Pinellas County’s public transportation agency is one of only three in the nation to receive the Transportation Security Administration’s Gold Standard award more than once.
The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority also won the award last year.
“It takes a lot of hard work to win this award and it’s reflective of the dedication of your agency,” said TSA Director of Surface Transportation Division Sonia Proctor during a PSTA board meeting Wednesday.
PSTA was one of 137 agencies to apply for the award.
The Gold Standard designation is calculated through TSA’s baseline Assessment for Security Enhancement that measures certain security tactics. PSTA scored 99 out of 100 on the assessment. That’s a one-point improvement over its previous record set in 2011.
“Your system attained high scores across all categories. We consider this caliber of performance as deserving of special attention. I commend you and your organization for the commitment and hard work that this level of achievement requires,” TSA Acting Administrator Melvin Carraway wrote in a letter to PSTA CEO Brad Miller.
The system measures safety measures such as security plans, training, drills/exercises, preparedness, public outreach, and background check programs.
