Florida rail fight rolls into DC | POLITICO 44

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2011-02-26 16:57:57

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http://www.politico.com/politico44/perm/0211/federal_funds_on_the_line_4cb9ecc5-3bdb-4768-9cc0-beb237ce4ef5.html

Florida rail fight rolls into DC

The battle between Uncle Sam and Florida's new GOP governor over a high profile transportation project just won’t end.

Gov. Rick Scott, who's in Washington this weekend for the National Governor’s Association conference, continues to spar with Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood over whether the state will accept $2.4 billion in federal funds for a high-speed rail track between Tampa and Orlando.

Scott has said no to the money, but LaHood and some of the Florida congressional delegation -- including House Transportation Committee Chairman John Mica (R) -- are urging him to reconsider.

As this story enters its second week, Scott, at least publicly, keeps spurning the cash LaHood is offering the Sunshine State.

The two met on Friday morning to talk once again about the issue, but the only result seems to be the dueling readouts being blasted by the respective camps.

“I have decided to give Governor Scott additional time to review the agreement crafted by local officials from Orlando, Tampa, Lakeland and Miami, and to consult with his staff at the state Department of Transportation,” LaHood declared in a statement. “He has committed to making a final decision by the end of next week. I feel we owe it to the people of Florida, who have been working to bring high speed rail to their state for the last 20 years, to go the extra mile.”

Meanwhile, Scott's version of the story is -- no surprise -- very different.

“My position on high speed rail remains unchanged,” he said in a statement. “I believe high speed rail is a federal boondoggle, as I said more than a week ago.”

There was no word from Scott’s spokesman about whether the governor had actually agreed to reconsider the federal plans by the end of next week, as LaHood’s statement suggested.


Eric D. Schwerin
Rosemont Seneca Partners, LLC
1010 Wisconsin Ave., NW
Suite 705
Washington, DC 20007
(202) 333-1880
eschwerin@rosemontseneca.com
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