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HART CEO says she welcomes call for outside investigation

The board directed staff to look into setting a special meeting for Tuesday, Nov. 29, or Wednesday, Nov. 30, depending on people’s schedules.

TAMPA, Fla. — The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority Board of Directors has voted to hold a special meeting sometime next week to talk about a potential investigation into recent issues at HART and decisions made by HART CEO Adelee Le Grand.

Le Grand fired several top managers in recent days, in a move that had some board members feeling “blindsided."

There is turmoil at HART, which is faced with a looming financial crisis. Le Grand promised more tough decisions are ahead.

“And I feel that we are making good progress,” she told the board.

Le Grand also told board members she welcomes the transparency amid calls for an outside investigation into HART.

“I’m sure everybody on this board doesn’t know or realize how many people have left for whatever reason and I think we’ve been blindsided in a lot of ways, and I’d like to know more,” HART Board Member Marvin Knight explained.

Aside from an employee exodus, voters recently rejected a one-percent sales tax increase that would’ve pumped millions into HART’s coffers.

The new conservative-leaning majority on the Hillsborough commission also puts the likelihood of reviving that proposal in greater doubt.

“There needs to be action taken at least in moving forward I’m calling for an investigation,” HART Board Member Kimberly Overman said.

Board members seemed particularly disturbed by a revelation that HART’s now-fired chief customer experience officer was somehow simultaneously working a similar job in New Orleans.

She was shown the door two weeks earlier.

“This type of deception will not be tolerated by anyone in this in this agency,” Le Grand said.

The CEO said the community needs to know it can trust HART. Board members who are calling for a special meeting to authorize the outside investigation agree.

The board directed staff to look into setting a special meeting for Tuesday, Nov. 29, or Wednesday, Nov. 30, depending on people’s schedules.

There, members are likely to consider hiring an outside law firm to look into recent developments at the transit authority.

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