Issue Position: Corporate Subsidies: Government Picking Winners & Losers

Issue Position

Elected officials have a duty to recognize, upon assuming office, that their power to help is an equally strong power to hurt. Perhaps we should consider taking an oath as doctors do:

"First, do no harm."

As Brevard and Indian River county residents learn more about All Aboard Florida, we are realizing the devastating impacts the project will have on us while providing no benefits to us. Brevard and Indian River counties will have 32 trains per day going right through the middle of our towns at over 100 miles per hour. Current infrastructure at rail crossings cannot accommodate the new, high-speed trains, and the costs for upgrades rest solely on the shoulders of county and city taxpayers.

What will the taxpayers get for their investment? In short, the costs will do nothing more than mitigate some of the increased risks and noise these trains bring with them. While 32 passenger trains will go through both counties daily, not a single one will stop here. These trains will go from Miami to Orlando with stops only in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.

I believe the private sector is at the heart of what makes our country great. This, however, is NOT a private sector project. It relies heavily on subsidies to make it viable.

Florida had initially turned down federal subsidies for high-speed rail when Governor Scott recognized that there were significant strings attached. Eventually, federal interests found a way in, tying train subsidies to to funding needed to dredge the Port of Miami. In the meantime, the Florida state and local government have provided more than $1 billion in subsidies and benefits on the taxpayer dime. Why is Florida, a state with an annual budget of around $70 billion subsidizing a company with about $70 billion in assets?

There is a notable lack of transparency in this government-private sector alliance. These projects appear to have been approved by county leaders under false pretenses. Most believed the train would be stopping in our area. I will focus my efforts on getting information out in the open. Once the details of this arrangement are known to all, I am confident that local governments in affected counties will find a way to reassert their rights. In the meantime, I vow to do everything possible, in Tallahassee, to block any additional subsidies for this and similar projects.

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