Economic Impact

SEN. DEBBIE MAYFIELD PLANS TO PUSH FOR MORE STATE OVERSIGHT OF ALL ABOARD FLORIDA’S BRIGHTLINE HIGH-SPEED PASSENGER RAIL SERVICE. This bill was founded by troubling issues found from reading an Oct. 31 report from the Legislature’s Office of Program Poly Analysis and Government Accountability.

BRIGHTLINE HAS ITS SIGHTS ON THE WATERFRONT H.D. KING SITE AS A LOCATION FOR A RAIL STATION HOTEL, said City Manager Nick Mimms due to its “proximity to a walkable downtown, beautiful waterfront and multi-modal transportation.”

On August 27, Brightline had asked officials in Treasure Coast counties to submit proposals of viable station locations in their area and community support. Fort Pierce proposed a location across from the main H.D. King site, which has been under development for the past decade to become a mixed-use project.

IF YOU THINK BRIGHTLINE'S LATEST DEAL SMELLS BAD, YOU'RE CORRECT, The Treasure Coast Newspapers Editorial Board states regarding the high-speed passenger rail's latest deal in which they received approval from the Orange County Commission - which converts more than 100 acres to wetlands along the Beachline Expressway for their Miami to Orlando extension - thanks to John Miklos.

TUNE INTO LAURENCE REISMAN WHO CREATES A HYPOTHETICAL CONVERSATION ABOUT UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES THAT MAY ARISE REGARDING THE SALE OF VERO BEACH'S DOWNTOWN U.S. POST SERVICE BUILDING. Reisman proposes that a location such as this may be purchased to be sold exponentially at a higher price by using it as a bidding war device between Brightline and the Treasure Coast residents who oppose the high-speed passenger rail.

THERE IS A LOT MORE TO THE BRIGHTLINE HIGH-SPEED RAIL PROPOSAL THAN WHAT HAS BEEN REPORTED, writes Robert Cannon of the Palm Beach Post. Tune into Cannon's article as he addresses concerns about the addition of a second set of tracks at 100+ intersections and large bridges.

Read more here.

PEOPLE IN PALM BEACH AND MARTIN COUNTY ARE OUTRAGED OVER PILES OF DISCARDED RAILROAD TRASH LITTERED ACROSS THEIR COMMUNITIES. This trash consists of old concrete railroad ties that were replaced in April of 2017.

Residents have sent messages to the Florida East Coast Railway executives, the Federal Railroad Administration. When they emailed the Florida East Coast Railway (FEC), they received a reply that the "old concrete and wooden ties will lie on our property until a contractor removes them."

THE MARTIN COUNTY REALTORS OF THE TREASURE COAST APPLAUDS THE RECENT LEGAL ACTIONS BY MARTIN COUNTY, says Martin County REALTORS president H.B. Warren. Since the earliest stages of All Aboard Florida's plans to provide passenger rail, the Martin County Realtors organization has carefully examined the project's implications to property values and select infrastructure and expressed their concerns regarding safety, delays, diminishing waterfront home values and negatively impacting Martin County's ad valorem budget.

BRIGHTLINE WILL PAY FOR SOME CROSSING MAINTENANCE BUT NOT ON THE TREASURE COAST. In an attempt to strong-arm local governments, Brightline stated it will pay for pricey crossing maintenance for some communities that have not opposed its project - this could cost Martin and Indian River counties up to $20 million by 2030, according to court documents.

BRIGHTLINE'S SERVICE HAS BEEN TOUTED AS "A MODEL FOR THE FURNITURE OF PASSENGER RAIL" BUT THE TRAIN CARS ARE RATHER EMPTY, the Palm Beach Post reports. Over a six-week period, a dozen of Palm Beach Post reporters rode 44 randomly selected trains and counted how many people on board. On average, 50 riders took the trains reviewed by The Post, enough to fill about 20 percent of the seats.