I hate Florida East Coast Railroad and Brightline. For longer than I have been elected, I have been fighting the coming passenger trains. I missed the CARE meeting last night at the Lyric because I was in Tallahassee for the Florida League of Cities. I applaud their action. I applaud Martin County’s continuing fight against this atrocity for all of the county’s residents. I continue to hate Florida East Coast Railroad and Brightline.
The scheme to run high speed trains along a densely populated corridor is insane. Nowhere else in the world would this be accepted. The cities and towns along the tracks are being asked to tolerate the intolerable. Our citizens are being told to sacrifice their quality of life for the profits of a private company. That private company falls back on 19th century federal law for their right to disrupt the wellbeing of millions of people. Everyday autonomous trucks and cars are closer to reality and yet we must accept the “iron horse” as a modern way for people and freight to be moved.
There is a bill going through the Florida Legislature which would mitigate some of the effects of the promised endless trains. I will be speaking to the sponsors today to thank them for their efforts. I don’t know if it will pass and be signed into law by our Governor? And, if so, will the courts uphold it because of the federal supremacy laws? That’s a good question. I am afraid that, no matter what happens, Martin County and Stuart will have to learn to live with the unimaginable.
I do believe somewhere and sometime along these tracks a train will derail leaking either chemicals or compressed gas, causing immeasurable harm. I believe there will be politicians screaming and saying to ban the train, but the train will continue. I believe that people will continue to be hit by speeding trains and die. I believe that the people of the Treasure Coast will be ignored for the sake of corporate interests.
With all that said, I also believe that we must look at what we can do to mitigate the railroad’s effect on our citizens. We must look at “Quiet Zones” so that our residents will not sacrifice all their quality of life. There is an argument to be made that, without the horns, people will not know that trains are coming. But there is something known as personal responsibility. Cars should not ignore gates being down and lights flashing. People should not be taking a shortcut by walking along the tracks.
Is any of this ideal? The answer, of course, is no. That doesn’t mean we don’t look at “Quiet Zones” and their costs. It is easy to bury our heads in the sand. It is politically more acceptable to not seek out less-than-optimal solutions. I want us to continue the fight in the courts and through Congress and the Legislature. I just want us to make sure we look at every option to ensure our residents and taxpayers have the best quality of life.