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$50 million proposed to speed up high-speed rail service from Orlando to Tampa
STATE
$50 million proposed to speed up high-speed rail service from Orlando to Tampa
Jim Turner News Service of Florida
Published 5:15 a.m. ET Nov. 29, 2023 | Updated 5:15 a.m. ET Nov. 29, 2023
TALLAHASSEE — Florida lawmakers are championing hundreds of projects and seeking billions of dollars as they prepare for the start of the 2024 legislative session in January.
Topped by $50 million requests for expanding water storage and treatment in the Lake Okeechobee and Caloosahatchee River basins and for speeding up private passenger rail between Orlando and Tampa, House members as of Monday morning had filed just under 1,500 separate proposals that would require $3.1 billion to fund.
The rail proposal (House Form 1989), filed by Rep. Karen Gonzalez Pittman, R-Tampa, would boost the Brightline passenger service, which recently completed a Miami-to-Orlando line and has eyed the Interstate 4 corridor for a link to Tampa.
“Advancing structure improvements within the I-4 Corridor will accelerate the passenger rail connection from Tampa to the Orlando International Airport, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Aventura and Miami,” the request form said. “Upon completion of this effort, it will provide access to nearly 16 million Florida citizens and 118 million visitors throughout the service area.”
{snip}
$50 million proposed to speed up high-speed rail service from Orlando to Tampa
Jim Turner News Service of Florida
Published 5:15 a.m. ET Nov. 29, 2023 | Updated 5:15 a.m. ET Nov. 29, 2023
TALLAHASSEE — Florida lawmakers are championing hundreds of projects and seeking billions of dollars as they prepare for the start of the 2024 legislative session in January.
Topped by $50 million requests for expanding water storage and treatment in the Lake Okeechobee and Caloosahatchee River basins and for speeding up private passenger rail between Orlando and Tampa, House members as of Monday morning had filed just under 1,500 separate proposals that would require $3.1 billion to fund.
The rail proposal (House Form 1989), filed by Rep. Karen Gonzalez Pittman, R-Tampa, would boost the Brightline passenger service, which recently completed a Miami-to-Orlando line and has eyed the Interstate 4 corridor for a link to Tampa.
“Advancing structure improvements within the I-4 Corridor will accelerate the passenger rail connection from Tampa to the Orlando International Airport, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Aventura and Miami,” the request form said. “Upon completion of this effort, it will provide access to nearly 16 million Florida citizens and 118 million visitors throughout the service area.”
{snip}