An unlikely alliance has emerged in the battle to convince Gov. Rick Scott to accept federal funding that would put a high-speed rail line between Tampa and Orlando on the fast track. #
The sight of Tampa Democrat Congresswoman Kathy Castor sitting next to Barney Bishop, head of the powerful and Republican-leaning lobbyist group Associated Industries of Florida, was not lost on business and political leaders attending a roundtable discussion Wednesday on high-speed rail. #
Castor called the meeting at the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce to receive input on how to best convince Scott to take more than $2 billion in federal grant money for a planned rail line from Tampa to Orlando. #
Members of the group who gathered in downtown Tampa praised Castor and Bishop for a bipartisan effort to get high-speed rail up and running. #
Both Castor and Bishop made their pitches to the group in favor of rail, an unlikely agreement between two people on opposite ends of the political spectrum. #
“We are at a crossroads,” said Castor, referring to a project in limbo as Scott continues to remain mum on the issue. #
Already, two newly elected governors in Wisconsin and Ohio have pulled the plug on high-speed rail in their states, refusing to accept federal funding on the table, while Scott has said he is awaiting feasibility and ridership studies before making his decision. #
Bishop called on the business community to work to convince Scott to accept the $2.4 billion being offered to Florida. #
“We see this as America’s infrastructure bonanza,” Bishop said. #
At the meeting a national lobbying force also weighed in: U.S. High Speed Rail Association President and CEO Andy Kunz said eight different consortiums vying to construct the project are made up of companies with the “best talent in the world.” #
The “shovel-ready” project between Tampa and Orlando is the nation’s best chance to get a high-speed rail project underway in the next two years while President Barack Obama remains in office, Kunz told The Florida Independent after the roundtable meeting. During his recent State of the Union address, Obama reiterated his support for rail in the United States. #
But the window to get the project in full swing by accepting federal dollars is closing, said Jim Davis, former congressman and Tampa attorney with the mega-firm Holland & Knight. There is concern that federal funding will be revoked when the fiscal year ends Sept. 30 if the project is not up and running. And numerous members of the group pointed out that if Scott refuses the federal funding, other states will be lining up to take the money. #
“The timing is critical to get this done this fiscal year. We have to get this train on the track,” Davis told the group. #
Even as Scott holds back on a decision, surveying work has already begun on the high-speed rail line. But key bidding steps, such as issuing a request for qualifications, have been postponed. #
The wait for Scott’s decision may be having an effect on that, as the governor has said he does not want Florida’s taxpayers to bear the burden of any cost overruns or budget shortfalls. #
Currently, there is a $280 million gap for construction funding that political leaders, both Democrat and Republican, have said must be covered by whoever signs on to build the rail line. #
Not a problem, says Arnold Gibbs, vice president of Terracon Consultants, a national engineering firm that is part of a consortium of Korean train-builders looking to bid on the project. Other consortiums consist of companies from England, Spain, Japan and China, among other countries. #
“These companies make investments for years on these projects and are willing to put up their money,” Gibbs told The Florida Independent after the meeting. #
Bishop told the group that the Tampa-Orlando line would bring jobs and new development along the tracks, but several also discussed the bigger picture. To many, the Tampa-Orlando line is a showcase that, if successful, could mean lines from Orlando to Miami, Orlando to Jacksonville and eventually Jacksonville to Atlanta. #
But many critics say population densities between Tampa and Orlando will not provide the riders to make it a success. Kunz, of the U.S. High Speed Rail Association, disagrees. #
“These businesses would not be lining up to build it if they didn’t think it would work,” Kunz told the Independent. #
