A state lawmaker announced his plans to dissolve Hillsborough County's Public Transportation Commission via Facebook.
Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, says he's fed up with the PTC after learning officials continued to fine and ticket Uber and Lyft drivers, even after a judge gave a temporary OK for the companies to operate in town.
- READ MORE: Sen. Brandes' post on Facebook
"What we've seen is them consistently go after a brand-new business that has a fundamentally different business than a taxi cab," Brandes said.
Brandes hopes to introduce new legislation in the coming months that will dissolve the entity altogether.
"They're a red-tape factory," he said. "All they do is throw up red tape. No one can say that citizens are safer because of the PTC."
The committee's executive director, Kyle Cockream, says the decision to enforce PTC rules against Uber and Lyft drivers was a decision made by the board at the last public PTC meeting. Cockream added the judge's order did not state that the PTC should stop enforcing its rules, so the board directed staff to continue to enforce them.
The PTC argues the ridesharing companies are essentially operating as taxis without a license every taxi driver must possess. Officials argue Uber and Lyft are not as safe as taxis because they are not properly regulated by the commission.
But Brandes says no other county in the state has a transportation commission with the power of Hillsborough County's, and he argues it's hurting business.
"Frankly, residents are demanding these types of options, and we have an entity that’s fining drivers, threatening to arrest drivers," he said. "At some juncture we need to stand up and say enough is enough."