Bid to stop CSX fails -- but not by much

UPDATE: A revote  over stopping the CSX project fails, 64-54, after some members complained of voting irregularities (in Florida?!) in the first 59-56 vote against it. At quorum call, 111 were present but 115 voted.

"There were member who were not present in the chamber when the buttons were pushed," said Rep. Don Brown, who voted to stop the project. Rep. Ellen Bogdanoff the called for another vote.

"They need to come back, or we're not going to have votes," Rep. Will Weatherford is overheard saying.

"Members, take your seats, and you are responsible for your own buttons," said Speaker Pro Tempore Marty Bowen.

In the first vote, Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Lakeland, tried this afternoon to strip away the "no-fault" liability deal that CSX says is necessary for it to sell the rail line to the state. Liability would have been shared equally, he said.

"It will kill the project," said Rep. Gary Aubuchon, sponsor of the HB 1399, the transportation bill that include the project.

Comments

I'm telling ya, it's got to be the new state song...

“Pave Paradise and Put Up a Parking Lot”

or the latest version

“Screw Education and Put Up a No-Rider Rail”

its funny that Cannon isn't enough of a man to stand up and defend his own project. Leave Aubuchon to do the dirty work.

No, watch, it is coming back.

"It will kill the project," said Rep. Gary Aubuchon..

Yes, God forbid we should stop any corporate welfare in the middle of a recession.

... dopes

[Buzzard]

So what's the latest version? Are we buying the 61.5 miles of $600,000 per acre property?

... and then some

I’d love to see these “so called” journalists do some actual research and disclosure. Hey boys and gals… what say you research and disclose the names of the state and local public officials who bought up a bunch of land along the CSX line over the past three years. Make sure to check the LLC’s!

Surprising that a trial attorney (Ross) was trying to do the bidding of the trial bar.

Don Brown is a good man. Even though Ross completely abandoned him a few years ago in the Speaker's race, Brown did not abandon Ross.

5:12-
yeah, what was he thinking trying to hold a company with a HORRIBLE safety record accountable. That really takes some nerve.

I bet JEB is celebrating -- he is one step closer to increasing his retirement fund! He still reaches into the Florida House even as far away as Miami.

Hey 5:33, I can't believe Gov Charlie is just standing by and letting Jeb win another one

Its sad, Cannon had so much potential when he first came to the House. To bad it only took 4 years to bite the corruption apple.

as an orlando resident, i can honestly tell you that if the shoe were on the other foot, i would absolutely support mass transit in the tampa area. the liability issue is simply a loophole exploited by those in lakeland to stop the perceived killing of their downtown by a few extra trains per day. i live in winter park, in my opinion one of the best areas in the region, and freight trains barrel through here several times each day and night. we haven't had a problem dealing with it for the last 100 years.....why would lakeland?

Only in the Florida House can people who are not in the chamber vote! Do they have buttons in the restroom? And only in the Florida House does a member with a personal financial stake in a bill get to preside over the chamber -- way to go Marty! How much did you make today?

Hey has anyone looked at the first vote of the amendment that was reconsidered? That baby would have passed if there had not been ghosts in the chamber pushing those mesmerizing shiny buttons. by the way is that legal?

Hummm, who owns the land that the $700 million is going to buy?

Whose best friend is going to get a state contract for $265 million?

Who owns the land where the toll road is going to go through in Lake Placid.

"Lining your own pocket or those of your friends" - the goal of the Republican members of the Legislature!!!

Remember this November. I will.

5:45-
that's why you have been trying to get the freight out for the past 50 of those 100 years. Don't give me that crap, i've been on Park Ave when a train comes through. It is miserable. I've been stuck on fairbanks for 45 minutes while a train comes through. Spew your lies elsewhere. We are all sick of lying Orlando people.

start the countdown until the personal attacks start on anybody not drinking the Commuter Kool-Aid. 5....4...3..

What is really funny 6:08 is that there will be more trains coming through Orlando-not less. This is just adding commuter rail and has nothing to do with taking away any freight traffic. Orlando has been sold a bill of goods by Dean Cannon and his lobbyist pals.

[Don Mott]

Disgusting!

5:45 PM, What did you mean...

"And only in the Florida House does a member with a personal financial stake in a bill get to preside over the chamber"???

How does Bowen have a personal financial stake?

