News

The Florida Department of Transportation through its Florida Rail Enterprise announced it will host a regional high speed rail briefing for the Florida Congressional Delegation and other elected officials within the project corridor on Monday, July 19, at the Tampa Convention Center.

This Regional Rail Briefing will focus on our “Federal Partners,” and will be hosted by Senator Bill Nelson, Congresswoman Kathy Castor and Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio.  Itis sponsored by the Florida Department of Transportation and the Florida Rail Enterprise.

Also invited to participate will be the other members of the Tampa Bay and Central Florida Congressional Delegations; including Senator George LeMieux, Congressman Gus M. Bilirakis, Congresswoman Corrine Brown, Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite, Congressman Vern Buchanan, Congressman Alan Grayson, Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas, Congressman John Mica, Congressman Bill Posey, Congressman Adam H. Putnam and Congressman C.W. Bill Young.

Our first Regional Rail Briefing was held in Lakeland on Wednesday, March 24, 2010; and was convened by Lakeland Mayor Gow Fields, Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer.  Then, just a few weeks ago, the Tampa Bay Partnership and the Central Florida Partnership presented the Super Regional Leadership Conference, and welcomed Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood; and Kevin J. Thibault, P.E., Interim Executive Director of Florida Rail Enterprise, who updated those in attendance about High Speed Rail for Florida.

Like the prior event, this event is being coordinated with the Central Florida Partnership, Connect Us and Tampa Bay Partnership. The purpose of the Regional Rail Briefing is to inform business, government, civic leaders and the media regarding key aspects of Florida’s High Speed Rail, focusing on the progress being made on the approved route connecting Tampa Bay to Orlando; and to provide a forum where key stakeholders are able to convene and collectively understand the issues surrounding High Speed Rail for Florida, encouraging their support and its connection with other rail initiatives being advanced by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority (TBARTA), SunRail, and the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT).

The event will be held from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Tampa Convention Center. Members of the public are invited to attend, but no formal comment period is anticipated. There will be opportunities to discuss the project with department staff before or after the event, and comment forms will be available as well.

Central Florida Partnership - Ideas to Results
The Central Florida Partnership is a collaborative of business and civic leaders committed to procuring a better tomorrow for Central Florida's seven counties - Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole and Volusia. We are thoughtful leaders united by a single, guiding principle - that we have both the power and the responsibility to make change happen.

Working together, through four lines of business – Orlando, Inc. (Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce) (Regional Entrepreneurship), BusinessForce (Regional Public Policy Advocacy), myregion.org (Regional Research & Resolves) and Leadership Orlando (Regional Leadership) – the Central Florida Partnership is moving “Ideas to Results.”

About the Central Florida Partnership
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