Recent News Articles
Rail: The time is now
In the next day or two, state senators will vote to make it easier for Floridians to travel, approving legislation that creates SunRail, sustains Tri-Rail and makes possible high-speed rail and commuter service for Tampa and Jacksonville.
In doing so they'll also be creating thousands of jobs and pouring billions of dollars into the state's economy over several decades.
Or, the senators will vote to do nothing of the kind because, in the end, too many of them will have been too afraid.
Afraid to lead.
To take on an increasingly shrill opponent.
To stand up to special interests.
And even to take on the all-powerful lieutenant governor of the state, Jeff Kottkamp. Who? Read on.
On Monday, the state House overwhelmingly voted to pass the rail legislation, following the lead of House Speaker Larry Cretul and speaker designate Dean Cannon. But in the Senate, the bill either is expected to pass or crash by an onion-thin margin.
Senate President Jeff Atwater's doing his part, apparently picking up another vote for the rail package Monday from Sen. Mike Bennett of Bradenton. Mr. Bennett said he likes some changes to the bill that he and a majority of senators in the spring voted down. The risk to the state in case of accidents has been reduced, making the bill look better, he said.
But where's the leadership from Mike Haridopolos, the next Senate president from Indialantic? He says he supports SunRail, but soft- selling train travel in Florida's not a winning strategy. Even Gov. Charlie Crist understands that. He's replaced his timid "how can anyone not like SunRail?" refrain from last spring with his any-vote-against-rail-is-"indefensible" riff.
But why isn't Mr. Haridopolos similarly banging the drum on rail, leaving it instead to a shrill senator like Republican Paula Dockery of Lakeland to try and steal the show? She appeared at an anti-rail rally yesterday in Tallahassee with anti-tax activist Doug Guetzloe, where she again stretched credulity. Is the arch-conservative Mr. Haridopolos just afraid of attracting the ire of tea-partiers?
Ms. Dockery said "nobody's going to ride" SunRail, though it will run through her Senate district. We'll be eager to hear her reprise that refrain when, during her campaign for governor, she calls the more than 4,000 passenger expected to ride SunRail in its first year "nobodies."
She said SunRail places the state at too much risk in case of accidents. But Ms. Dockery voted years earlier for Tri-Rail and its provisions that place the state at greater risk than SunRail.
Meanwhile, Republican Sen. Carey Baker of Eustis could be at risk of scuttling his political future – he wants to be state agriculture commissioner – if he doesn't better appreciate that some services cost money. He seemed to grasp that when he previously supported SunRail. But recently he said he wanted off the train because – shock – the high-speed rail project could someday cost Floridians money to operate.
Mr. Baker, all mass transit costs the public some money, though the state could get billions of federal dollars to build high-speed rail. You think you'll win higher office supporting just road-building? Tell that to Floridians who can't afford to buy, maintain and operate a car.
Rail's future in Florida also may come down to whether others running for statewide office tell union leaders where they can get off, or whether they'll let them continue to take Florida's residents for a ride. Some unions oppose the legislation because it doesn't guarantee in writing a hundred or so union jobs, though it doesn't preclude them from getting some of the thousands of jobs the rail bill would create.
South Florida Senate Democrats Dan Gelber and Dave Aronberg say they might support the rail bill, but they also want the union's support in their respective runs for state attorney general. The unions won't help either get elected, however, if they vote against rail. If they help defeat the rail bill, Tri-Rail could go belly-up, and with it, commuter train service for thousands of their South Florida constituents.
And does either really think he needs the unions to win the general election? The winner of their primary could face early Republican favorite Jeff Kottkamp, the lieutenant governor best known for flying around the state on the public's dime.
If they neither can compete seriously with Mr. Kottkamp without the unions' help, neither can be taken seriously as a candidate for statewide office.
In doing so they'll also be creating thousands of jobs and pouring billions of dollars into the state's economy over several decades.
Or, the senators will vote to do nothing of the kind because, in the end, too many of them will have been too afraid.
Afraid to lead.
To take on an increasingly shrill opponent.
To stand up to special interests.
And even to take on the all-powerful lieutenant governor of the state, Jeff Kottkamp. Who? Read on.
On Monday, the state House overwhelmingly voted to pass the rail legislation, following the lead of House Speaker Larry Cretul and speaker designate Dean Cannon. But in the Senate, the bill either is expected to pass or crash by an onion-thin margin.
Senate President Jeff Atwater's doing his part, apparently picking up another vote for the rail package Monday from Sen. Mike Bennett of Bradenton. Mr. Bennett said he likes some changes to the bill that he and a majority of senators in the spring voted down. The risk to the state in case of accidents has been reduced, making the bill look better, he said.
But where's the leadership from Mike Haridopolos, the next Senate president from Indialantic? He says he supports SunRail, but soft- selling train travel in Florida's not a winning strategy. Even Gov. Charlie Crist understands that. He's replaced his timid "how can anyone not like SunRail?" refrain from last spring with his any-vote-against-rail-is-"indefensible" riff.
But why isn't Mr. Haridopolos similarly banging the drum on rail, leaving it instead to a shrill senator like Republican Paula Dockery of Lakeland to try and steal the show? She appeared at an anti-rail rally yesterday in Tallahassee with anti-tax activist Doug Guetzloe, where she again stretched credulity. Is the arch-conservative Mr. Haridopolos just afraid of attracting the ire of tea-partiers?
Ms. Dockery said "nobody's going to ride" SunRail, though it will run through her Senate district. We'll be eager to hear her reprise that refrain when, during her campaign for governor, she calls the more than 4,000 passenger expected to ride SunRail in its first year "nobodies."
She said SunRail places the state at too much risk in case of accidents. But Ms. Dockery voted years earlier for Tri-Rail and its provisions that place the state at greater risk than SunRail.
Meanwhile, Republican Sen. Carey Baker of Eustis could be at risk of scuttling his political future – he wants to be state agriculture commissioner – if he doesn't better appreciate that some services cost money. He seemed to grasp that when he previously supported SunRail. But recently he said he wanted off the train because – shock – the high-speed rail project could someday cost Floridians money to operate.
Mr. Baker, all mass transit costs the public some money, though the state could get billions of federal dollars to build high-speed rail. You think you'll win higher office supporting just road-building? Tell that to Floridians who can't afford to buy, maintain and operate a car.
Rail's future in Florida also may come down to whether others running for statewide office tell union leaders where they can get off, or whether they'll let them continue to take Florida's residents for a ride. Some unions oppose the legislation because it doesn't guarantee in writing a hundred or so union jobs, though it doesn't preclude them from getting some of the thousands of jobs the rail bill would create.
South Florida Senate Democrats Dan Gelber and Dave Aronberg say they might support the rail bill, but they also want the union's support in their respective runs for state attorney general. The unions won't help either get elected, however, if they vote against rail. If they help defeat the rail bill, Tri-Rail could go belly-up, and with it, commuter train service for thousands of their South Florida constituents.
And does either really think he needs the unions to win the general election? The winner of their primary could face early Republican favorite Jeff Kottkamp, the lieutenant governor best known for flying around the state on the public's dime.
If they neither can compete seriously with Mr. Kottkamp without the unions' help, neither can be taken seriously as a candidate for statewide office.
