees save time, money, and alleviate stress,” said Melissa Zornitta, Executive Director of the Planning Commission. “This is just one more way we show we really care about making our employees lives easier and more manageable as they meet work and family life challenges.”
The Best Workplaces for Commuters program offers designated organizations access to a range of support services to assess and promote non-driving commuting of employees, including organizational assessment and implementation toolkits, web-based tools and webinars, staff training, and information exchange.
About Best Workplaces for Commuters (http://www.bestworkplaces.org/)
Best Workplaces for Commuters is the national authority on recognizing and assisting workplaces that provide exceptional commuter benefits to employees. More than a recognition program, the Best Workplaces for Commuters program provides support needed to create and sustain an employer-provided commuter benefit program, including online assessment tools, advisory services, case studies, tool-kits, web-based tools, webinars and training. Best Workplaces for Commuters represents over 500 workplaces with Best Workplaces for Commuters designation representing over 2-million employees. The Best Workplaces for Commuters program is managed by the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) at the University of South Florida with support from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).
About Center for Urban Transportation Research (https://www.cutr.usf.edu/)
The Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) at the University of South Florida, established in 1988, is an internationally recognized resource for policymakers, transportation professionals and the public. CUTR provides high quality, objective expertise in the form of insightful research, in-depth policy analysis, comprehensive training and education and effective technical assistance that translates directly into benefits for CUTR’s project sponsors. CUTR’s faculty of more than 37 full-time researchers and 57 students, combines academic knowledge and extensive “real world” experience in developing innovative, implementable solutions for all modes of transportation. The multidisciplinary research faculty includes experts in economics, planning, engineering, public policy and geography. CUTR logs $21 million per year in expenditures through contracts and grants to support its research, education, training and technical assistance missions. CUTR is home to the National Institute of Congestion Reduction. In 2020, CUTR was competitively selected by the U.S. Department of Transportation as the national university transportation center focused on congestion.
