Senators' questions leave support for rail bill in doubt

A conservative state senator stunned his colleagues on Thursday when he announced that he was switching his "yes" vote on a commuter rail proposal to "no."

Other senators who voted "no" in the past said they don't know how they will vote this time -- leaving the future of SunRail and TriRail all the more uncertain.

The state Legislature began deliberating Thursday on a plan to create the SunRail commuter rail line around Orlando, and shore up Tri-Rail, an existing line in South Florida. Earlier versions of those proposals have failed repeatedly in the Senate, where it was soon clear that the vote count remains tight as ever.

The bill dredges up years' old debates over spending and the state's legal liability for rail accidents. But lawmakers are taking it up again because federal officials have warned that failure to do so would jeopardize the state's application for $2.5 billion to build high-speed rail linking Tampa to Orlando.

And while Senate President Jeff Atwater said that negotiations were in the works to address union opposition, which has also dogged the $1.2 billion SunRail project, it remains unclear whether the House will accept any concessions. A House panel unanimously approved the rail bill on Thursday for consideration by the full chamber Friday.

Some conservatives, meanwhile, are balking at what they view as an unwarranted expansion of government.

Sen. Carey Baker, a longtime supporter of SunRail, surprised senators by declaring during a workshop on the bill that he cannot support its creation of a statewide rail authority. That proposal goes too far to promote costly future rail projects that will lose money by design, he said -- including high-speed rail, which Baker said he does not support.

"I thought we were coming up here to vote on a nice SunRail bill -- a Little Red Riding Hood bill. Instead we're voting on this Big Bad Wolf bill that I don't support," Baker, R-Eustis, said during a Senate workshop on the bill.

Sen. Ronda Storms, R-Valrico, also criticized the proposed expansion of government and disputed claims that it was vital for job growth. A longstanding opponent of SunRail, Storms also criticized the brevity of debate and lack of financial details provided.

"I have spent more time shopping for the price of a computer than, as a senator, I have been afforded to examine and kick the tires of this deal," she said.

Storms worked closely last session with Sen. Paula Dockery of Lakeland, SunRail's fiercest opponent, who said she will likely speak at a conservative "Tea Party" protest of SunRail on Monday. But the Republican, who is running for governor, said she isn't sure if she can muster enough votes to kill SunRail a third time.

Sen. Victor Crist, of Tampa, who has voted with Dockery on SunRail in the past, said Thursday he did not how he will vote this time.

"Both sides are not happy with me, because I have refused to commit," he said. "I wanted to come up here with an open, objective mind ... I'm going to be looking at the details closely."

Among other things, he said, he wants to be sure that the $15 million set aside for Tri-Rail isn't merely a "Band-Aid," and that the Tampa Bay area will benefit from the legislation. Proponents have yet to back up promises that it will, he said.

Sens. Steve Oelrich, R-Gainesville, and Evelyn Lynn, R-Ormond Beach, prior SunRail opponents, said today they, too, are undecided about the new bill.