Four major freight rail companies control 95 percent of traffic in the US. They are CSX, Union Pacific, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, and Norfolk Southern. It should surprise no one that these Four Horsemen of the Rail Apocalypse love Rep. John Mica, R-Corporate Welfare, the Orlando-area congressman behind the CSX freight dump deal.
The railroads are tied for third among Mica’s largest contributors. Did I mention this is a freight deal?
Bio: Billy Townsend was a longtime government, political and general assignment reporter in Polk County and the wider I-4 corridor. He wrote extensively about Polk's unique regional identity and the issues shaping it, including USF Polytechnic, the Heartland Parkway and the CSX rail deal. Billy recently left professional reporting to take a corporate writing job, but he keeps close tabs on news of all stripes (especially political news) and the changes in modern journalism. Billy's wife is Julie Townsend, executive director of the Downtown Lakeland Partnership.They live with their three children in the Lake Morton area. His work at Lakeland Local is his first as an amateur hyperlocal writer.
