Palm Beach County Commissioner Steven L. Abrams was selected executive director of the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA).

Abrams served on the agency’s governing board beginning in 2010 and resigned from the board in May 2018 to enter into the search process for the executive director position. He served as chair of the Governing Board from July 2012 to June 2014 and again from July 2017 to June 2018. He will replace Jack Stephens, who has been executive director since February 2014 and is scheduled to retire when his contract expires on Dec. 31, 2018.

Abrams has come to be known as the “Commuting Commissioner” because he was the first SFRTA Governing Board member to also be a regular commuter on Tri-Rail, which is operated by SFRTA.

“I have a passenger perspective,” Abrams said. “I know first-hand what Tri-Rail means to the economy of South Florida when each day I join thousands of workers, students, and tourists traveling on our train throughout the region.”

During his tenure as SFRTA Chair, Commissioner Abrams was the SFRTA Governing Board’s designee to represent the authority in the negotiations with All Aboard Florida. Commissioner Abrams’ efforts were invaluable in crafting the agreement to bring direct Tri-Rail service into downtown Miami via the new station, known as MiamiCentral. Abrams is a past president of the Palm Beach County League of Cities and a founding board member of the Florida League of Mayors.