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Mica Supports High-Speed Rail In Florida, But With Support From The Private
Sector<http://alttransport.com/2011/01/mica-supports-high-speed-rail-in-florida-but-with-support-from-the-private-sector/>by
Ami Cholia <http://alttransport.com/author/acholia/> on Wednesday, January
19, 2011 at 3:37 PM

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After the last elections, transportation, which has been a seemingly
bipartisan issue has grown to be more contentious everyday. In fact,
Republican governors have rejected over $1B in high-speed rail funds because
they didn’t want their states to pay for the difference in cost.

Now U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Fla., chairman of the House Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee, has come out in support of constructing a
high-speed rail system between Orlando and Tampa — though with a caveat.

Mica thinks no state money should go towards supporting the $2.7 billion
project. While federal stimulus money is expected to pay for about $2.4
billion, Mica thinks the rest of the money should come from the private
sector.

“This project includes a link from Orlando International Airport to Disney,”
Mica told the Florida Times
Union<http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2011-01-19/story/mica-supports-billion-dollar-high-speed-rail-florida-caveat>.
“That should be a money maker for a private company.”

Mica also said he supported a Amtrak line from Jacksonville to Miami on the
Florida East Coast rail line, as long as it was economically viable.

Mica also suggested looking at private support for Amtrak.

Mica’s opinion is important because he is the Chairman of the House
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and because he will have
influence over Florida Gov. Rick Scott.

Scott hasn’t come out with his decision on high-speed rail, though executive
director of Florida Rail Enterprise Kevin Thibault, said the state is moving
ahead of with high-speed rail plans. Private companies have also come out in
support for high-speed rail.

A new study from America
2050,<http://alttransport.com/2011/01/where-is-high-speed-rail-most-likely-to-succeed-the-northeast-corridior/>a
nonprofit that advocates for infrastructure investment, recently
determined that the Northeast Corridor and a proposed route in California
were much better investments than the proposed Florida line connecting
Orlando, Miami and Tampa.

In Florida’s case, the authors said that the state lacked the population and
employment numbers to make it a clear choice for high-speed rail, though the
authors did not include tourism traffic in their report, which is expected
to be a good portion of the train ridership.

As we’ve argued several times in the past, if implemented correctly
high-speed rail has the potential of reducing pollution by replacing
short-haul flights and significantly reducing inter-city car travel, it can
save energy and protect the environment, it’s usually safer and more
reliable than planes and/or cars, and it can create jobs and boost local
economies, at a time when our economy is clearly failing.

--
Mike Muldoon
Rosemont Seneca Partners, LLC
1010 Wisconsin Ave., NW
Suite 705
Washington, DC 20007
(202) 333-1880
mmuldoon@rosemontseneca.co