Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Scott PowersJune 4, 2018

The next few months could go a long ways toward determining whether the privately-run, higher-speed passenger train Brightline will travel between South Florida and Orlando by 2021. With a seven-month extension granted Thursday by the federal government, All Aboard Florida now has until the end of the year to sell $1.15 billion in tax-exempt private […]

Scott PowersMay 31, 2018

The federal government has granted a seven-month extension for All Aboard Florida to sell the $1.15 billion in private equity bonds it intends to use to finance the proposed higher-speed rail expansion that could roll private Brightline passenger trains between South Florida and Orlando. The extension comes in the nick of time, as the company’s […]

Scott PowersMay 24, 2018

State Rep. Erin Grall is charging that an All Aboard Florida representative made “misrepresentations” in congressional testimony supporting the department’s approval of tax-exempt bonds to finance the company’s Brightline higher-speed passenger train proposal to connect Miami and Orlando. Grall, among Florida lawmakers from the Treasure Coast who are opposed to the train, sent a letter […]

Scott PowersMay 22, 2018

A bipartisan group from Florida’s congressional delegation, along with the chairman of the House Transportation Committee, are offering a counterpunch to the jab thrown in Washington D.C. by opponents of the Brightline private passenger railroad in Florida. In a letter Monday, U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, the Pennsylvania Republican chairing the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and […]

Scott PowersMay 22, 2018

Contending that there are statutory problems with the federally authorized bonds All Aboard Florida intends to use to finance its Orlando Brightline train expansion, U.S. Reps. Brian Mast, Bill Posey, Ron DeSantis and Matt Gaetz are urging the federal government to suspend the authorization. At issue is $1.15 billion worth of private activity bonds that […]

Scott PowersApril 30, 2018

All Aboard Florida’s $1.75 billion in tax exempt private activity bonds are not only in link with the law and regulations, they’re not without precedent in federal funding of railroad projects, the company stated Monday. In a letter to U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, chair of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Government Operations, All Aboard Florida’s […]

Scott PowersApril 26, 2018

Armed with newly-raised congressional skepticism about the legitimacy of a financing method used by the company, state Sen. Debbie Mayfield on Wednesday urged Gov. Rick Scott to pull Florida from the financing deal backing Brightline’s proposed private passenger railroad along the east coast. Scott’s office replied that it would review it. At issue is $1.75 billion […]

Scott PowersApril 24, 2018

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio on Tuesday joined his congressional colleagues U.S. Republican Reps. Brian Mast and Bill Posey in questioning whether All Aboard Florida should have received $1.75 billion in federally authorized, tax-exempt private activity bonds to build its private, higher-speed railroad from South Florida to Orlando. Mast, of Palm City, and Posey, of Rockledge, led a […]

Scott PowersApril 19, 2018

Brightline’s use of federal tax-exempt Private Activity Bonds, to build the privately owned and operated higher-speed passenger railroad that would connect Orlando to South Florida, was sharply criticized Thursday during a congressional hearing. Brightline, also known as All Aboard Florida, is planning to use $1.5 billion worth of the federally authorized bonds to pay for […]

Scott PowersMarch 2, 2018

With the derailment of bills seeking state regulation of the private Brightline passenger train system, state Sen. Debbie Mayfield has gotten language inserted into the Senate budget plan that would authorize a safety study of the train. The budget proposal includes new language that would authorize a transportation research center at the University of South […]

Tag: brightline

Brightline’s Orlando line could be settled in next few months

Feds approve seven-month extension for Brightline train bonds

Erin Grall charges All Aboard Florida with ‘misrepresentations’

Florida’s congressional Brightline supporters come to train’s defense

Brian Mast, Bill Posey, others urge feds to suspend bonds for Brightline

All Aboard Florida defends its bond status for railroad money

Debbie Mayfield urges Rick Scott to ‘protect’ state from Brightline bond questions

Marco Rubio joins calls questioning federal financing behind Brightline

Brightline’s financing challenged in congressional hearing

With train bills dead, safety study language appears in Senate budget offer