Recent News Articles
Too compelling to refuse; Momentum's building for Legislature to pass SunRail
Twice, the Legislature has rejected a commuter rail system for metro Orlando, saying its benefits for the local population don't justify its cost to the entire state. Now, however, the Legislature's close to acknowledging the state can't afford to do without it because its benefits reach beyond Central Florida. And more of its members are appreciating that a failure to embrace it...
SUNRAIL HAS NEW ADVOCATE: LABOR
Supporters looking to bring SunRail to the Orlando area may have a new ally: Labor. Mike Williams, newly elected president of the Florida AFL-CIO, said his organization will climb on board efforts to bring SunRail, high speed rail and other projects to Florida if the state lands federal stimulus dollars to fund the projects. The union, which has opposed the SunRail package in...
SunRail backers continue to push for special session
SunRail backers in the state Senate continue to press for a special session to jump start the Central Florida commuter rail project. But they have yet to convince House leaders, who question whether the Senate can deliver the necessary votes. The state House has approved SunRail legislation twice over the past two years, only to see it fail in the Senate. Last month, Senate...
House and Senate Democrats try to get out-front on commuter rail
For most of the last two years, Florida Democrats in the Legislature have been largely opposed to the Central Florida commuter-rail deal -- with the exception of folks like Reps. Darren Soto, Scot Randolph and Geraldine Thompson from the Orlando area. But now that the feds have given Florida an ultimatum if it hopes to land high-speed rail dollars, House and Senate Democratic leadership,...
Transportation group advocates special session to address rail
Florida’s Urban Transportation Council wants state lawmakers to demonstrate a commitment to passenger rail systems at a proposed special session in December. The coalition is comprised of representatives from the largest urban areas statewide. The coalition is urging the passing of legislation to finalize insurance and liability provisions for SunRail, the proposed commuter rail...
McCollum Jumps Aboard SunRail
Bill McCollum, Florida's attorney general and aspiring Republican nominee for governor, has volunteered his staff to review any liability provisions that the state envisions with the planned Central Florida commuter train known as SunRail. The train, rebuffed twice in the state Senate, might be headed for a special session in December. SunRail backers intend to tweak an insurance arrangement...
Feds' rail ultimatum puts plans on track
C entral Florida's two-year fight to roll its commuter-rail plans through Tallahassee may be almost over. Two weeks ago, Florida Senate President Jeff Atwater and other legislators went to Washington to hear that Florida must jump-start the $1.2billion, 61-mile SunRail project and help out South Florida's Tri-Rail if it hopes to land $2.5billion in federal funding for a high-speed train...
My Word: Union alliance not quality issue
In the Orlando Sentinel article, "Proposed train projects: Will new jobs sway opinions?" on Tuesday, reporter Dan Tracy shared the history of why the AFL-CIO has opposed SunRail and worked to defeat the commuter rail in the face of bipartisan support. He wrote that the unions have backed high-speed rail, "but the union also worked to defeat SunRail twice in the...
Fund Tri-Rail, jump-start bullet train
OUR OPINION: Legislature must act fast to save Tri-Rail or pay $256 million to feds Florida Senate President Jeff Atwater is right to push for a special December legislative session to resolve funding for Tri-Rail and create a commuter rail line in Orlando. House Speaker Larry Cretul seems willing to have Florida pay a quarter billion dollars to reimburse the federal...
Will idea of new jobs win backers for commuter and high-speed rail?
Forget about getting people out of their cars and onto mass transit. Here's the latest fuel driving both the commuter and high-speed trains proposed for Central Florida: jobs, jobs, jobs. "It's a game changer," said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, who supports both ventures but is especially vested in SunRail, the commuter train. Sean Snaith, a University of Central Florida...
