Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

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 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 PowersFebruary 13, 2018

Martin and Indian River Counties, together with the Citizens Against Rail Expansion in Florida organization, filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against U.S. Department of Transportation officials for approving the Brightline private passenger train. The suit, which also included the Indian River County Emergency Services District, charges that the federal department, Secretary Elaine Chao, the Federal […]

Scott PowersDecember 22, 2017

Brightline has secured federal approval for $1.15 billion in private activity bonds to finance its private, high-speed passenger train planned to link its South Florida passenger train railway with Orlando, the company announced Friday. The company, formerly known as All Aboard Florida, has received U.S. Department of Transportation approval for the tax-exempt bonds to double-track […]

Scott PowersMay 11, 2017

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging a federal decision supporting All Aboard Florida for its high-speed passenger train project, and both the train company and its opponents hailed the ruling as a victory. U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper dismissed as moot Wednesday the law suit that Indian River and Martin counties brought against […]

A.G. GancarskiSeptember 22, 2016

The Jacksonville Transportation Authority goes from victory to victory of late, and the JTA scored another win this week with a $399,200 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The FTA grant, part of its “Rides to Wellness Initiative,” is intended to encourage people who need non-emergency healthcare to use mass […]

Associated PressFebruary 13, 2016

The United States and Cuba will sign an agreement next week to resume commercial air traffic for the first time in five decades, starting the clock on dozens of new flights operating daily by next fall, U.S. officials said Friday. U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx is scheduled to fly to Havana on Tuesday to cement […]

Tag: U.S. Department of Transportation

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

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

Marco Rubio joins calls questioning federal financing behind Brightline

Brightline opponents sue federal officials for approving train

Brightline gets $1.1B financing approval for Orlando train

Judge dismisses suit challenging All Aboard Florida; both sides see victory

Jacksonville Transportation Authority scores $399K federal grant for ‘rides to wellness’

Air traffic between US, Cuba to increase with new deal