Ed Turanchik
Ed Turanchik
Ed Turanchik founded and serves as the President of ConnectUs, Florida’s grassroots advocacy organization for High Speed rail. The organization has led an effective and broad-based effort to secure $1.25 billion for Florida’s Tampa-Orlando High Speed rail project. Connect Us has over 25,000 fans, members and friends and is regarded as the leading private advocate for High Speed rail in Florida.
Ed Turanchik has a long history of public and community service. He served on the Hillsborough County Commission from 1990 to 1998 where he pursued an aggressive agenda including transit, water resource development, community planning, and development of sports facilities including the development of the Times Forum. Ed subsequently led the region’s Olympic bid effort between 1998 to 2001 and afterwards was a principal in the Civitas effort to redevelop 158 acres of land between downtown and Ybor City. Today, in addition to working with Connect Us, Ed owns InTown Homes, an urban development and affordable home building company in Tampa.
Ed’s leadership and work has earned him regional, state, and national recognition. He has received the 1000 Friends of Florida’s Public Servant of the Year Award, the National Association of Metropolitan Organization’s National Leadership Award, the Tampa Bay Partnership’s Regional Leadership Award and the Planning Commission's Outstanding Urban Infill Project. He has twice been recognized by the St. Pete Times as one of Tampa Bay area’s Top Ten Business People to Watch.
Ed is an attorney and has a bachelor and master’s degree in zoology. He is married to Jenny Turanchik and has two teenage children, Laura and John, who both attend Plant High School.
