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November 10, 2008
Business, civic leaders excited about Commuter Rail

“Strong support”… “Now is the time”… “Cutting-edge, modern, high tech”

That is what a majority of more than 1,700 business and civic community leaders said in responding to a questionnaire about the Central Florida Commuter Rail project.

myregion.org, working closely with the Florida Department of Transportation and Central Florida community partners, recently surveyed more than 1,700 business and civic community leaders to get a better idea of what values and attributes matter most to the community with regard to the Central Florida Commuter Rail project. That information will be used to help brand and develop a name and logo for the project.

Interestingly, the Central Florida Commuter Rail questionnaire conclusions largely parallel the results of a recent citizen survey conducted by Hill Research Consultants of registered voters in the 4 counties of Volusia, Seminole, Orange, and Osceola.

Although the questionnaire and the survey targeted different groups of people, both citizens and community leaders alike expressed “strong support” for proceeding with development of the Central Florida Commuter Rail project. Regardless of whether you are a business leader working in Osceola County or a young person living near one of the future rail stations near Sanford, a majority of the Central Floridians we asked view commuter rail as a viable alternative to helping solve the region’s congested road network.

While the survey, conducted by Dr. David Hill, was a statistically valid random sample of more than 500 citizens living along the 61-mile commuter rail corridor, the qualitative questionnaire was completed by an additional 1,730 people who live not only in the “core counties”, but also the surrounding counties of Brevard, Lake, and Polk. The questionnaire was performed in addition to the scientific survey to see whether any similarities and differences emerged across the region.

The questionnaire, given to business and civic leaders and available on the Internet, reinforced the findings of the citizen poll that transportation is an important issue. One difference between the citizens’ survey and answers from business and civic leaders is that people responding to the questionnaire are actually more pessimistic than citizens about the region’s transportation situation.

Key Findings between Citizen Survey and Business and Civic Leader Questionnaire:

• Over the next 5 years, the Central Florida Region’s transportation situation will get worse.
Business/Civic: 75%
Citizens: 49%

• Respondents overwhelmingly believe transportation issues lies outside of the automobile.
Business/Civic: 82%
Citizens: 87%

• “Now is the time” for our region to invest in a new, modern mass transit system
Business/Civic: 80%
Citizens: 79%

• The majority of respondents expressed preference for a “cutting-edge, modern, high-tech” train, that is painted in cool colors (blues, greens and purples) that match our skies and environment.
Business/Civic: 79%
Citizens: 72%

• The minority of respondents expressed a preference for a nostalgic, retro, “Orient Express” type of train
Business/Civic: 15%
Citizens: 23%

Additionally, people completing the questionnaire were asked to submit suggestions for a name for the train….And more than 300 unique names were sent in!

So, for all of you clever wordsmiths out there, we still are accepting name suggestions for the 61.5-mile Central Florida Commuter Rail project, which will link Volusia, Seminole, Orange, and Osceola counties. Go directly to the project website, at www.cfrail.com, to participate.

Thanks to all who participated, and we eagerly await your suggestions for a commuter rail name!