It should no longer be up for debate that high-speed rail makes eminent economic, as well as quality-of-life, sense for the I-4 corridor and the Tampa Bay region. And out of the Great Recession, ironically, comes the impetus to make it happen with rail-specific stimulus dollars.
A couple of key points. For all of the sophomoric, “Commissioner Choo-Choo” jibes that Ed Turanchik has had to endure over the years, he has stayed ahead of his time. Now the times – and political timing in Washington – have finally caught up with him.
Turanchik now heads ConnectUs, the increasingly high-profile, grass-roots supporter of Florida’s $2.5-billion bid for federal rail funds. Residents wanting to do more than hope that the feds find favor with Florida’s “shovel-ready” Orlando-to-Tampa Bay rail status can do this: Support the effort by signing on at FastRailConnectUs.com. Every bit helps.
We all know the nexus that is Orlando-Tampa Bay. But those corridor numbers are truly imposing. We’re talking 23 counties, 8 million residents, 4.4 million workers and more than 330,000 businesses.
Eventually, Miami could fit into the high-speed-rail scenario. According to the Tampa Bay Partnership, the aggregate of the Miami, Orlando and Tampa Bay areas yields an economy that would be the world’s 15th largest.
But true 21st century mass transit in Florida won’t happen without a successful bid for those stimulus rail funds for Orlando-Tampa Bay. Don’t forget FastRailConnectUs.com.