Indian River County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)

The Indian River County MPO is the transportation planning agency for the county's urbanized area, formed in April 1993, with offices at 1801 27th Street, Vero Beach, and the phone number (772) 226-1455.

The MPO's About Us page describes a legislative agency in charge of transportation planning for the Indian River County urbanized area, with the power to develop and adopt plans and to set priorities for the programming of improvements to the county's transportation system (Indian River County MPO, About Us). It consists of twelve voting members representing the local governments within the county, two non-voting representatives from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), and a non-voting representative from the Town of Orchid. Its planning money comes through a Joint Participation Agreement with FDOT that passes through federal highway planning (PL) funds, approved on an annual basis.

The MPO home page gives the office as 1801 27th Street, Vero Beach, FL 32960-3388, and lists its committees: the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC), the Citizen Advisory Committee, the Technical Advisory Committee and the Transportation Disadvantaged Local Coordinating Board (Indian River County MPO home page). The same page links GoLine public transit, which a separate Digital Towns guide covers.

Federal and Florida law require an MPO for urbanized areas such as Indian River County's and make it responsible for a long range plan, a transportation improvement program and a planning work program.

Under 23 U.S.C. 134(d), a metropolitan planning organization shall be designated for each urbanized area with a population of more than 50,000 individuals, by agreement between the Governor and units of general purpose local government that together represent at least 75 percent of the affected population (23 U.S.C. 134, govinfo). Florida's statute says an M.P.O. shall be designated for each urbanized area of the state, that its planning process shall be continuing, cooperative, and comprehensive, and that its voting membership shall consist of at least 5 but not more than 25 apportioned members (Florida Statutes 339.175). The bylaws of the Indian River County MPO's citizen and technical advisory committees cite both Section 134 of Title 23 and Florida Statutes Chapter 339.175 (Citizen Advisory Committee page). The table compares the main products.

The Indian River County column comes from the MPO's own plan pages and its adopted TIP (LRTP page; FY 2027 to FY 2031 TIP; UPWP page). The TIP glossary says FHWA planning funds are the primary source of planning money allocated to the MPO and budgeted in the UPWP in accordance with 23 U.S.C., Section 134.

The TIP identifies transportation projects programmed for Indian River County over the next five fiscal years, and the current FY 2027 to FY 2031 TIP was adopted on June 10, 2026 and took effect October 1, 2026.

The MPO's TIP page says each TIP is effective for the fiscal year beginning October 1 and is updated annually based on the MPO's annual List of Priority Projects, and it links interactive project maps for the 2026 to 2030 and 2027 to 2031 TIPs plus older editions (Indian River County MPO, TIP page). The adopted document's cover reads Adopted June 10 2026, and its revision history lists a draft TIP on May 8, 2026 before formal adoption (TIP FY 2027 to FY 2031). Projects are grouped in six sections: roadway capacity; traffic operations, maintenance and safety; transit and transportation disadvantaged; bicycle, pedestrian, trail and enhancement; aviation; and transportation planning and studies.

The TIP explains how a project gets in. Selection follows 23 USC 134(h)(2) and (i)(4), the selection is made by FDOT in cooperation with the MPO, and to be included in the TIP a project first must be identified in the MPO's Long Range Transportation Plan. Changes during the year come through amendments presented at the MPO's advertised meetings and then sent to the State for the statewide program. The document also states that since its formation the Indian River County MPO has been an attainment area for all air quality standards, and that the planning process is certified annually by FDOT. For cost details on non-SIS projects located outside the MPO planning area, the TIP points to the FDOT District 4 Office at 1-866-336-8435. Specific projects and their schedules are in the TIP itself and its interactive map.

The 2050 Long Range Transportation Plan is the MPO's long term guide for major transportation improvements in Indian River County, and the MPO adopted it on Dec. 10, 2025.

The MPO's LRTP page describes the plan as a 25 year future vision of the community's transportation needs, updated approximately every five years as a Federal requirement, and says the 2050 LRTP was adopted by the MPO on Dec. 10, 2025 (Indian River County MPO, Long Range Transportation Plan). The page keeps the earlier plans for 2045, 2040, 2035, 2030 and 2025.

The update page that came before adoption describes what the plan covers: future highway needs, public transportation service, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, and how to best fund needed transportation improvements (2050 LRTP Update page). It posted the Draft 2050 Long Range Transportation Plan dated October 2025 and took public comments through December 3, 2025, in writing to Indian River County MPO, 1801 27th Street, or by calling (772) 226-1455. Its document list includes the draft goals, objectives and performance measures and the draft preliminary needs, and its presentations include a draft cost feasible plan from August 2025. Last verified: October 22, 2026, by checking each MPO plan page, the adopted FY 2027 to FY 2031 TIP, the county pages for the citizen, technical and regional committees, Florida Statutes 339.175 and 23 U.S.C. 134.

Besides the TIP and the LRTP, the Indian River County MPO publishes a List of Priority Projects, a Unified Planning Work Program, a Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan and a Transit Development Plan.

Each row comes from the matching Indian River County MPO page (List of Priority Projects page; UPWP page; Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan page). The transit page adds that Florida statutes require a TDP major update every five years with annual updates in between, and that because of changes to Rule 14-73.001 F.A.C., no TDP annual update was adopted in 2024 (Transit Development Plan page).

The Citizen Advisory Committee has 14 voting seats split among county appointees, the cities and towns, the School Board and two members at large, and the Technical Advisory Committee has 18 seats held by local government departments, agencies and FDOT District 4.

The county's Citizen Advisory Committee page says its bylaws were approved at the MPO meeting of December 8, 2004, raising membership from 13 to 14 voting members under Resolution 92-83, Section 134 of Title 23 and Florida Statutes Chapter 339.175 (MPO Citizen Advisory Committee page). The Technical Advisory Committee page says bylaws approved September 12, 2012 set 18 voting members, down from 19 (MPO Technical Advisory Committee page). Both committees meet at County Administration Building B, 1800 27th Street, and members serve 1-year terms.

Regional planning runs through the Treasure Coast Transportation Council, created by interlocal agreement in April 2006 among the Indian River, St. Lucie and Martin County MPOs.

The county's page for the council says it was developed under the authority of section 339.175(5)(i)(2), Florida Statutes, to provide a formal mechanism to coordinate regional transportation planning on the Treasure Coast (MPO Treasure Coast Transportation Council page). Its duties include a Regional Long Range Transportation Plan, a process for prioritizing regional projects, a regional public involvement process and measures of effectiveness for regional performance. The six-member board draws two MPO members from each of the three counties, with non-voting representatives of FDOT, Florida's Turnpike and the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council, and administrative duties rotate among the three MPOs.