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Bullet train costs derail enthusiasm
By DIANE RADO © St. Petersburg Times, published January 11, 2001 TALLAHASSEE -- Two months ago, voters approved a bullet train that would whisk people around Florida at lightning speed in the new millennium. Now, Florida lawmakers are already trying to kill the train, slow it down, or at least get someone else to pay for it. "You're talking about billions," said Senate Majority Leader Jim King, R-Jacksonville, who voted against the constitutional amendment in November that ordered the state to begin construction on a high-speed rail train by November 2003. King fears the Legislature will have to raise taxes to pay for the train -- estimated to cost up to $21.9-billion to build and another $1.7-billion a year for operations and debt payments. Fifty-three percent of voters approved the amendment, which would set up a high-speed rail network linking Florida's five largest urban areas. State Sen. Ron Klein, D-Boca Raton, says he doesn't think voters understood the financial commitment involved and generally didn't have enough information about the train. The Florida Supreme Court allowed the measure on the November ballot just a month before voters went to the polls. Klein has filed legislation that would send the issue back to voters in 2002. Under Klein's plan, which would require approval by two-thirds of the House and Senate, another constitutional amendment would be placed on the ballot asking voters to repeal the train. Between now and then, there will be plenty of time for a full airing of the pros and cons of the bullet train. "I don't object, in theory, to high-speed rail," said Klein. But state government shouldn't be stuck with the bill, he said. "If the private sector wants to pursue it, let them pursue it," Klein said. King, who sits on the Senate Transportation Committee that discussed the bullet train Wednesday, said he would prefer an amendment that would clearly spell out to voters how much the train will cost and that higher taxes might be required to pay for it. State House members discussed the train during a training session Wednesday, hearing from a variety of people, including Lakeland businessman C.C. Dockery, who led the successful effort to get the bullet train amendment on the ballot. A consultant hired by Dockery has concluded that earlier construction estimates are from $1.9-billion to $7.4-billion too high, depending on the type of train built. "I got a sense of a lot of questions. There's skepticism about how we're going to pay for it, who is going to pay for it and will it require state subsidies," said State Rep. David Russell, R-Brooksville, who is chairman of the House Transportation Committee and attended the training session. Russell said at this point he cannot support another constitutional amendment to repeal the train. "I haven't heard enough about the issue yet," he said. Dockery, whose wife, Paula, is a lawmaker who sits on the House Transportation Committee, has proposed establishing a Florida High Speed Rail Authority that would develop the rail system and pay for it with revenue bonds. But the state of Florida's role in how those bonds would be issued is still unclear, said Russell. A recent analysis of the state's debt said Florida has tripled its debt over a decade by borrowing money for new schools and environmental and transportation projects. As a result, the state doesn't have the capacity to take on new debt until 2003. Gov. Jeb Bush is encouraging private businesses to chip in for the train. "He feels like this is a prime opportunity for private sector involvement, and he would like to see some proposals come forward," said Bush spokeswoman Liz Hirst. "He does not want to see the burden on state taxpayers."
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From the Times state desk
From the state wire
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