Senate Community Budget Issue Requests - Tracking Id #1122 South Florida Rail Corridor Feasibility Study
Requester:	Bruce Wilson		Organization:		Regional Transit Organization(aka South Florida Regional Transportation Organization)
Project Title:	South Florida Rail Corridor Feasibility Study		Date Submitted:		01/31/2000 12:46:08 AM
District Member:	Jim Scott		Service Area:		Regional
Counties Affected:	Broward, Dade, Palm Beach
Recipient:	Regional Transit Organization (aka SFRTO)		Contact:		Bruce Wilson
	Governmental Center, 315 South Andrews Street		Contact Phone:		(954) 357-6641
	Fort Lauderdale 33301
Project Description:
The initial scoping efforts of the Florida Transit Feasibility Organization-East(FTFO-E) group, with support from the City of Ft. Lauderdale and others, has resulted in the earmarking of $500,000 in federal planning and research funds to explore the feasibility of as yet undefined rail projects in the Tri-County area. This occurred through the facilitation of U.S. Representative Clay Shaw's office. This project arose from the apparent willingness of the FEC Railroad to engage in a cooperative public/private planning parnership which recognizes both the business objectives of the FEC and the emerging interest of the public sector to share in the utilization of the FEC corridor. This project provides a means of planning for more sustainable transportation and land development patterns in the South Florida region. It will create viable regional transportation options and urban renewal, especially the urbanized areas east of I-95 and along the FEC corridor. Land use/transportation scenarios for the corridor and nearby South Florida Rail Corridor will be produced based on public/private sector cooperation, consultants and extensive public input. All interested parties on the local level have been working together since the Governor's veto to determine the organizational structure of the project. There have been several meetings including representatives from the following organizations: Broward County, Palm Beach County, and Miami-Dade MPO's; the Executive Directors of the South Florida Regional Planning Council and Trasure Coast Regional Planning Council; Congressman Clay Shaw's office; City of Ft. Lauderdale; Broward County Office of Economic Development; Florida Department of Transportation, District 4; Tri-Rail; Regional Transit Organization; Florida East Coast Railway; The Broward Alliance(coalition of businesses to advance economic development). As a result of these meetings, the organizational structure for the cost analysis project is proposed to be a public-private partnership, made up of the members of the existing Regional Transit Organization (RTO) with new membership from the private sector via the existing economic development councils from Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties. Many of the city managers from the South Florida region are included in the economic development councils and can provide valuable local government input via these new appointments to the RTO. The current membership of the RTO consists of the two FDOT Districts 4 & 6, three county MPO's and 2 land planning councils as well as bus providers from Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties, and the regional commuter authority, Tri-Rail. The new public-private organizational status will allow for a series of public-private dollars to be spent on planning and implementation of specific regional transportation and land use policies. The history of the Project began in early 1999, Mayor Naugle of Fort Lauderdale and a local activist, John Rude, chaired a meeting of various cities along Florida's east coast at the South Florida Regional Planning Council(SFRPC) in Hollywood, Florida. As many as 30 local governments from Jacksonville to Miami were represented by elected officials and staff. The goal of the meeting was to discuss similar opportunities and problems associated with urbanized area growth, including traffic congestion impacts on older neighborhoods and business districts, urban design (building height, setbacks and density) and economic impacts (increased land values, new jobs). Most officials agreed redevelopment of urbanized areas was inevitable and even desirable. However, a new "process" and/or system of decision making was required as current laws and procedures did not appear to "maximize" the assests which were driving economic revitalization. For example, older neighborhoods, "old town" business districts, historical structures, and traditional urban street systems were identified as assets or attractions to investment. Yet many of these assets were suffering impacts of redevelopment despite extensive laws and governmental structure of review. Several issues were identified by the cities for review by various transportation and land use agencies. One issue was the potential for the FEC Corridor to be returned to both a freight and transit use as most of Florida's older neighborhoods and city centers about the corridor.
Services Provided/Benefit to State:
Some of the struggle to accomodate differing interests in the South Florida (CSX) Rail Corridor (i.e. Commuter Rail vs. Freight movement) suggests that there will be significant benefits in dealing with potential conflicts early on in the FEC Corridor (and perhaps in conjunction with continuing consideration of the CSX issues.) This is a valuable opportunity to "get-in-line" for federal implementation grants if specific feasible rail projects can begin to be defined in the Tri-County area with the Feasibility Study. This is also infrastructure development in preparation for potential economic growth changes such as the Bahama Superprot, Cuban trade, and other Caribbean developments.
Measurable Outcome Anticipated:
By using existing Long Range 2020 plan policies and combined 5 year TIP as well as adopted Comprehensive Land Use Plans, several "real world" models of goods and people movement can be derived. With direct input and financial support of local and regional job locators (economic development councils) and the public at large, the costs of adding "new" dedicated transit connections and supportive development can then be derived. In the end the cost analysis process will provide two models with direct financial and personnel input from participating regional agencies, private sector and the public at large. The two models will have costs associated with them and will be evaluated by the public at large for policy revision/adoption and allocation of appropriate funds. The project will enhance current freight operations which benefit local, regional and state economic growth. The project will also review potential transit and other transportation models for the FEC Corridor and describe impacts on adjoining land uses based on completion of a series of analytical real estate and transportation models.
Amount requested from the State for this project this year:				$500,000
Total cost of the project:		$2,000,000

Request has been made to fund:			Operations
Is there Local Government or Private match for this request?					Yes
	Cash Amount:	$110,000		In-Kind Amount:	$75,000
Was this project previously funded by the State?					No
Is future-year funding likely to be requested?					Unknown
Was this project included in an Agency's Budget Request?					No
Was this project included in the Governor's Recommended Budget?					No
Is there a documented need for this project?					Yes
	Documentation:	Master Plan for the I-595 expressway corridor
Was this project request heard before a publicly noticed meeting of a body of elected officials (municipal, county, or state)?					Yes
	Hearing Body:	Regional Transit Organization
	Meeting Date:	01/04/2000