The Florida Senate voted earlier this afternoon on Tuesday, December 8th, to pass statewide rail transit legislation. The Senate had on two previous occasions voted down rail transit legislation.
In a bi-partisian vote of 27-10, the legislation, bill HB-1B, now makes its way to Governor Charlie Crist for his signature.
Crist is a strong supporter of rail transit for Florida.
Although questions remain about the details of the legislation, including the number of jobs to be created for Floridians, the financial requirements for the state and whether all contracts will be competitively bid, supporters hailed the passage of the legislation as a major step forward in the history of transport in Florida.
Supporters of rail transit legislation also argue that it would have been difficult for Florida to qualify for $2.6 billion in federal stimulus dollars to also build a high-speed rail line between Orlando and Tampa, if the SunRail system is not operating in the Orlando area.
