Republican Florida Already Missed the Boat on Rail Money: A Boon for California?

[FayeforCure]

A destination for that high-speed rail money
by Meteor Blades
Wed Nov 10, 2010 at 06:00:03 AM PST

Governor-elect Scott Walker of Wisconsin doesn't want to build the high-speed rail line from Madison to Milwaukee that the federal government has granted his state $810 million for.  Governor-elect John Kasich of Ohio doesn't want to spend the $400 million in federal grants his state is slated for a high-speed line connecting Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland. Governor-elect Rick Scott of Florida doesn't want to spend the $2.05 billion the feds have granted his state for high-speed rail between Tampa and Orlando. Add in the $3 billion in federal dollars for the Hudson River Tunnel that Gov. Chris Christie rejected and you've got a substantial pile of dough.

Not that these Republicans want to send the money back to Washington like the frugal deficit-choppers they'd like people to believe they are. They just want to spend it on "traditional" transportation projects, mostly highways. The U.S. Department of Transportation has told them no go, as greendem notes in the diary Obama Admin: Rail Money is for Rail, Use it or lose it.

So why not give that $6.2 billion to California and Illinois, states with Democratic governors who actually favor the idea of high-speed rail?

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/11/9/919117/-A-destination-for-that-high-speed-rail-money


This was all so predictable, regressives generally LOVE highways!!!

[tufsu1]

I think you'll be surprised Faye....I'm betting Rick Scott sticks with HSR and Gov. Walker will also change his mind in Wisconsin.

[FayeforCure]

I think you'll be surprised Faye....I'm betting Rick Scott sticks with HSR and Gov. Walker will also change his mind in Wisconsin.

You mean they are going to flip-flop?

What will people say about a Republican Governor who "mortgages our children's future", as they often like to refer to BIG GOVERNMENT SPENDING projects on anything other than DEFENSE?

Ah, I understand............if it's a Republican doing it it's ok, but if it's a Democrat doing it they are "Tax and Spend."

[FayeforCure]

BTW, Rick Scott already lost a prime opportunity to show support for the federal HSR dollars for Florida:

Florida high-speed rail could be in limbo with Rick Scott as Governor
Noah Pransky
1 day ago

ORLANDO, Florida - Delivering a passionate speech in front of hundreds of engineers, contractors, and business-owners, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Florida) pleaded with Governor-Elect Rick Scott not to reject the $2 billion in federal stimulus dollars for high-speed rail.

"Our state desperately needs those funds," said Nelson, admitting he was nervous about Scott's Election Day victory.

Scott waged war on the federal stimulus plan, which has so far allocated tens of billions to Florida, including $2 billion for the 84-mile Orlando-to-Tampa connector.

"If we're going to remake transportation in Florida," Nelson said, "we need to move with this new, very visionary project and we don't want to be looking back in 20 years saying, 'We missed the ball.' "

Florida is expected to pay just 10 percent of the rail line's cost and it is expected to create tens of thousands of jobs. But Scott said here (around the 4:30 mark) that he would not support rail if Florida had to pay any of the bill.

The initial line is expected to be open in 2015 and a future line would connect Orlando to Miami.

Nelson was part of a large contingency of local and elected officials kicking off a two-day high-speed rail forum at the Orange County Convention Center.

Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Tampa), Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio, Lakeland Mayor Gow Fields, and State Sen. Paula Dockery (R-Lakeland) also spoke.

http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=155219

[thelakelander]

Tampa's high speed rail station renderings:





Additional renderings of Tampa and Lakeland's stations here: http://www.floridahighspeedrail.org/FLHSR-Images

[FayeforCure]

Just GORGEOUS!!!

Who in the world would oppose the US and Florida reaching for the cutting edge on HSR?!?!

[JaxByDefault]

I think you'll be surprised Faye....I'm betting Rick Scott sticks with HSR and Gov. Walker will also change his mind in Wisconsin.

I agree. Scott named Sen. Paula Dockery to his transition team. If she has a say in the matter, HSR will go through.

[FayeforCure]

I think you'll be surprised Faye....I'm betting Rick Scott sticks with HSR and Gov. Walker will also change his mind in Wisconsin.

I agree. Scott named Sen. Paula Dockery to his transition team. If she has a say in the matter, HSR will go through.

Yeah, that IS a good sign. Just wonder how he's going to sell the idea to the ANTI BIG GOVERNMENT SPENDING Tea Party crowd that got him elected.........

But in order to come up with the promised 700,000 jobs in 7 years, he's going to have to accept federal monies, as well as NOT reduce state revenues ie Corporate Taxes and such.

OTOH voters rarely hold elected officials accountable.

Go Paula!!

[Ocklawaha]

Just GORGEOUS!!!

Who in the world would oppose the US and Florida reaching for the cutting edge on HSR?!?!

