Hillsborough County

Jason M. Biggers

Public Service Modernizer

Modernizing County IT is no longer simply a matter of replacing aging hardware, upgrading software, or maintaining reliable networks. Modernization must be viewed as an enterprise strategy; one that uses technology as an operational asset to improve public services, strengthen resiliency, increase efficiency, and create measurable value for the community. Hillsborough County’s Connected Vehicle Priority and Preemption (CVPP) initiative demonstrates how technology, transportation infrastructure, public safety, and communications can be brought together to accomplish exactly that.

The initiative began with a practical public-safety challenge: emergency vehicles can lose valuable time navigating congested intersections. Historically, emergency vehicle signal preemption relied largely on infrared, line-of-sight technology. While that approach provided an important capability, it was limited by its dependence on direct communication between the vehicle and intersection. At the same time, more than half of the County’s traffic cabinets relied on coaxial or cellular connectivity, with leased telecommunications services generating recurring costs and limiting the ability of the County’s enterprise network team to directly manage and monitor this infrastructure.  

Building a Smarter Infrastructure Backbone

The modernization effort changed that model. Approximately 600 intersections have been upgraded with CVPP capabilities, and approximately 250 fire rescue apparatuses have been equipped with the necessary technology. Additional intelligence at the traffic cabinet allows the system to understand the location and movement of public safety apparatus and respond accordingly. Rather than simply detecting an approaching emergency vehicle, the infrastructure can actively prepare an intersection by clearing traffic and providing a more efficient path for the emergency response. The operational impact is significant. Depending on the circumstances of a call, the technology can reduce response time by approximately 30 seconds to more than three minutes. Seconds matter in emergency response. A reduction in the time required to reach a medical emergency, fire, or other critical incident can translate directly into improved service to residents and greater operational effectiveness for public-safety personnel.

"Modernization succeeds when technology becomes part of the solution rather than simply part of the infrastructure."

The value of this initiative extends well beyond traffic signal preemption. The County is simultaneously developing an aggressive, County-owned fiber network strategy that will provide the communications foundation necessary to support this and future technologies. The County currently has approximately 275 miles of owned fiber, with a vision to add 300 additional miles over the next five years. This vision will connect traffic signals, fire stations, County facilities, cameras and video, sensors, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and future connectedvehicle applications. This represents a fundamental shift in how the County approaches technology infrastructure. Instead of repeatedly purchasing individual telecommunications services for individual sites, the County can build shared enterprise fiber rings that support multiple operational needs, create redundant routes, improving resiliency and reduce, most importantly, reduce dependence on commercial telecommunications providers. 

Turning Connectivity into Operational Value

 ​ The financial implications are equally important. The County currently spends more than $1.5 million annually across multiple providers for telecommunications services associated with its infrastructure. The fiber strategy has the potential to reduce approximately $300,000 annually in fiber-related leasing costs initially, while creating additional opportunities to avoid more than $1 million annually in telecommunications expenditures as connectivity is consolidated onto County-owned infrastructure. The return on investment therefore extends beyond the initial capital investment. It includes recurring cost avoidance, infrastructure reuse, operational efficiency, improved resiliency, and the ability to support future technologies without continually recreating the underlying communications infrastructure.

The modernization effort also improves the County’s ability to manage its own infrastructure. Greater visibility into intersections allows enterprise IT and traffic engineering professionals to identify and assess outages more quickly, enhance and improve troubleshooting, and respond to infrastructure problems better informed. What was once a collection of distributed, disconnected assets becomes part of an enterprise-managed technology environment. Most importantly, residents experience the benefits even when they never see the technology itself. A faster emergency response, more efficient traffic movement, more reliable signals, greater resiliency during disasters, faster identification and restoration of infrastructure problems, and reduced reliance on external telecommunications providers all contribute to more effective public services. The broader lesson is that modern County IT must move from maintaining technology to using technology as an operational asset. The connected vehicle initiative is not simply a traffic project, a public-safety project, or an IT project. It is an example of what can happen when these disciplines are treated as components of a single enterprise strategy.  

Over the next five years, the County has an opportunity to transform approximately 500+ miles of combined existing and planned County-owned fiber into a foundation for increasingly connected public services and enhance relationships with local jurisdictions and the State. The objective is not technology for technology’s sake. It is to make the County more efficient, resilient, fiscally responsible and better positioned to serve its residents. Modernization succeeds when technology becomes part of the solution rather than simply part of the infrastructure. By connecting people, public safety, traffic infrastructure, County facilities, and data through a common enterprise network, Hillsborough County can turn technology investment into lasting operational value for the community.