Florida HSR advocates keep pressing case

Despite (or because of) a deadline set by Florida Gov. Rick Scott, numerous pro-rail advocates have continued to press for Scott to reverse his decision to scuttle a proposed high speed rail project linking Tampa and Orlando.

In a six-page letter to the governor sent Thursday, the mayors of Tampa, Orlando, Lakeland, and Miami outlined their belief that Scott’s fiscal concerns could be addressed and that HSR could proceed. The letter sought “to clearly restate and further amplify how each of the concerns you have raised have been resolved by the structure we have proposed to eliminate financial risk to the State of Florida and its taxpayers.”

Also supporting HSR are the Tampa Bay Partnership, Central Florida Partnership, and the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce. On Tuesday, two Florida state senators, Thad Altman (R) and Arthenia Joyner (D), filed a suit in the state supreme court with the aim of overturning Gov. Scott’s decision to abandon plans for high speed rail.

The letter outlines the structure devised to privatize the project and provides an explicit response to each concern raised by the Governor. A federal grant of $2.4 billion dollars will pay for 90% of the project, estimated to cost about $2.67 billion. Private contractors have expressed their willingness to pay the rest in lieu of any state contribution, previously approved by the state legislature.

A joint statement from the Tampa Bay Partnership, Central Florida Partnership and Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce says in part, "Any worthwhile investment has some risk, but the Mayors have managed to eliminate all reasonable and foreseeable risks, with the cooperation and approval of the U.S. Department of Transportation. If we refuse to move forward based on the possibility of remote and speculative risks, then we will cease to invest in our future."

The six-page letter from the mayors concludes in similar fashion: “We wish to emphasize that it will never be possible to eliminate all conceivable risk associated with any significant and worthwhile investment. Every investment entails risk, and if we seek to avoid all such risk, we will make no further investments in the future of our State, which would be regrettable. With every investment, we must weigh the benefits against the risks and consider how we can manage and mitigate the risks. In the case of this project, the potential benefits are enormous.”