MARK SCHUMANN
The Vero Beach City Council and the Indian River County Commission Tuesday voiced opposition to public funding for All Aboard Florida, a proposed express rail service that will speed passengers between Miami and Orlando at up to 110 mph. The trains, a total of 32 a day, will make additional stops in Ft. Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.
All Aboard Florida is expected to begin running hourly trains northbound and southbound between Orlando and Miami in early 2016, but will not make stops in Brevard, Indian River, Saint Lucie or Martin Counties. “This is not a commuter transportation operation, but a tourism development vehicle for South Florida and Central Florida,” said Jorge Pesquera, president and CEO of Discover Palm Beach County. Pesquera was quoted in the Palm Beach Post.
Orlando is the state’s main domestic gateway and Miami it’s international gateway. It is expected the express rail service, which will make the 230-mile trip between Orlando and Miami in approximately 3 hours, will boost tourism in South and Central Florida.
All Aboard Florida is a subsidiary of Florida East Coast Industries, which is owned by Fortress Capital, an investment firm with $58 billion in assets and significant land holdings in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale.
Though spokesmen for All Aboard Florida initially said the high-speed rail service would be privately funded, it is now clear significant public investment and support is being sought.
Governor Scott recently pledged $214 million in state money to construct a new rail terminal near the Orlando International Airport to serve All Aboard Florida. Scott’s offer will have to be approved by the Florida Legislature.
OIA would spend $400 million building a people mover connecting the airport’s main terminal to the train depot, and to a new $1 billion south terminal that will be built if airport traffic grows.
All Aboard Florida is now also seeking government-back loans to help fund rail line improvements and new rail terminals in West Palm Beach, Ft. Lauderdale and Miami.
In addition to the state money pledged by Gov. Scott and the government guarantees being sought on low-interest loans, public investment will be required to pay for improvements in rail crossing that will allow for “quiet zones,” where the speeding trains can pass without blowing their whistle. It has been estimated the City of Vero Beach will have to spend some $3 million in improvements, if it wants the railroad crossings within the city limits to be quiet zones.
Indian River Guardian 
Increased tourism to the land of polluted water? Highly unlikely.
It’s a private enterprise that will be of value to only certain parts of Florida – that will inconvenience visitors and residents along the Treasure Coast on into Space Coast….before being routed to Orlando and back to Miami. So, why should the state fork over more than $200 million to build a special Orlando terminal? I suppose some in Tallahassee see it as a long-term, money-making opportunity for the state – extra revenue from tourist dollars, etc. Of course, no one knows for sure just how well this train will go over. If it goes belly-up, then what? Do you suppose it is the possibility of big-time gambling in Dade/Broward Counties everyone is counting on to improve the chances of running in the black?