(The Associated Press circulated the following story by David Fischer on May 2.)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A deal to bring commuter rail to central Florida failed to win approval from the Legislature on Friday and isn’t expected to move ahead any time soon with federal dollars for the project likely to dry up.
Under the deal, the state would have bought 61 miles of track from a private company, CSX Transportation Inc., for the commuter rail line. Part of a larger transportation bill, the deal generated substantial debate in both chambers. While it passed in the House, it reached a virtual deadlock in the Senate. Lawmakers ended their 60-day session Friday without approving the deal.
After the session ended, Senate Majority Leader Daniel Webster, R-Winter Park, acknowledged the odds of the project going anywhere soon were not good. Federal funds that were supposed to cover half of the project’s cost will now go to other parts of the country, and there’s no way to tell when Florida will get another shot at that money, he said.
“We’re sure not going to be blessed with the kind of funds we’ve had before,” Webster said.
CSX said it was disappointed that the Legislature did not approve the deal.
“Today’s legislative action means that the company’s transaction with the state will not go forward this year, and regrettably, it does not appear that commuter rail will be available in Central Florida,” the company said in a statement.
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Carey Baker, R-Eustis, made several attempts to move the deal along Friday with little success.
In a last-ditch attempt to get the legislation passed, he tried to add it to another transportation bill, a non-controversial measure (SB 682) to study how congestion along Interstate 95 might be reduced, enraging the bill’s sponsor.
In an emotional outburst, Sen. Larcenia Bullard, R-Miami, said she resented the attempt to use her legislation to force the CSX deal through.
“Let us not play the game of choo-choo on this bill,” said Bullard, suggesting the coupling of the two bills.
Bullard’s legislation was later passed without the CSX deal.
A major sticking point over the bill (SB 1978, HB 1399) was a provision that would have freed CSX from paying damages in accidents where passengers were injured on the line, even if the company was responsible for the injuries. Instead, the state would have been financially responsible. Although the state would have bought the track from CSX, the company would have paid the state $10 million a year to continue moving freight on the line.
Opponents of the deal had said granting CSX immunity from lawsuits would have set a bad legal precedent, while spending millions to help out a huge company.
The bill’s supporters have said CSX would not agree to sell the track to the state without the protection. Some also pointed out that CSX already enjoys similar protections for the Tri-Rail system in South Florida.
Because the larger transportation bill carrying the CSX provision did not pass, a number of other transportation provisions failed. Measures that won’t become law include a a 25 percent toll increase to fund Turnpike improvements and a deal where the state would have invested $500 million from the Lawton Chiles Endowment Fund into Alligator Alley.
Some provisions from the failed transportation bill, however, made it onto Bullard’s bill when it was amended by the House on Thursday. All newly installed electronic toll collection systems would have to be compatible with the state’s system, SunPass. That system is already compatible with most independent toll agencies in Florida.
The bill would also allow the state to create high-occupancy toll lanes on Interstate 95 in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Once the money borrowed to build the lanes is paid back, toll money could be used to fund any road on the state’s highway system.
The bill also would allow expressway authorities to periodically increase toll rates to match inflation.