A week ago, Florida Governor Rick Scott blew some minds when he gave his assent for the controversial SunRail project in Central Florida.
Tea party types were outraged. Anti tax activist Doug Guetzloe was explicit in his denouncing the Governor's move, saying "Rick Scott has abandoned the taxpayers of Florida, and the taxpayers will respond in kind,” adding “he’s fired as an advocate for taxpayers."
Jeers were also heard loudly throughout the Tampa Bay area, as many business and political leaders were still smarting from the governor's stunning rejection of $2.7 billion in federal funds to approve for that high speed rail line.
Scott's rejection of rail back in February was also a major setback to the grandiose plans of the candidates running for mayor in Tampa, and just hours after Scott's announcement, four of the five held a news conference denouncing the governor for his decision.
Nearly five months after that dark day, Tampa's Mayor Bob Buckhorn says he believes Scott might have come to a different conclusion on HSR if it hadn't been a decision he had to make so soon into his tenure.
This article appears in Jul 7-13, 2011.