Recent News Articles
Florida should enact commuter rail policy
Bold vision or wasteful boondoggle? That’s the question the Florida Legislature will decide on the future of a high-speed commuter rail line linking Tampa and Orlando. After the state Senate scuttled rail legislation the past two years, the opportunity to build the so-called SunRail line now is too great to pass up. Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, was...
Rail bill will reshape state
All of us need to pay attention to what the Florida Legislature is doing in Tallahassee now because its work will shape our lives - and our children's' lives - for generations. The Florida Legislature is convened for a special session this week to address the state's transportation needs. I believe that in the five days of the session, lawmakers' decisions may have the...
Back to the future, by rail
Our Legislature may be on the verge of moving Florida's transportation system into the 21st century. Gov. Charlie Crist, Senate President Jeff Atwater and House Speaker Larry Cretul have a chance to re-establish conventional and high-speed rail services across Florida, enhancing the state's economy. Floridians have waited to long for such leadership. In...
The Time for Rail is Now
Transportation, moving people and freight, is an essential ingredient for a strong economy. The time has come to recognize that we must complement our existing road systems with rail alternatives. This is vital as we seek to renew our urban industrial centers and build a stronger future for Florida. In order to accomplish this, we must transform the way Florida thinks...
Decision point on commuter rail
The state's transportation future will be shaped this week by one clear, difficult choice. If modern passenger rail service is to come to Florida any time soon, the Legislature must pass a new law in special session that sets up a statewide structure to oversee and help pay for regional and city-to-city trains. The decision can't wait for a better bill, a stronger economy or a...
Room for more riders
SunRail is thisclose to passing the Legislature. Thisclose because it's just one or two votes shy of making it through the state Senate next week. Credit for some of the momentum goes to that chamber's minority leader, Al Lawson of Tallahassee. Mr. Lawson previously voted against SunRail, calling it a "choo-choo train to nowhere." But by coming 'round to appreciating...
Approve special-session deal to win federal bullet-train dollars, create jobs
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...
Fate of state's high-speed rail project depends on special session
The special session called by Senate President Jeff Atwater and House Speaker Larry Cretul could get off to a shaky start Thursday for several reasons, but none should prevent passage of legislation key to keeping Florida in the running for $2.5 billion in federal stimulus money for a high-speed rail line. There's no excuse for failure to get it right this time. The...
Send the right signal on rail
Florida lawmakers have one job to accomplish in the special legislative session that opens today: Send a strong signal to Washington about the state's support for rail to draw billions of federal dollars for high-speed and regional commuter lines. The House bill is a starting point for creating a statewide strategy for rail. But lawmakers need a more reliable funding source, and they...
Union label shouldn't affect commuter-rail vote
Organized labor wants no commuter train coming down our track unless there is a union worker at the throttle, a union worker maintaining the track and, if coffee and doughnuts are to be served, a union worker doing that too. And given that Democratic legislators are beholden to the unions, this is the last remaining threat to approval of our choo-choo next week. The Florida AFL-CIO...
