Positive Talk Could be Hiding the Truth Behind the Renewed Push for SunRail

[CS Foltz]

tufsu1 .....I have no choice but to agree with you! That right there is the underlying hitch in any progressive visionary mass transit system...........a severe lack of funding! Until that issue is addressed we are going to be hindered no matter which way the transportation vessel moves. It is bad enough the public servants seem to have their heads up their drawers but it is a double whammy when the funding issue is not addressed at the same time. Current administrations across the board suffers from the same affliction without exception!

[JeffreyS]

I know I started the negative talk about the funding but I do want to offer kudos for finding a dedicated funding source. This really is a big state wide step forward.

[FayeforCure]

Yes please do not under fund rail if you are going to do it do it right. I do not mean it has to have all the bells and whistles up front but let's not have it doomed off the bat by too much skimping. I hope they allow locals to have additional funding with rental cars surcharges if they choose.

Thank you JeffreyS. I see no downside to the rental car tax that tourists would pay. That would be a revenue source I can really believe in. What the heck is the hold up?!?!

[Ocklawaha]

Yes please do not under fund rail if you are going to do it do it right. I do not mean it has to have all the bells and whistles up front but let's not have it doomed off the bat by too much skimping. I hope they allow locals to have additional funding with rental cars surcharges if they choose.

Thank you JeffreyS. I see no downside to the rental car tax that tourists would pay. That would be a revenue source I can really believe in. What the heck is the hold up?!?!

I sure as hell do. Car rental taxes (fees) and gas taxes are a declining sum every year for the past several years. If the fuel crunch gets worse, which it WILL, these sources will all but run dry. We need something else to handle the revenue needed to fund rail and rail transit projects in the State. I don't think it's helping with the Federals, that we are going counter to the industry pundits and chasing the poorly routed HSR "Mickey Rail" project. AMTRAK and INCREMENTAL are the key words in this argument. A rail board to oversee a fund for rail transit projects is fine by me, just get those projects on a solid funding, and don't chase rainbows.

[FayeforCure]

I sure as hell do. Car rental taxes (fees) and gas taxes are a declining sum every year for the past several years. If the fuel crunch gets worse, which it WILL, these sources will all but run dry. We need something else to handle the revenue needed to fund rail and rail transit projects in the State.

Oh really? Seems tourism in particular from Europe is increasing and thus car rental revenues. Besides there will always be enough car rental revenue from tourists to function as a dedicated funding source.

In Sarasota County, hotels and condos reported revenues from rentals rose 2 percent in September, led by big gains on Siesta Key and in Venice, the first overall increase since August 2008.

News from Manatee County was even brighter, with rentals up 15 percent.

Fueled by stimulus spending from Washington and a bull market in stocks, consumers are finally loosening up enough to take a vacation.

"We are definitely beginning to see a recovery," said Walter Klages, a Tampa tourism consultant who does research for both Manatee and Sarasota County convention and visitors' bureaus. "The trend for the first time since 2007 is up."

Hedging the optimism is that September is traditionally one of the slowest tourist months. And in Sarasota, businesses are still slashing room rates to attract visitors. But in Manatee, room rates increased in September for the second time in four months.

Still, the latest numbers are among signs that one of Florida's biggest economic engines is no longer running in reverse. The real barometer will be January through March, the months that make or break hotels, restaurants and bars in Southwest Florida.

"We are here for the busy season, and the season pays for the rest of the year," said Danielle Boyer, co-owner of Siesta Key Parasailing.

The boost seems to be coming from both dollar-conscious Floridians driving here and Europeans taking advantage of the Euro and the British pound strength versus the struggling dollar.

tourism to return to the robust levels of 2007-08

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20091117/ARTICLE/911171075/-1/FRONTPAGE?Title=Tourism-numbers-br-give-a-lift

I see no indication that car rental fees are declining every year, please source your unsubstantiated statement.

[CS Foltz]

Ms Faye.............last hard figures that I saw was on CNBC and nationwide motel/hotel bookings were still down from last year about 23%............there appears to be a downward trend for the past yr and a half! Travel is down but that was nationwide..............program said nothing at all about oversea's visitors. Magic Kingdom attendance figures were down so to me taking all of that into account it would seem reasonable to assume "Rental Vehicles" would be down also! I would like to see something else along with that proposed $2 Dollar Fee to ensure what blossoms can survive over the long term!

