Appearing in the Central Florida Partnership Boardroom on Nov. 11th, U.S. Sen. George LeMieux (R-FL) challenged the Florida legislature to “do the right thing” in a special session by showing support for both the proposed Sun Rail and the existing Tri-Rail commuter train in South Florida so that Florida would have a reasonable chance of winning federal stimulus money for a proposed Tampa-Orlando high speed rail link.
Before a standing room only crowd of invited regional business and community leaders, Florida’s newly appointed U.S. Senator related his recent meeting in Washington with U.S. Dept. of Transportation Sec. Ray LaHood where he was candidly told what steps Florida must take to have a chance at being successful in its quest for high speed rail.
LeMieux, who will serve only 16 months in office until a successor is elected next November, committed that he would continue working as a rail advocate by encouraging the governor and legislative leadership to call a special session and pledged to make high speed rail a personal priority in Washington if the legislature in a special session will first “give me the ammunition.”
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, Chairman of the Commuter Rail Commission, was joined by a leading SunRail proponent, Sen. Lee Constantine (R-Altamonte Springs), in updating the audience on the prospects for a December special session to address the rail issues. Dyer indicated he was “extremely optimistic and hopeful” on SunRail’s chances since the political terrain had changed on several important fronts since the project was defeated in both the 2008 and the 2009 legislative sessions. Constantine reported on the progress of high level negotiations underway with labor interests and others Tallahassee to clear the way for a possible December special session.