ANYBODY THAT WANT'S IT TO SUCCEED!

The plan is horrible in spite of the cute photos! ...and IT WILL FAIL BIG ENOUGH TO KILL HSR IN THE USA FOR DECADES!

OCKLAWAHA

[CS Foltz]

Rat Rail for Ratville! Typical for most engineering to start in the middle right? Oh but wait.....its going to go to Miami sooner or later......when it can be paid for with tax dollars again! This project is doomed from the start, I don't care what consulting firm says what! HSR is something that needs to be implemented......like right now, but not in Orlando!

[tufsu1]

ok CS...we get it...enough already!

[FayeforCure]

Just GORGEOUS!!!

Who in the world would oppose the US and Florida reaching for the cutting edge on HSR?!?!

ANYBODY THAT WANT'S IT TO SUCCEED!



OCKLAWAHA

Hmm, European travelers that make up a high percentage of our tourism industry often fly into Tampa, and are used to taking Rail, so success has a really good foundation.

Besides it can be up and running much sooner than anywhere else in the US. Gorgeous showcase of what is possible all over the US!!!

GO FORWARD!

With Floridian pride of a former Californian,

Faye

[FayeforCure]

Dire warnings for Rail Supporters were issued as far back as Oct 5th., but no concerns were raised among the rail supporters on this forum............except for one: moi


OCTOBER 05, 2010
Is Florida's high-speed rail system DOA if Rick Scott becomes governor?

Of course, Scott's apparent opposition to high-speed rail is not unique in this political season. As this New York Times story notes, in Wisconsin the Republican candidate for governor would kill the Milwaukee-to-Madison high-speed rail link, and Ohio's Republican candidate for governor would squash the proposed Cleveland-Columbus-Cincinnati line. Even in California, where outgoing Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger champions a high-speed rail line between Los Angeles and San Francisco, Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman says this is the wrong economic time for bullet trains.

The immediate impact of any scuttling of the Tampa-Orlando high-speed rail line means this: Florida most likely would have to return the $1.25 billion grant it has received for the rail line to the federal government, which could then award it to states that want it.

(REAL) Rail advocates who say the U.S. needs greater transportation options for the 21st century see GOP opposition as nothing but raw partisan politics, a way to destroy projects that, if successful, would stand as legacies to President Obama's stimulus plan, says this Associated Press story.

"I guess it makes sense for them politically, and it plays into the fantasy that highways pay for themselves," said Richard Harnish, executive director of the Midwest High Speed Rail Association, a Chicago-based nonprofit that promotes passenger rail.

As Metro Jacksonville says "WAKE UP (REPUBLICAN VOTERS IN) FLORIDA!"

http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/venturebiz/content/floridas-high-speed-rail-system-doa-if-rick-scott-becomes-governor

[tufsu1]

that is not true Faye...several people on here noted Rick Scott's rhetoric regarding rail!

[Ocklawaha]

Poppycock! We have been calling Rick Scott on rail since day one... Where were YOU Faye?

By the way folks, Tampa International handles about 30 million passengers per year. How many of those that fly in from the EU DO NOT have a package deal, either including a car or all transportation - ie: TOUR BUS? They are not going to fly to Florida because we suddenly have a pretty train on ONE ROUTE, no connection to AMTRAK, and no connection with any city besides Tampa. Nobody is flying to Tampa to get to the Orlando Airport, besides the HSR Doesn't go into Tampa International Airport! So are we to believe several million dummy's a year are jumping in cabs, to catch a pretty train, to catch a bus, to get to a Disney Hotel?

THE PLAN IS NOT REALISTIC, far too small, and missing the core of URBAN CENTRAL FLORIDA. Even when built out it will miss the core of everything but West Palm-Miami, and Tampa itself, and still only connect with AMTRAK in Miami. Call it cutting edge if you want to but a railroad on an island will soon fail. Push it THROUGH Orlando to SANFORD and it may work, bend it south roughly along the CSX through Haines City etc.. and it will do better... All I'm saying is this doesn't have to be so damn hard regardless of the amount of "FREE MONEY" or "JOBS" we get, we must do this thing right or the blow to rail will be felt from Seattle to Sebring.

Florida has done NOTHING but discourage rail and rail travel for 60 years or basically two generations, we're not going to throw a magic rail on the ground and reverse this. There is NO FREE RIDE, and if we want it we need to work our way into it. The CURRENT OPERATING CALIFORNIA MODEL IS OPTIMUM and their HSR plan is better connected. Hell if they did it like Florida, they'd be building a HSR line from the Palmdale Airport to Lake Tahoe via the Owens Valley, because some people that fly to Reno might want to ride a train to DISNEY.

Charging off a cliff is completely Skywayesq.

OCKLAWAHA
I was on the Ocklawaha today and discovered the state has misspelled the name on SR-19 as well as CR-316!