[tufsu1]

why does everyone think that rental car taxes are only paid by tourists....many Floridians rent cars for in-state business travel....or even when their car is in the repair shop.

[FayeforCure]

why does everyone think that rental car taxes are only paid by tourists....many Floridians rent cars for in-state business travel....or even when their car is in the repair shop.

tufsu1, under the law Florida residents would be exempted from paying the tax. So if your car is in for repair, you don't pay the $2.

BTW would you mind paying an extra $2 per day anyway,.......it doesn't even buy you a coffee!

[JeffreyS]

I like the doc stamps idea for a state wide dedicated fund. I would just like the red tape cleared up on the rental car surcharge that could be used at a more local level.

[Ocklawaha]

Abandoned AVIS building, Long Island, NY

Business Travel Magazine

Car Rental Cos. Decelerate In Fourth Quarter

MARCH 03, 2009 -- Slowing demand, soft pricing and increasing fleet costs resulted in fourth-quarter losses for all three major publicly traded car rental companies.

Hertz Global Holdings last week reported a $1.21 billion loss for the fourth quarter of 2008, with revenue down 16 percent for the quarter to $1.8 billion. "Unfortunately, the progress we made in many areas during 2008 was outweighed by the severe impact on the overall falling demand, competitive pricing and higher fleet costs as residual baggage declined in the car rental business as well as the more significant downturn in our highly profitable rental segment," Hertz chairman and CEO Mark Frissora said in a statement.

U.S. pricing was down by 6 percent at airport locations and by 2 percent at off-airport locations, according to Hertz, as the company was unable to sustain a price increase announced in late October.

Avis Budget Group reported a $121 million loss for the quarter, citing what CEO Ronald Nelson called an "unprecedented set of challenges." The company enacted an aggressive cot-cutting plan during the quarter, eliminating more than 2,100 positions, closing 27 locations and reducing expenses, including those of its loyalty program.

Car rental revenues for the quarter were down 9 percent, driven by a 6 percent decrease in rental days and a 6 percent decrease in time and mileage revenue per day, Avis Budget reported. Fleet costs, meanwhile, were up 11 percent.

2009 Business Travel Survey: Car Rental Firms At Crossroads As Demand Lags
By Chris Davis

JUNE 01, 2009 -- Damaged not only by a global economic recession and sharply reduced demand but also by the crippling financial maladies of the Big Three U.S. automakers, the rental car industry finds itself at a crossroads in 2009. Competition for remaining business is fierce, and a decimated resale market is leaving the rental companies with lots of cars to rent, but fewer corporate travelers to rent them.

Nevertheless, rental car executives showed signs of what passes for optimism in 2009, offering hopes that perhaps the bottom of the car rental downturn has been reached and conditions might not worsen further.

Just 2 of hundreds of examples, you are really funny Faye, guess you think I make all the transportation stuff up? NOT!  Its a trend, it's just not a consistant revenue stream, we can't run trains just in good economic months. ...and you were saying?


OCKLAWAHA

[thelakelander]

Update on the rail session

Fla. lawmakers open special session on rail

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Senate President Jeff Atwater says he's confident his chamber will reverse its prior opposition to legislation that would clear the way for a commuter rail system in central Florida.

Identical House and Senate bills being considered at a special legislative session that begin Thursday also include up to $15 million each year in additional state money for the financially troubled Tri-Rail commuter line in South Florida.

Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, said the bills respond to at least some issues that twice before doomed similar proposals in the Senate after they'd been passed in the House.

One difference is the rail legislation now is being sold as a step for possibly obtaining $2.6 billion in federal stimulus money to also build a high-speed system between Tampa and Orlando with a possible future link to Miami.

"My conversations with members over the last week have been that they wanted to see something bigger and bolder," Atwater said. "When they have a chance to hear all of the bill and see the elements of this bill that we're looking bigger, farther down the road."

Atwater and other rail advocates argue the bills (HB 1B, SB 2B) also would establish a framework for future commuter service in other urban areas by creating two new entities.

The proposed Statewide Passenger Rail Commission would advise the Department of Transportation and the Florida Rail Enterprise would oversee development of commuter lines as well as a high-speed system.

