President Barack Obama will be in Tampa in just a few hours to give the State of Florida $1.25 billion for high-speed rail. The effort is expected to create 23,000 jobs in Florida over four years, and will likely energize several local light rail efforts, including the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority (TBARTA). In fact, Pinellas is already gearing up.
Other folks excited include ConnectUs: Supporting High Speed Rail in Florida, 
Central Florida’s SunRail, and long-time local rail advocates that follow the Tampa Rail blog.
If you are headed to today’s announcement over at UT, you’ll have to drive. And for security, N Boulevard will be closed between Cass Street and Kennedy Boulevard. Arrive early to find a parking spot. Perhaps the Poe Garage on the other side of the bridge. HART will also transport people to the event from a UT parking lot on Kennedy Boulevard and S Willow Avenue.
To find out more about the actual plans, visit the Department of Transportation’s Florida High Speed Rail web page.
Tino
1 month ago
I was hoping he’d break out in song like Lyle Lanley when he was selling Springfield a worthless rail system.
cavedog
1 month ago
Another billion dollar boondoogle on the taxpayers dime. Who is going to leave their vehicle and pay ten to twenty bucks a head to save twenty minutes? It doesn’t make sense. For one thing, the distance is not great enough for a high speed rail to be viable. Another point is that we already have rail service between Tampa and Orlando, and nobody rides it!
The money the Federal government is throwing around is our money, and I for one am tired of the “Father Knows Best” mentality that is eminating from Washington. Floridians voted for this, and then, realizing the price tag, voted to kill it. The billions that the Fed’s are throwing at it, while a significant amount of money, will not complete the project. It will become a money pit, with cost overruns and extended delay, like most government projects.
Meredith
1 month ago
I have to say, that money would be better spent on a metro rail system for the Bay area, and *then* connect the beaches to Disney for the tourists, after you’ve built some local ridership.
tommy
1 month ago
At $29 for a one way ticket between Orlando and Tampa, it’s difficult to see any cost/time savings for commuters. Perhaps the only reason they’d take it is to alleviate the stress of driving I-4.
Of course, telecommuting would do the same thing.