Another railway is in Fla. Gov. Scott’s hands

Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) has said that he will make a decision this week on whether he will allow a commuter rail in Orlando, Fla., to be built.

Scott, who famously rejected $2.4 billion in federal money for a high-speed railway between Tampa and Orlando, has set a July 2 deadline for a review of the proposed railway, known as SunRail, he began shortly after he took office.

{mosads}The train was approved by the Republican-led Florida Legislature in 2009 in the hopes of convincing federal transportation officials to award the high-speed rail money Scott eventually rejected.

In turning down the money, Scott became the third newly elected Republican governor to reject rail money from the Obama administration, which has been pushing for a national network of railways to rival the interstate highway system. Scott and those governors, Ohio’s John Kasich and Wisconsin’s Scott Walker, have seen their poll numbers dwindle after they engaged in ideological fights with public labor unions and ended popular programs like the railways. 

With the looming SunRail decision this week, Scott is the first to get a re-do of sorts on the politics of rail.

Rail will also be the topic this week in California, which was the only state to receive more of the Obama administration’s initial outlay for rail than Florida. The California High Speed Rail Authority will continue holding public hearings about its proposed 800-mile railway connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles. 

Hearings will be held Monday and Tuesday in Los Angeles, Wednesday in Rosemead, Calif., and Thursday in San Diego.