President Barack Obama will make a "major economic announcement" Thursday in Tampa of $8 billion in Recovery Act grants, going to 13 potential rail corridors, to build high-speed rail infrastructure across the country, a White House official said.
The official had no information about a Florida grant, but the information makes it likely that Florida will be one of the recipients.
U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor and U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson have confirmed that Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will announce the award of federal stimulus funds for high-speed rail while they're in Tampa, but neither specified whether Florida would receive the full $2.6 billion it has requested.
Florida has sought $2.6 billion in federal stimulus funds to build a high-speed line between Tampa and Orlando. The state's application indicates the project would create up to 15,000 construction jobs, with additional permanent jobs supporting passenger service by 2014.
While Obama and Biden are in Tampa, a half-dozen other Cabinet members and senior administration officials will make the announcement in other cities at the same time. Obama will also hold a town hall meeting at the University of Tampa's Bob Martinez Sports Center on Thursday.
The $8 billion in Recovery Act awards is part of an overall $13 billion high-speed rail plan Obama announced last year. The other $5 billion would be funded through the annual budget process.
The grants are also part of an overall $100 billion in Recovery Act stimulus money.
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