In the past, cities like New York and Chicago issued taxi medallions—small metal plaques mounted on a cab—that gave drivers the legal right to operate a taxi. These medallions didn’t just create order in a crowded market; they became valuable assets in their own right. A driver could earn a living—and the medallion itself could appreciate in value over time.
Digital Medallions in the O|Zone™ framework follow the same logic. Issued by local Port-type Authorities, they authorize site activity, enforce rules, and generate recurring revenue for the community. Just like taxi medallions, they can also gain value, benefiting those who hold them while still serving the public interest.
In short: it’s an old idea with a new digital twist—designed to make local innovation both secure and self-sustaining.
The O|Zone™ Initiative is a transformative framework dedicated to revitalizing communities through innovation, sustainability, and strategic funding.
It integrates a modernized Port-type Authority infrastructure, uniting public and private sector participants under an evolved regulatory tariff and revenue system— influenced by the historic taxi medallion models once used in cities like New York and Chicago.
These updated instruments, referred to as Digital Medallions, form the backbone of O|Zone’s governance, revenue and value appreciation architecture.
O|Zone is designed to facilitate private and public sector funding for local infrastructure projects, enhance regional economies, and improve quality of life at the community level.
Through private–public partnerships (a historic hallmark of Port Authorities) and intentional digital transformation, the Initiative supports Qualified Opportunity Zones across the United States, helping counties unlock long-term, resilient development.
Much like the taxi medallions once issued to bring safety, accountability, and structure to urban transportation, Digital Medallions serve as modern regulatory instruments issued by county-established Port-type Authorities.
Each medallion functions within a tariff-based framework, enabling the Port-type Authority to authorize activity, ensure compliance, and generate recurring revenue and value appreciation—bringing 21st-century oversight to site-based innovation.
But the O|Zone Initiative is more than a regulatory or revenue system—it is a convergence point for innovation, capital, and local empowerment.
By aligning private sector creativity, advanced technologies, and financial capital with the public sector’s ability to issue tax-exempt municipal revenue bonds and digital tariffs, O|Zone creates a flexible, durable governance model.
The structure leverages federal and state tax incentives to channel private investment into local projects, while Digital Medallions ensure Port-type Authorities—and by extension, the counties that create them—provide marketplace order and share in economic upside.
Through a county’s adoption of this digital Port-type Authority infrastructure, O|Zone activates a unique digital tariff system—an advanced evolution of traditional frameworks—that governs participation, facilitates transparent revenue-sharing, and embeds local direction and accountability into every O|Zone site and pad.
The result: a future-focused ecosystem where public policy and private ingenuity converge to accelerate innovation, unlock funding, and deliver smart, sustainable transformation at the local level.
The O|Zone™ Initiative is designed to help counties modernize public services, attract new investment, and unlock advanced technologies—without raising taxes or drawing on existing county budgets.
The O|Zone™ Initiative is designed to be locally adopted and county-led. It does not require new taxes, nor does it cede control to any outside organization. Instead, the Initiative empowers counties to take formal steps that unlock powerful tools—municipal financing, private-sector participation, and digital infrastructure—within a secure and modernized governance framework.
Form a Series of Port-type Authorities
This step establishes the legal infrastructure for O|Zone™ within the county. Each Government Authority is independently created, with its own 5-member board of directors appointed by the County. Each Authority governs a specific policy area within the O|Zone™ framework—such as energy, water, emergency services, or public spaces.
Each Authority then:
Selects a Master Concessionaire Subject to applicable IRS guidelines, the Master Concessionaire is responsible for day-to-day operations of the Authority’s infrastructure. The role is modeled after port governance frameworks used by international bodies such as the United Nations. The Master Concessionaire is not a direct employee of the Authority, but operates on its behalf under contractual obligations that prioritize the interests of the Authority and the public. The role carries fiduciary-like duties, focused on compliance, stewardship, and service delivery.
