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A special session of the Legislature that began Thursday on the future of commuter and high-speed rail in Florida could bring enormous benefits, including much-needed jobs, to the Sunshine State.

 

Here’s what’s on the table:

 

 Creating a rail authority in the state transportation department, modeled after the Florida Turnpike Enterprise, to oversee rail projects and their funding.

 

First up, the proposed SunRail commuter rail line in Orlando that lawmakers have tried but failed to pass for two years. Liability issues with freight rail giant CSX — which would sell 61 miles of track to the state but still be allowed to use them — previously blocked approval of SunRail, but appear to have been ironed out.

 

Money for the $1.2 billion SunRail project and future rail projects would come from documentary stamp taxes on real estate transactions.

 

 Shoring up the financially struggling Tri-Rail system in South Florida, the 71-mile commuter line that runs from Palm Beach to Miami-Dade County.

 

Why is approval of the commuter-rail package pressing enough to require a special session?

 

Because it will give Florida a fair shot at part of the $8 billion in federal stimulus dollars for bullet train projects early next year. The state could receive as much as $2.6 billion to build the first phase of a proposed high-speed rail line linking Tampa, Orlando and, ultimately, Miami.

 

But it’s far from a done deal because federal lawmakers have required states seeking the stimulus dollars to show they’re committed to rail by setting up dedicated funding sources for commuter-rail projects.

 

Eight Midwest states are jointly backing a rail network that would be based in Chicago.

 

Meanwhile, states like California, Virginia and North Carolina are farther ahead than Florida on required environmental studies for rail projects.

 

That means the competition is going to be tough, and even tougher because two hurdles threaten to boot Florida out of the running:

 

Some Democrats in the Senate are waffling on the measure because of pressure from labor leaders who say union members might lose jobs. That’s a red herring, and can’t be allowed to derail the train initiative.

 

Also, the funding mechanism in the bill to generate $27 million in annual operating costs needed for Tri-Rail is vague, and won’t convince Washington that Florida seriously supports passenger rail systems. Lawmakers should amend it to establish a secure pot of money.

 

That will be a chore after four straight years of budget cutbacks.

 

But the reason it must be done is obvious — jobs.

 

Florida’s unemployment rate hit 11.2 percent in November.

 

The SunRail project alone would create an estimated 6,700 construction jobs, according to the Orlando Sentinel. The high-speed rail line would add another 23,000, starting with construction of the Tampa-Orlando link in 2011.

 

What’s more, construction of the Orlando-to-Miami route, planned to begin in 2013, has the potential to bring jobs to Brevard.

 

The tracks would logically follow the Beach Line-State Road 407 corridor through Brevard and integrate with Amtrak service along the Florida East Coast Railway, according to Space Coast Transportation Planning Organization Director Bob Kamm.

 

Once built, the high-speed service would also spur tourism on the Space Coast and usher in an era of greener transportation for the entire state.

 

Florida’s lawmakers should craft and approve the strongest possible rail deal to gain the federal money before the special session’s close next week.