The Florida Model Task Force (MTF) establishes policy directions and procedural guidelines for transportation modeling in Florida using the Florida Standard Model, FSUTMS. Voting members of the MTF consist of representatives from twenty-six MPOs, eight FDOT districts, and one representative for each of the following: Florida transit agencies, four FSUTMS user's groups, the Federal Highway Administration, the Florida Department of Community Affairs, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. In addition to these voting members, transportation professionals throughout the state of Florida participate in MTF discussions and technical committee activities as non-voting members.

Mission and Goals

The Model Task Force members developed the mission statement as follows: To advance model development and applications to serve the transportation planning needs of the Department and local governments. Furthermore, it was decided that the Model Task Force would operate in a responsive, consistent, and credible manner to establish standardized and uniform modeling practices.

The Florida Model Task Force ensures that the development of new modeling techniques follows a consistent and universal approach throughout the state of Florida. This universal approach entails encouragement of research and development with periodic review of these new procedures to determine whether they should be amalgamated into the Florida Standard Model. Maintaining project production throughout the process of revising the model and its application is vitally important.

Task Force Structure

The Model Task Force deliberates technical modeling issues and collectively adopts technical recommendations to be implemented with the Florida Standard Model, FSUTMS. There are three chairpersons, each selected for his or her modeling experiences in one of the three areas: MPO modeling, regional modeling, and district modeling. Each tri-chair coordinates MTF activities within their respective areas of expertise. The use of tri-chairs ensures that leadership roles represent the full spectrum of modeling activities in Florida. Additionally, the tri-chair structure ensures that there is never a tie vote from the leadership, and that one interest group does not dominate policy recommendations.

To ensure decentralization to the MPOs and FDOT Districts, FDOT Central Office Systems Planning provides technical assistance, develops new models, and participates as non-voting facilitator of the Model Task Force. Under the Model Task Force, technical committees were formed to facilitate in-depth discussion of specific subject areas. New modeling methodologies and applications are researched and recommended by the MTF technical committees. Once recommendations are approved by the MTF, these procedures are adopted for statewide implementation and incorporated into the universal Florida modeling process, FSUTMS. There are four technical committees serving the task force:




Technical committee membership is open to transportation professionals from both the public and private sectors with one tri-chair coordinator and one chairperson leading committee efforts. These technical committees meet or hold teleconferences more frequently than the full Model Task Force and are the backbone in accomplishing MTF missions and goals.

Please navigate to the following page to view all of the notes and documents from the Full MTF Meeting held on May 25 -27, 2010: Full MTF Meeting Notes Page.

For further information on the Model Task Force, please contact:

Vidya Mysore
Systems Planning Office
Mail Station 19
605 Suwannee Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0450
(850) 414-4924
Fax: (850) 414-4876