Dyer Responds to Loss of Rail Project

Following the ruling of the Florida’s Supreme Court on Friday that Gov. Rick Scott had not exceeded his constitutional authority in rejecting the $2.4 billion awarded to the state for high speed rail, Orlando’s Mayor Buddy said in a statement, the governor had chosen to ignore the fact that the rail system would not cost the Florida taxpayers “one dime”.

“Yesterday, the Mayors of Orlando, Tampa, Lakeland and Miami reached out to Governor Scott to make it unmistakably clear that the Orlando to Tampa High Speed Rail project could be built without one dime from Florida taxpayers and absolutely no risk to the state,” Dyer said. “Unfortunately, it appears Governor Scott has chosen to ignore these facts and has reiterated his decision to reject federal funding for the project as well as Florida’s inclusion in an eventual state and nationwide high speed rail network.”

Scott, who even before being elected governor was skeptical about the Florida High Speed Rail project, on February 16, first rejected the funds for the bullet train, saying he was concerned about cost overruns and that Florida taxpayers would be on the hook if the project failed. Despite addressing all of Scott’s concerns however, the governor continued to mislead Floridians by suggesting that taxpayers would have to bear the cost of the rail project, even though 90 percent of the system was being financed by the federal government and the remainder by the private sector.

“It is an incredibly disappointing turn of events for the residents of our state who desperately need jobs and now face a future of increasingly gridlocked roads and the potential for five and six dollar a gallon gasoline,” Dyer added.  “…It is truly a shame that Floridians are going to miss out on the many benefits of high speed rail.”

On Friday, Scott wasted no time following the Supreme Court’s decision, in informing U.S. Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood, that Florida would not be moving forward with the rail system.