Florida high speed rail proposal may get back on tracks
With indications from the Obama team that a stimulus package will put resources towards infrastructure projects, there is new hope in Florida that the on-again, off-again, high speed rail proposal might find new life.
In 2000 Florida voters approved initial funding for a high speed rail system that would have run from Tampa to Orlando, with later expansions to St. Petersburg, Miami, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Tallahassee and Pensacola. But in 2004, with support of then Gov. Jeb Bush, the project was overturned by voters.
However, supporters of the project feel that given the new political landscape, support for the system might be sufficient to get the project back on track. The Florida high speed rail proposal, along with other proposals for the Midwest, Texas, and the plan recently approved by California voters, might represent the dawn of a new era of efficient public transit in our country.
