Two big news stories collided today and the ideological disparity between them could be no more telling. First, Orlando and CSX struck some kind of a deal that would allow for subsequent work to begin straight away on Orlando's first-ever commuter rail system. The
story was so big, this regional buzz point actually made Yahoo's "most viewed" headlines.
That's right folks. Orlando and its immediately adjacent counties are gettin' their commuter rail system. The CSX deal clinches one of the biggest hurdles, but political boundaries are broken too. High speed rail nemesis Jeb Bush is actually
throwing his support behind this one. I
knew the bastard was a closet-rail supporter!
Meanwhile, back on the farm, literally - guess what Tampa Bay gets? Go on, guess. Go on. You'll never ever figure it out.
We get a new road!
Or at least plans for one. While not said in so many words, the
preliminary gush from Hillsborough County Commissioners suggests it wasn't the plan they were just adoring but the very real prospect of a multi-county toll road running through the Hillsborough boonies. The thinking, it seems, is that people going to someplace other than Tampa (say, to Orlando with its high livability rating and great rail-based mass transit system) will not tie up our precious
local roads any more.
Funny how needling the likes of Ronda Storms or Brian Blair can be when the evil-ol' Hartline operates in secret to devise plans that might affect thousands and avoid inconvenient controversy; but when it comes to gas-guzzling pipelines that will cost billions, they don't even break a sweat.
