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

By: Scott Powers, Florida Politics

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 activity bonds. Yet the certainty of that is low enough that the company is mulling other options.

The company is telling Orlando officials that it expects to begin higher-speed passenger train service between South Florida and Orlando International Airport in 2021, and that it also is pursuing potential routes to other markets in the future.

To do that, All Aboard Florida advised the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority a couple of weeks ago that it expects to issue the bonds in August or September, and expects to receive a notice to proceed from the state Department of Transportation in late summer or the fall, allowing it to actually begin construction…