[UB50]

Originally Posted by bbronston

Well, what do you know....here's a company that doesn't appear to care whether there's any form of rail between Tampa and Orlando. In fact, they don't appear to care about moving to Tampa at all. I guess Florida is able to attract a good, job-producing company despite the claims by some that we need HSR to compete with other states. Just saying...

Jackson Laboratory picks Sarasota County site for personalized medicine institute, sources say | HeraldTribune.com

These biotech companies come to Florida because Florida is paying them to do so. Look at Scripps. They got almost $600 million to set up in Florida -- and then they bring in most of their workers from out of state because Florida's university system is behind the 8-ball on biotech-related education.

From the article: The genetics researcher is seeking a 120,000-square-foot building that Sarasota County voters would be asked to mostly pay for.

[FLGator487]

Originally Posted by Kevin from Tampa

there are numerous stories out on the web about it, but he basically said...

1-It puts Fla taxpayers at risk due to expected cost overruns
2-Ridership estimates are overblown (the estimates of this line are close to that of the Acela line, which connects NY/Boston/DC)
3-It's a waste of taxpayer money

I think we all have our own partisan opinions on this (myself included). Those really aren't the big issue here, in my opinion.

What I want to know is - how in the world does the Governor have unilateral authority over these kinds of things? It seems to me that majorities in both houses of the Florida Legislature, as well as the affected mayors and municipal governments, starkly disagree with him here. How can he alone block the funding when he appears to be decidely in the minority among the concerned players?

[bbronston]

Originally Posted by UB50

These biotech companies come to Florida because Florida is paying them to do so. Look at Scripps. They got almost $600 million to set up in Florida -- and then they bring in most of their workers from out of state because Florida's university system is behind the 8-ball on biotech-related education.

From the article: The genetics researcher is seeking a 120,000-square-foot building that Sarasota County voters would be asked to mostly pay for.

Earlier in the thread, there were a number of people commenting about how backwards Florida was and that without HSR we couldn't possibly compete with other states in attracting business. This latest announcement demonstrates that Florida is hardly backwards and still represents an attractive choice for employers.

I'm not sure what your point is but if it is to discount the fact that this company is coming to Florida because there will be incentives provided to them, I have to point out to you that this practice is common among many local and state governments and, incentives or not, certainly you wouldn't argue that creating good jobs that are not related to tourism or construction, and in a growth industry, is a bad thing in our state. After all, how can you argue that we need the HSR project because we need jobs (despite the fact that the state will have to come up with much of the money for the project) and then turn around and complain that local government is coming up with incentives for this company to come down here to create jobs? If that's not your point, let me know...

BTW, for those who argue that Scott overstepped his constitutional authority to unilaterally turn the project down, I agree this must be checked out and, if it is true, the decision must be made properly.

[Kevin from Tampa]

Originally Posted by FLGator487

I think we all have our own partisan opinions on this (myself included). Those really aren't the big issue here, in my opinion.

What I want to know is - how in the world does the Governor have unilateral authority over these kinds of things? It seems to me that majorities in both houses of the Florida Legislature, as well as the affected mayors and municipal governments, starkly disagree with him here. How can he alone block the funding when he appears to be decidely in the minority among the concerned players?

As much as I'm not a fan of HSR, I made the same point earlier. Scott is not the king of Florida. I find it hard to believe he has this authority, and if he does, he shouldn't. That's too much power for one person to have.

[UB50]

Originally Posted by bbronston

Earlier in the thread, there were a number of people commenting about how backwards Florida was and that without HSR we couldn't possibly compete with other states in attracting business. This latest announcement demonstrates that Florida is hardly backwards and still represents an attractive choice for employers.

I'm not sure what your point is but if it is to discount the fact that this company is coming to Florida because there will be incentives provided to them, I have to point out to you that this practice is common among many local and state governments and, incentives or not, certainly you wouldn't argue that creating good jobs that are not related to tourism or construction, and in a growth industry, is a bad thing in our state. After all, how can you argue that we need the HSR project because we need jobs (despite the fact that the state will have to come up with much of the money for the project) and then turn around and complain that local government is coming up with incentives for this company to come down here to create jobs? If that's not your point, let me know...

HSR has nothing to do with attracting biotech companies. On the other hand, cutting corporate taxes has nothing to do with attracting them either. They come to Florida because Florida hands them $$$$$. Once Florida stops giving out the bucks, they'll go where the movie business went (which is to other states willing to hand out money).

Luring companies from other states is really a loser's game. States need to grow their own companies.

