Brian Mast, Brightline exec clash over public money for railroad

By: Scott Powers, Florida Politics

The Treasure Coast’s U.S. Rep. Brian Mast and a key railroad executive behind the proposed Brightline high-speed train clashed in Congress Thursday with Mast contending the company is getting public tax dollar subsidies despite claims to the contrary.

The sparring came between Mast and Florida East Coast Industries’ executive director Mike Reininger during a hearing of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials, delving into the trains’ opponents contention that the enterprise has disguised public funding…