Community Spotlight: Hillsborough County's Community Air Monitoring Network
The Community Air Monitoring Network (CAMN) is a community-driven initiative designed to collect air quality data to support healthier planning decisions across Hillsborough County, Florida. CAMN brings together community-based organizations, residents, researchers, and public agencies to better understand traffic-related air pollution near interstates on a neighborhood scale. This is achieved by establishing monitors at locations where people live, learn, work, and gather, such as places of worship, public parks, community gardens, health clinics, schools, and libraries. To date, the network has placed 30 air quality monitors across 23 community sites throughout the county, collecting real-time, publicly accessible data.
How It Started
CAMN was created in response to sustained community concerns about air quality, particularly in areas near major interstates and high-traffic corridors. Traditional regulatory monitors are limited in number and often far from the neighborhoods most affected by traffic emissions. Residents and community leaders sought more detailed, neighborhood-level information to address pollution impacts on children, seniors, and vulnerable populations, health disparities in historically overburdened communities, and gaps in existing monitoring networks.
The project launched as a pilot study in 2021 through a collaboration between Plan Hillsborough (the Hillsborough Transportation Planning Organization), the University of South Florida, the Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County, the City of Tampa, and several community-based organizations. Early work tested sensors, engaged the community, established initial monitoring sites, and secured EPA and FHWA grants. Over six phases from 2021 through 2026, the network grew from pilot to a countywide program with a published guidebook, a Quality Assurance Project Plan, ongoing training for site hosts, and two annual summits.
The 2026 Annual Summit
In 2025, CAMN earned an Award of Excellence in the Grassroots Initiative category from the Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association, recognizing the network's community-centered approach to environmental planning and public health.
On February 21, 2026, the Coalition hosted its second annual summit at Hillsborough Community College's Ybor City Campus. Advocates, community organizations, residents, researchers, and public agencies gathered to celebrate shared accomplishments and look ahead.
2026 CAMN Summit panel discussion at Hillsborough Community College, Ybor City Campus. Photo: Plan Hillsborough / CAMN Coalition
A featured panel discussion reflected on the program's development, lessons learned, and long-term potential. Panelists included Dr. Amy Stuart (University of South Florida), Wyatt Burttschell (Hillsborough Transportation Planning Organization), Lena Young (Tampa Heights Junior Civic Association), and Jason Waters (Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County). The discussion also highlighted the challenges and opportunities of establishing participatory community-based air monitoring efforts.
The summit also showcased environmental health initiatives led by the City of Tampa and the Florida Department of Health, showing practical ways people can integrate sustainability into their lives through programs such as Trees for Tampa. Attendees participated in electric bike and scooter demonstrations hosted by Lime, riding through the buffered and protected bike lanes near the event and experiencing clean, emission-free transportation firsthand, reinforcing the role of active and renewable transportation in improving community air quality. Additional interactive activities included hands-on games hosted by Hillsborough Community College's Office of Sustainability.
Building the Network
CAMN sites were selected using a data-driven approach that considered adjacent land uses, transportation activity, and coordination with coalition partners. The selection criteria emphasized locations near interstates and high-traffic corridors where pollution exposure is typically highest, with attention to communities that have historically experienced disproportionate environmental burdens.
The process of establishing a community air monitoring site begins with an initial scouting visit to ensure logistical considerations are met. Proper siting of low-cost sensors ensures accurate and reliable data is collected. In-person site visits are also a good opportunity to explain the purpose of the project and establish rapport with the community site host.
Clockwise from left: PurpleAir sensor at Seminole Heights Elementary; field visit to Tampa Heights Community Garden; educational signage at Sulphur Springs Park. Photos: Plan Hillsborough / CAMN Coalition
The network's 23 sites span places of worship, public parks, community gardens, health clinics, schools, and other locations where people live, learn, work, and gather. Educational signage placed near monitoring locations explains the project to anyone using the space. The data supports everyday decisions that directly impact health and well-being, including when children play outside, how schools schedule activities, and how families manage exposure on higher-pollution days.
Education and Community Engagement
Promoting general knowledge about air quality and the role the built environment plays has been a core part of the CAMN effort. The network equips residents with tools for citizen science, informed policy advocacy, and actionable steps they can take to improve air quality. Public input has also directly shaped the network itself, with community members identifying preferred monitoring locations on an interactive map and sharing feedback on why those areas matter.
Through informational postcards, online surveys, and countless in-person community events, the Community Air Monitoring Network has been establishing meaningful connections with the community. In addition, the Coalition for Community Air Monitoring has provided the Hillsborough Transportation Planning Organization with recommendations on how to adopt clean air policy into local transportation planning committees.
Left to right: PurpleAir sensor installation at Ybor St. Community Garden; Plan Hillsborough and USF students at the 2025 Clean Air Fair; community outreach at a local event. Photos: Plan Hillsborough / CAMN Coalition
Voices from the Coalition
Members of the coalition were asked why this work matters. Answers have been lightly edited for clarity.
Andrea Stingone, Department Manager, Hillsborough County Public Schools:
We need to study air pollution because we need to know where the issues may be. We can find solutions to mitigate air pollution only if we know where the issues are.
Naya Young, Executive Director, Tampa Heights Junior Civic Association:
Air pollution is not something we see with our eyes right away, but if we don't do something, you will be able to see it. We want to be more preventative than reactive.
Brian Knox, Certified Arborist, City of Tampa:
If you are experiencing concern about environmental issues, then participate. You are more affected than you think you are. Where you work, shop, dine, air quality can impact you anywhere.
Adopt-a-Monitor
CAMN also runs an Adopt-a-Monitor program, a volunteer opportunity for community members who want to support local air quality monitoring. Volunteers are matched with an existing monitoring site and help keep an eye on it by checking that data is flowing and the monitor remains clear and secure. The time commitment is small: about 2 to 5 minutes once a week for a quick online check, plus an occasional visual check when passing by. No technical experience is needed. Training, tools, and ongoing support are provided. The volunteer's role is to notice and notify; the project team handles all technical troubleshooting and maintenance.
Interested in hosting a sensor or getting involved? Visit Plan Hillsborough's Community Air Monitoring Network page for more information on how to participate.
What's Next
CAMN's future is grounded in community priorities. Near-term plans include improving real-time public data dashboards, launching awareness campaigns, expanding youth participation through Green Team partnerships, and providing regular updates to Hillsborough TPO committees. Longer term, the network aims to measure how infrastructure projects affect local air quality, track cooling and mitigation benefits from vegetation and shade, and grow partnerships with public health and academic institutions.
The Community Air Monitoring Network is an example of what happens when local organizations, researchers, and public agencies work together to put air quality data where it matters: in the community. The network's real-time data is publicly accessible on the PurpleAir map, where anyone can see current conditions at these Hillsborough County sites.
To learn more about the CAMN project, visit Plan Hillsborough's Community Air Monitoring page.
All photos courtesy of the Coalition for Community Air Monitoring / Plan Hillsborough. Used with permission.