[bbronston]

Personally, I agree that it would be best if companies didn't hold up municipalities for money but once that genie was out of the bottle, it became impossible for others to not follow suit. However, I disagree that cutting corporate taxes has nothing to do with attracting companies. It just stands to reason that anything that reduces cost increases profit and that is, afterall, the reason for being in business.

[Maggi07]

Originally Posted by Kevin from Tampa

As much as I'm not a fan of HSR, I made the same point earlier. Scott is not the king of Florida. I find it hard to believe he has this authority, and if he does, he shouldn't. That's too much power for one person to have.

This is the problem I have. Florida is not a corporation that he can do whatever he wants whenever he wants with, and he seems to think it is.

[OrlFlaUsa]

Originally Posted by Maggi07

This is the problem I have. Florida is not a corporation that he can do whatever he wants whenever he wants with, and he seems to think it is.

High speed rail Florida: Supreme Court Backs Gov. Scott, High-Speed Money Going Elsewhere - OrlandoSentinel.com

Florida's Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Scott, the HSR as we know it now, is officially dead. Obama and Ray LaHood will probably announce later what state is going to get a $2.4 billion gift that Florida residents subsidized through their federal taxes, however did not want.

Funny, Obama finally wants to give some of the money back to the states that paid it, and our governor says no because of his political ideologies. As somebody who is somewhere between R & D, I'm getting really sick of this attitude about the President and anything he does. I opposed Health Care for a few reasons (save for another thread), but agreed that something had to be done. Yet I stand with Obama on improving our infrastructure, paying teachers, and the great job he's done in dropping the unemployment rate below 9% for the first time in 2 years.

The only silver lining to this is that other young independent voters like me will remember this in 2 years and make sure that the republicans, who we gave a 2nd chance during the mid-terms, will be the minority party for years to come. I try not to polarize in my posts and simply discuss my feelings on certain issues, but this along with all the other far right extremism going on in WI, OH, etc, has me (and millions) ready to switch sides and vote for the President. Oh and I'm sorry, there isn't a potential candidate on the right that can compete with Obama, seriously who??? Gingrich, Palin, Huckabee? If moderate John McCain couldn't pull it out, good luck with any of those 3. However Trump might be an option, just like Rick Scott, he's a CEO and could run America like a business. $75 million for Scott, what do you think sounds right, $250 million for Trump??

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by Maggi07

This is the problem I have. Florida is not a corporation that he can do whatever he wants whenever he wants with, and he seems to think it is.

Exactly, despite the fact a majority of his constituents were in favor of HSR. If he's not representing us, who exactly is he representing? My guess is is it's part of the overall plan of the GOP/Tea Party to help further wreck the economy so that in 2012 they can point and say "look what they did!"...

[HeartofFlorida]

LEDGER WIRE SERVICES


Published: Friday, March 4, 2011 at 2:01 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, March 4, 2011 at 2:01 p.m.

WASHINGTON, D.C. | U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson's office has issued a release that says a proverbial “Hail Mary” pass was thrown today – even as the federal government prepared to give Florida’s $2.4 billion in high-speed rail money and associated 24,000 jobs to someone else.

Taking one last shot at saving the project, Nelson said federal Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has offered to review whether the grant process could be reopened and whether the money could then be awarded directly to the local governments that just formed a new regional rail coalition in Florida, including the cities of Lakeland, Tampa, Orlando and Miami.

LaHood, according to Nelson's office, pledged in the wake of today’s Florida Supreme Court setback to have his lawyers review whether the new regional rail authority in Central Florida could be allowed to compete against the likes of California and New York and other states clamoring for the money rejected by Florida’s Gov. Rick Scott. LaHood and Nelson agreed to talk again Monday or Tuesday.

“If it can’t be done, then we’re done,” Nelson said. “Meantime, there’s an old proverb: fall seven times, stand up eight.”

Earlier today, the state Supreme Court ruled that Scott didn’t overstep his authority in rejecting the rail money, although the justices did not address the merits of the project itself.

Given the court decision, a number of states now will be getting in line. “We will take that money,” declared U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders ( I-VT ) at a Senate Budget Committee hearing Thursday. “If other states do not want it, that is fine.”

Sen. Christopher Coons ( D-Del. ) joined Sanders and Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse ( D-R.I. ) and Mark Warner ( D-Va. ) in asking LaHood at the meeting for Florida’s money. “Should the governor of Florida be so foolish as to turn back funds … it is our hope that the Northeast corridor will be highly competitive in that,” Coons said.

It's not over until LaHood says so and he's still entertaining going around Rick Scott.