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April 5, 2008
Federal transit honcho praises rail project, but hurdles remain

By Jay Hamburg
Orlando Sentinel Staff Writer

The head of the federal agency that could approve more than $300 million for Central Florida commuter rail praised the regional support he saw for the project Friday, even as state legislators battled over an insurance issue that could stop it in its tracks.

James Simpson, director of the Federal Transit Administration, took a tour of the route and also heard from dozens of politicians and business leaders from Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia counties on the urgent need for the 61-mile commuter-rail project to run from DeLand to Orlando to Poinciana.

Simpson made no guarantees or endorsements but seemed generally positive about what he saw.

"It's amazing," Simpson told a group of about 75 leaders who gathered in Winter Park to press their case.

"We can't get people in one county and certain cities to get together for a project, and to have four counties get together is really amazing."

Simpson said he took the tour at the request of U.S. Rep. John Mica, R-Winter Park, the ranking Republican on the U.S. House Committee on Transportation.

Mica said all large transit projects generate vigorous debate, but he does not think the fight in Tallahassee over insurance will disrupt the timetable for commuter rail.

The first leg of the system from DeBary to Sand Lake Road inOrange County is expected to be in place by 2010.

While supporters interpret Simpson's visit as a sign of continued interest from the feds, it comes at a time when at least one large hurdle remains at the state level: the need for the Florida Legislature to approve an insurance liability package for the commuter-rail line.

Orlando and Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia counties voted unanimously last year to support the $615 million system that will get local, state and federal funding, including $300 million in federal support in the future.

However, the project also requires state approval for a separate $150 million deal to buy the 61 miles of CSX track through Central Florida.

That purchase now is bundled with another $485 million of improvements to the freight line, including building overpasses and helping to move CSX's train yard from Taft to Winter Haven.

The state's insurance proposal, though mirroring its 20-year-old insurance arrangement on the TriRail system in South Florida, ran into initial criticism because some of the legislative language.

While the House has started advancing the liability protections as part of a larger transportation package, action in the Senate, where opposition is stronger, has stalled.

The bill filed by Sen. Carey Baker, R-Eustis, was withdrawn last month, and critics such as Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland, say it doesn't have the votes to get out of Baker's Transportation Committee.

"I think they know the votes aren't there," Dockery said.

Meanwhile, some in the Lakeland area have objected loudly to extra freight traffic that will be routed through thePolk County city by the commuter-rail plan.

Senate Majority Leader Dan Webster, R- Winter Garden, said he was still waiting to reach an agreement with the trial lawyers and unions opposed to extending state immunity protections to private companies and putting taxpayers on the hook for future rail wrecks.

"What's been holding it back is the fact we haven't come to a consensus yet on that one issue," Webster said.

"I think in the end we've got a good shot at getting agreement, and then it'll pop out."

Supporters will likely try to add the agreement to another bill with a better shot at passing.

The proposal would create what is essentially a no-fault, $200 million insurance policy.

If the deal goes through, the state's insurance premiums will cost $2 million and CSX will pay the state $10 million a year for use of the commuter-rail tracks during slow times.

The project's overall goal is to take commuters off the region's crowded roads and begin to fight the trend of sprawling suburbs by spurring a mix of retail and residential development around rail stops.

"We must go forward," said Roger Neiswender, Orlando's transportation director, who also leads the Central Florida commuter-rail technical advisory group. "We're not in a position to stop."


Aaron Deslatte of the Tallahassee Bureau contributed to this report. Jay Hamburg can be reached at 407-420-5673 or jhamburg@orlandosentinel.com.