Congressmen blast Brightline financing strategy in D.C. hearing, question safety record

By: Lisa Broadt, Treasure Coast Newspapers

Members of a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee on Thursday lambasted aspects of Brightline’s Miami-to-Orlando passenger railroad, calling into question the legality of $1.75 billion of tax-exempt bonds issued to the project by the U.S. Department of Transportation

The two-hour hearing of the House Oversight Subcommittee on Government Operations was held at the urging of Rep. Brian Mast, R-Palm City, a vocal opponent of the railroad.

The committee heard testimony from the Department of Transportation, Brightline and representatives from Martin County, Indian River County and CARE FL, a citizens opposition group.

Reps. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., and Gerald Connolly, D-Va., took particular issue with the Department of Transportation’s interpretation of Brightline as a highway project, a characterization that made Brightline eligible for the $1.75 billion of private activity bonds…