The looming national sequester budget cuts shared the stage with SunRail as Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff joined local, state and federal officials at Florida Hospital this morning. The event emphasized President Obama’s State of the Union message about the importance of investing in our nation’s infrastructure to strengthen our economic competitiveness and create jobs.
FTA Administrator Rogoff announced the federal government was delivering more than $87 million in funding to keep transit-oriented development in Central Florida moving along. Rogoff emphasized that these road and rail network projects were critical in order to allow our communities to grow in the future. US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood was supposed to be in Orlando for the announcement, but was asked by President Obama to stay in Washington for a press conference on the impact of the sequester on our nation’s transportation infrastructure.
Senator Bill Nelson and Congresswoman Corrine Brown also could not avoid mentioning the potentially devastating sequester looming in Washington while celebrating the millions of dollars being delivered to Central Florida. The sequester has consequences never intended to go into effect, said Nelson.  Congresswoman Brown said she will do all she can to “stop the man-made disaster in Washington,” referring to the sequester cuts.
The SunRail project is an example of a transit-oriented investment that officials hope will spur significant economic development and job growth. Officials at the event said the SunRail project has already created “hundreds of jobs.” Senator Nelson remarked the only thing missing from the plan was high speed rail, which Governor Rick Scott killed.
Rogoff discussed how projects like SunRail reflect President Obama’s “fix it first” plan for our nation’s decaying infrastructure. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said that there is already $500 million worth of development set for the 4 SunRail stations in downtown Orlando, with another $750 million more on the way. Many local and state elected officials were also in attendance from the surrounding counties and communities along the SunRail corridor.
