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Pinellas commissioner backs Orlando commuter rail
By
David DeCamp, Times Staff Writer
In print: Thursday, April 17, 2008
TALLAHASSEE — Pinellas County Commissioner Ronnie Duncan is backing commuter rail — in Orlando. Duncan, also the vice chairman of the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority, wrote state lawmakers this week urging their support for the disputed $641-million plan. And Duncan's got company: The Tampa Bay Partnership — which promotes business investment — has begun supporting the project, which critics say is too generous to CSX, whose railroad through Orlando would be used. Supporters hope Duncan and the partnership can help convince lawmakers to approve a crucial liability-related piece of the deal. The state wants to pay Jacksonville's CSX $150-million for its rail line, and the rest of the money will help improve CSX freight rail lines. Duncan, a board member of the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, wants CSX to allow their existing lines in the Tampa Bay region to be used for commuter trains. "Their interest level is obviously going to wane if they can't strike a deal there," Duncan said Wednesday of CSX. Times staff writer Will Van Sant contributed to this report. David DeCamp can be reached at ddecamp@sptimes.com or (850) 224-7263.
[Last modified: Apr 21, 2008 01:06 PM]
Comments on this article
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by Isaac
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Apr 21, 2008 1:06 PM
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As the article mentions Duncan attempting to persuade CSX Transportation on agreeing to allow commuter rail run on existing right of way. It seems a good start, because living here all my life, we need new alternatives to motorways. :)
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by Ashon
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Apr 18, 2008 11:51 PM
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No road project pays for itself, yet no one poses that as a reason not to fund them. As for this rail project, there is good and bad to this. Cities would get commuter rail, but intercity rail could be hampered and CSX gets a nice paycheck from FL.
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by Dan
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Apr 17, 2008 7:20 PM
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Thanks Lakisha, I don't mind being corrected but with the state is such a mess do we really need to spend dollars we don't have? I've been in the state 20 years and have never seen such out of control spending of tax dollars, we need t
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by Lakisha
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Apr 17, 2008 4:31 PM
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Oh yeah Dan - Commissioner Duncan is not running for office again. He wants to spend more time with his family. Good luck with new commissioners. Stewart is not running again either
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by Lakisha
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Apr 17, 2008 4:31 PM
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Hey Dan. You don't get a pay check from TBARTA. And Maurice, do you know there is a Tampa Bay REgional Planning Council that is all about regionalism?
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by Jenny
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Apr 17, 2008 3:15 PM
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$641 million to CSX and we are cutting money from schools? Lets see we have 67 counties, that is about 9.5 million per county that could go back into education.
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by Maurice
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Apr 17, 2008 2:07 PM
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Thank goodness somebody can think regionally in this area where it's usually everybody protecting their turf. Until this region can come together & work together, we'll remain an overgrown, chopped-up, expensive-to-live P
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by Dan
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Apr 17, 2008 9:55 AM
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Boy, lets see, a pinellas commissioner who is also on the board of the transportation authority, that's 2 fat pay checks, wants an expensive train that would never pay for itself, build for what reason? Can you smell some thing fishy? Vote him o
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