Appoints Sub-Concessionaires The Master Concessionaire may engage any number of Sub-Concessionaires—private, for-profit entities that undertake specific operations within an O|Zone™ “port facility.” These entities operate under approved digital tariffs set by the Government Authority and are granted Digital Medallions to perform their services, set rates and allocate revenues. This model provides a scalable structure for private sector innovation while ensuring oversight and adherence to public policy goals.
Join the Port Authority Opportunity Zone (PAOZ)
Each Government Authority created by the County becomes a signatory to an Intergovernmental Cooperation Agreement (ICA) that forms and governs the Port Authority Opportunity Zone (PAOZ). The PAOZ is a collaborative structure uniting all participating Authorities within a region. The ICA defines shared protocols, dispute resolution procedures, and tariff harmonization practices across participating jurisdictions.
A portion of tariff revenue from each participating Authority is allocated to support the PAOZ Board, Executive Director and staff, who are appointed by member Authorities through a governance model defined in the ICA. This ensures shared regional coordination, without diminishing local control.
Each PAOZ is typically mapped to a federally recognized Economic Development District associated with the U.S. Department of Commerce. This mapping allows counties to align with existing federal development priorities while maintaining control of local implementation.
Become a Member of the National O|Zone™ Initiative (USA)
Each Government Authority also becomes a member of the national O|Zone™ Initiative (USA), a Wyoming-registered 501(c)(4) non-profit organization providing nationwide program coordination, awareness-building, and support.
This national body promotes:
Best practices for county implementation
Interoperability standards
Encouraging Private | Public | Partnerships
Expanding economic activities in Qualified Opportunity Zones
National-level advocacy and education
Protocol harmonization
Membership enables local Authorities to plug into a network of peer institutions, share technical resources, and participate in pilot projects across the country.
Authorize Initial Governance Documents and Appointments
The County Commission is asked to formally approve the governance documents establishing each Authority and to make the initial appointments to each Authority Board. These steps formally activate the local governance infrastructure and allow the onboarding of Master Concessionaires, Sub-Concessionaires, and project partners.
No New Taxes, No Legislative Action Required
All of these actions fall within the existing powers of most County Commissions. No state legislation is required. No permanent financial commitments are made. And no increase in taxes is needed.
These steps simply unlock the latent capabilities counties already have—and structure them in a way that allows public and private sector actors to collaborate productively on infrastructure, energy, healthcare, innovation, and economic revitalization.
Empowering County Progress through O|Zone™ Government Authorities
The O|Zone™ Initiative equips counties with a powerful toolkit of specialized Government Authorities—each focused on a critical public function. Together, these authorities form the operational backbone of a modernized local governance system—built to enable innovation, attract capital, and deliver high-impact results across infrastructure, technology, and essential services.
What Makes It Work?
Each of these authorities is independently governed with county-appointed boards. Yet they cooperate seamlessly under a unified Port Authority Opportunity Zone framework—using MOUs and shared revenue strategies to coordinate activity.
Through this modular structure, counties can scale what works, pause what doesn’t, and adapt quickly to changing needs—without relying on higher levels of government.
The Foundation for Local Prosperity
Together, these Government Authorities form the foundation that powers everything else within the O|Zone™ Initiative. They are not just regulatory tools—they are the infrastructure that enables the county to deliver results. By providing structured governance, operational flexibility, and dedicated functional focus, the Authorities unlock the full potential of each designated O|Zone site. Whether it’s enabling new industries, attracting outside capital, or deploying life-changing technologies, this framework ensures counties can lead economic development from the ground up—on their own terms, at their own pace, and for their own communities.
Implements a digital regulatory framework modeled after historic taxi medallions—authorizing activity, governing access, and generating recurring revenue from innovation zones without raising taxes.
Supports local grid stabilization, renewables integration, EMP protection, and advanced energy generation—without county capital. Enables regional power partnerships and resilience programs.
Storm and extreme event shelters, ambulance, and disaster readiness systems, services and supplies. Secures federal funding pathways while integrating local responders, hospitals, and new technologies for public safety.
The links below provide access to more indepth information on key components of the O|Zone™ Initiative infrastructure.
