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June 13, 2008
Bring on commuter rail, many at public hearings say

But some Polk residents want to make sure the state understands the potential impact on Lakeland.
Jay Hamburg
Orlando Sentinel Staff Writer
June 13, 2008
MAITLAND - Speakers at a public hearing Thursday night praised the idea of bringing commuter rail to the region.

But those who traveled from Polk County to speak hit another theme: The proposed deal between the state and the CSX rail company would hurt Lakeland.

"We don't want a fight with Orlando," said Jim Studiale, city planner for Lakeland. "We want commuter rail as well, but this project has been twisted and turned, and a lot of the impacts have been ignored."

Studiale said the state's studies minimize the number of trains that will run through Lakeland at slow speeds, if the state purchases 61 miles of CSX tracks for a commuter-rail system from DeLand to Orlando to Poinciana.

About 50 people attended the hearing in Maitland, and 40 attended a similar event in Sanford. Both were called to discuss some relatively small changes to the overall $1.2 billion project, but the hearings gave supporters and critics a chance to speak about broader issues.

Cheryl Stone, an Orlando resident who uses a wheelchair, said commuter rail would be a very important option to people with disabilities. She looks forward to the system, which could begin as early as 2011.

The project was approved unanimously by elected leaders of Orlando and Orange, Seminole, Volusia and Osceola counties. But it has been stalled by the Florida Legislature, which failed to approve a necessary $200 million no-fault liability-insurance plan for the system that will carry both commuter and freight trains.

Longwood Mayor Brian Sackett said the proposed stop in his city will help his community and that the system would be a spine for future commuter lines that can help many cities in Florida. "We see this as a state project," Sackett said.

Tawny Olore, commuter-rail project manager for the Florida Department of Transportation, said the state will summarize comments at both hearings and include them in their impact studies.

Those wishing to comment on the project can still do so by going to the commuter-rail Web site at cfrail.com.

Julie Townsend, executive director of Downtown Lakeland Partnership, said it was unfair for Lakeland to suffer the possibility of getting dozens of extra freight trains rumbling through its downtown so the Orlando area can succeed.

"My biggest beef is the ridiculous reiteration that it's only four more trains," Townsend said. "It's going to make our community worse. And that's a failure of FDOT."

Jay Hamburg can be reached at 407-420-5673 or jhamburg@orlandosentinel.com.