St Pete Moves Closer to LIGHT RAIL

[Ocklawaha]

My bet is that Jacksonville will fund our system right behind Gainesville and Palatka!

Pinellas commissioners move forward with light-rail referendum
By TBO.com
Published: February 26, 2013

CLEARWATER --
Pinellas County commissioners have just voted to move forward with plans for a November 2014 referendum on a one-cent sales tax hike for light rail and other transit improvements.

The vote was 5-1, with Commissioner Norm Roche the lone "no." As a member of the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority board, Roche voted last month to send the matter to the county commission.

If approved by voters, the sales tax would be raised by one penny. The revenue would go toward building 24 miles of light rail from Clearwater to downtown St. Petersburg, a substantially expanded bus system, traffic lanes dedicated for buses and more pedestrian trails, among other things.

The light-rail system would cost an estimated $1.5 to $1.7 billion to build.

http://www2.tbo.com/news/news/2013/feb/26/pinellas-commissioners-move-forward-with-light-rai-ar-644303/

[tufsu1]

This still has a long road ahead....it is not a slam dunk that voters in Pinellas will approve....but they do have a better chance than Hillsborough did in 2010

[thelakelander]

Good luck to Pinellas.  As tufsu1 says, an approved referendum ins't a slam dunk but it appears they are better prepared than Hillsborough in 2010.  As for Jax, sometimes I feel like we're destined to take a back seat.  We seem to be doing everything we can to keep progress and all the economic benefits that it brings from happening. In the meantime, the world around us continues to push forward.