Just disgraceful. This boondoggle back door deal that the taxpayer gets saddled with is the worst rotten deal I have seen. Then to top that, they stick the taxpayer with the liability. CSX gets to use the rail and pays very little maintenance on it. We the taxpaying people have been severly bent over.

All these disgusting legislators who voted for the massive cuts to very needy causes should all get thrown out of office. PERIOD!

I hope common sense reigns supreme and the Senate can stop this mess before it gets too far. Then the state can approach Amtrak like it should have done in the first place and we can have state wide commuter rail within a few years, not decades!

8:10 - are you kidding me? Bowen and her crook cousins JD and Troutman own all kinds of land in the area around the proposed ILC and the "Heartland Pkwy" that will be the toll road through the middle of no where. Why else would they be supporting a plan that will make Polk County and their constituents suffer with all the gridlock that will follow due to the tractor trailers and 2 mile trains! Come November, I hope these people are OUT of office. We can afford any more pay offs to our elected officials!!!

TYPO - (above) "We CAN'T afford any more payoffs to our elected officials!

We need a Federal investigation of our Florida Legislature. We need it now.

10:16 - I agree 100%!!! These legislators are crooks!

Vote 'em all out this November (and for those termed out - vote against they Party).

Term Limits. Webster out. Webster getting what he wants from his fellow Senators. End of sentence. Cannon from Orlando. Money stream from Orlando. Don't forget about the fact that Miami got tri-rail long before Orlando asked for anything. When was the last time any of you were on I-4 in downtown Orlando? Its 100 times worse than malfunction junction in Tampa.

[Buzzard]

$600,000 per acre. Guess there wasn't such a budget shortfall after all.

I’d love to see these “so called” journalists do some actual research and disclosure. Hey boys and gals… what say you research and disclose the names of the state and local public officials who bought up a bunch of land along the CSX line over the past three years. Make sure to check the LLC’s!

[Alex]

The members who voted for their absent colleagues BROKE THE LAW. Why isn't this a big story?

[Buzzard]

I'm sure The Times has researched and reported on all these issues already. If not, there's probably a good reason.

[Buzzard]

$600,000 per acre.

That's a good reason right there, Buzzard... we sure as hell would want to protect those local and state politicians who will be paid $600,000 per acre they bought in preparation for this criminal act.

Yeah, I'm good with that.

The best in depth reporting on this irresponsible corporate give away came from Lakeland Ledger. The money is being spent while mandatory services for helpless citizens are being slashed!

http://www.theledger.com/article/20080422/NEWS/804220429/1039

Are there any good stewards of government left? Is the will of the people no longer important?

10:36 Ha Ha that statment is so funny. The will of the people has not been a concern of these ego bloated self serving legislative hogs for a long time. They have the power to do as they please and to reap financial gain off our taxes. They could care less what the stupid annoying people want.

[Buzzard]

I like this line from the Lakeland Ledger article dealing with the "no fault" provision: "While lawmakers have never voted directly on the CSX plan, they have squabbled over a plan that would spare the company from legal damage in accidents involving passenger trains."

oooooh...now there's something that makes me feel real warm and fuzzy about riding a passenger train in Orlando - the apparently high likelihood that a CSX freight train might miss a switch and smash into my train car. Why else would firmly demand that "no fault" provision?

Incidentally, as a veteran Amtrak rider, I can tell you that running freight trains and passenger trains on the same track results in a bumpy, delayed, unreliable ride for the passengers.

[Don Mott]

There is a lot more to this deal than liability although that is expected to cost the state between one and two million dollars a year for insurance. First FDOT said the purchase price would be $150,000,000 and the remainder would go to CSX for the new freight line. Now, faced with so much opposition Mr. Webster changes the contract without CSX approval to state that the purchase price will be $450,000,000 in his attempt to satisfy the critics. Of course the FDOT jumps right in and says now the $450,000,000 was always the original purchase price, who's lying? The commuter train goes from nowhere to nowhere and the FDOT's own ridership estimates equate to 20 people per day, that is a pretty expensive train ride to go nowhere. But wait it gets more expensive. The FDOT is proposing that 17 stations be built. We have not seen any estimate of costs to build these stations, actually put a train on the tracks and man, maintain and operate all of the above. The estimated maintenance cost for the rail itself starts at $10,000,000 per year and escalates to $25,000,000 after several years. And the big question, how does Mr. Webster figure into this? Well he just coincedentally bought a business and land on the new freight rail that would profit immensely from this deal. This whole deal was secretive from the start and taxpayers are still not getting all of the details.