Lawmakers: Study High Speed Rail Operations in Florida

By: Sunshine State News

In a victory for the citizens of the Treasure Coast region, and based on work by Citizens Against Rail Expansion in Florida (CARE FL) and Indian River and Martin Counties, the Florida Legislature has included language in the state budget directing the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA) to commission a study to examine existing and planned passenger rail operations, including high-speed passenger rail, in Florida.

Currently, Florida has no laws or regulations addressing the safety of high speed trains such as the one proposed by All Aboard Florida (AAF). 

A joint press statement from CARE FL and the counties says study language as proposed by Sen. Debbie Mayfield, R-Melbourne, and the Florida Senate follows an unprecedented series of deaths and injuries -- now numbering six separate incidents -- in which individuals were struck by AAF/Brightline high speed trains currently running between West Palm Beach and Fort  Lauderdale…