Osceola Co. Commissioners Approve SunRail

Late Monday afternoon, Osceola County commissioners voted to approve SunRail coming to town even though they don't yet know how much it will cost each year. The train will eventually connect DeLand to Poinciana.

The state and the federal government will pay for the rail for the first few years. Orlando, Orange County and Volusia County have all recently approved new agreements with the Department of Transportation (DOT).

Monday, the plan to run high-speed trains along 60 miles of track from DeLand, through Orlando and into Osceola County, passed another stop on the way to reality. Monday afternoon, Osceola County commissioners OK'd an amended SunRail agreement with Florida DOT. FDOT decided to pick up the entire tab for buying up properties in the SunRail corridor, but DOT now wants to adjust the cap on how much local governments, like Osceola County, will pay to maintain the system once they are handed control of SunRail.

That raised concerns for Osceola Board Chairman Fred Hawkins, Jr.

“This amendment is creating an open check book,” he said.

Osceola's estimated operational commitment is from $1.2 million to $1.7 million per year. That would begin during phase II of the SunRail project.

For some reason, if DOT was forced to cover operational costs for a local government after control was handed over, the costs could be deducted from a region's DOT work plan, essentially absorbing money for local road projects to cover SunRail project.

“We had to commit to the FTA that we would make up those differences should the locals not be able to do so, and the form of revenue we have is our work program,” SunRail project manager Todd Hammerlee said.

But the only dissenting vote on Osceola County’s SunRail amendment would be more comfortable if the county had a dedicated source of operations funding.

“I just don't see how Osceola County can afford it,” Hawkins said.

Commissioners have discussed bringing a referendum to voters on an additional 1-cent sales tax that could pay for SunRail operation and road projects. Seminole County votes on the new SunRail agreement on Tuesday.