(The following appeared on the St. Petersburg Times website on May 1, 2009.)
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A handful of senators who voted Friday to kill the Central Florida commuter rail deal known as SunRail also voted against a $2 car-rental tax that would have helped South Florida Tri-Rail and other transportation projects throughout the state.
Now, the senators say they have been informed that Tri-Rail needs $30m more or the troubled rail line will have to lay off workers, etc. In a letter the senators just sent, they’re asking legislative leaders in budget talks to redirect money from a SunRail account to Tri-Rail.
Senate budget chief J.D. Alexander, a SunRail supporter, knew nothing of the matter (seems almost no one did). And he didn’t seem too happy about helping out the people who de-railed SunRail.
“Given the lack of support for Central Florida’s rail project, it’s kind of hard to get excited about supporting South Florida’s rail project,” Alexander said. Also, Alexander and SunRail’s leading opponent, Sen. Paula Dockery, are hardly buddies.
Sen. Nan Rich, a Weston Democrat who voted against SunRail, says she was told about Tri-Rail’s dire circumstances on the day of the SunRail vote. But she said it’s unfair to hold TriRail hostage. She said the SunRail deal was a bad one because it cost too much and put taxpayers on the hook in case the train company, CSX, had an accident.