This story was written by CL contributor Monica Torres
On Thursday in St. Petersburg, Transit Works Pinellas held a panel called, “Transportation in Pinellas County: Learning from the Past to Create a Vision for the Future.” Transit Works Pinellas is a not-for-profit corporation made up of a who’s who of local leaders trying to promote economic development through transportation improvements.
Those that have driven through the Howard Franklin at rush hour understand why these improvements are warranted. With unsustainable development and an increasing population, transportation improvements are needed —but the message from some of the speakers was :don’t expect the Florida government to save us. The state legislature gobbled up the state’s transportation trust fund and Governor Rick Scott sparked wide criticism when he vetoed operating money for the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority and rejected federal money for the high-speed train from Orlando to Tampa. Barney Bishop, President and CEO of Associated Industries of Florida, speculated that Scott vetoed the railway because the tourists would need stops at Tampa International airport, but other speakers were not so kind with Scott’s decision.
This article appears in Jun 23-29, 2011.
