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Special legislative session's rail deal is a win for Florida's future
State lawmakers who rallied in support of a controversial rail bill Tuesday in special session deserve credit for overcoming hurdles — including union opposition — that threatened to block the historic measure and the enormous benefits it heralds for Florida’s stalled economy.
Foremost among them are jobs.
The legislation paves the way for a $1.2 billion commuter SunRail system linking four heavily populated counties in Central Florida, which will create an estimated 6,700 construction jobs.
It shores up South Florida’s Tri-Rail commuter rail system in Miami-Dade County and creates a transportation department authority to oversee funding of future rail projects.
Those moves send the message to Washington the state is strongly committed to commuter rail and make it almost certain Florida will land a $2.6 billion federal stimulus grant for a long-discussed high-speed rail system linking Tampa, Orlando and Miami.
The massive project is another badly needed job generator, adding as many as 23,000 more construction jobs starting in 2011, some potentially in Brevard County if the Orlando-Miami high-speed route is built in 2013.
The bullet-train system will also spur tourism and help launch an era of greener transportation in the Sunshine State.
Kudos to Brevard’s GOP delegation, which voted unanimously for the rail deal and a better future for Floridians.