Gov. Charlie Crist said he, too, is confident the legislation will pass because it would create thousands of new jobs desperately needed in a state with an 11.2 percent unemployment rate.

"Voting against this would be absolutely catastrophic," Crist said.

The legislation faces stiff opposition from labor unions that argue 95 union rail workers would lose their jobs or take pay cuts. That's because the plan calls for the state to purchase existing rail lines from freight hauler CSX, which now employs those workers. The state would hire contractors to fill the jobs.

The number of workers affected could grow into the thousands as additional commuter systems are developed, said Florida AFL-CIO spokesman Rich Templin.

Atwater said he's met with the unions and that talks will continue on seeking an accord.

"I don't know that there is any one particular agency, branch, piece of our Legislature that is throwing down a gauntlet," Atwater said. "You'll have to wait until the end to see whether or not we can find comforting language."

The unions are a key constituency for Democrats, who could hold the legislation's fate in their hands. Republicans have solid majorities in both chambers, but past opposition has been bipartisan.

Senate Democratic Leader Al Lawson of Tallahassee said he didn't want to dismiss the unions' concerns but is supportive of the legislation because it would put thousands of Floridians to work building, maintaining and operating the SunRail commuter system in the Orlando area.

Some lawmakers also have questioned the sufficiency and cost of liability provisions that call for the state to purchase $200 million in insurance coverage for any major crashes involving the Sunrail commuter trains and CSX freight trains that would share the track.

The legislation is moving first in the House, which will begin floor debate Friday and take a vote Monday. The Senate is scheduled for a vote Wednesday.

If the Senate accepts the House version, the bill then would go to Crist, an outspoken supporter of the legislation. If not, the chambers will have through next Friday to resolve their differences.

The session began with 34 of the 120 representatives and 11 of the 40 senators absent. Most were Democrats who had been excused to attend the annual meeting in Fort Lauderdale of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators.

House Speaker Larry Cretul rejected a Democratic request to delay the special session until next week. The Ocala Republican said lawmakers needed to begin this week to make sure they finish by Dec. 11 - the first day of Hanukkah.

"It is our job not only constitutionally but personally to be sure that we don't inconvenience and neglect what we're here for," Cretul said.

This is the second special session of the year. Lawmakers started 2009 with a nine-day special session in January to pass a budget deficit-reduction package before returning to Tallahassee in March for their regular 60-day session.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FL_XGR_SPECIAL_SESSION_FLOL-?SITE=FLJAJ&SECTION=SOUTHEAST&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[CS Foltz]

I am somewhat confused to say the least...........Why do we have to have a "Special Session" to handle this rail issue.............was it not important enough to care of during the regular session? This is just extra money out of the coffers that could have been handled long before now!

[thelakelander]

Actually this is the third session in two years.  This anti-rail state just keeps shutting it down instead of coming up with a solution.  Btw, judging from the events of yesterday, it appears this round will be a shaky one too.

[Lunican]

It looks like the SunRail and high speed rail projects are being confused.

Jacksonville lawmaker could be key vote in rail debate

...

In mentioning his support of workers, Hill is referring specifically to the AFL-CIO's opposition to the SunRail project, a passenger rail line along the I-4 corridor.  In a statement, the union said that it had concerns that federal regulations that govern rail workers would be removed, thus freeing the Florida Department of Transportation to fire rail workers and replace them with non-union employees.

...

A look at the high speed rail map put together by the U. S. Department of Transportation has to leave many North Floridians wondering what exactly is in the deal for them.

The SunRail proposal currently being pushed in the Legislature will only provide for rail along the I-4 corridor, along with additional money for South Florida.  North Florida, however, is completely left out of the mix.  In fact, the map shows Jacksonville disconnected from the rest of the state, leaving the area dependent on Georgia lawmakers to seek funding to run a high speed line from Jacksonville to Savannah.

So what does North Florida get out of the deal besides sending our tax dollars south?  Well, I'm sure money isn't the only thing south and central Florida want from us -- they'd like our water as well.

http://jacksonville.com/interact/blog/abel_harding/2009-12-04/jacksonville_lawmaker_could_be_key_vote_in_rail_debate

[thelakelander]

Definitely sounds like confusion.  Somebody send Abel over here so he can learn how North Florida benefits.