Last week, Senate Democratic leader Al Lawson said that U.S. Reps. Kendrick Meek, D-Miami, and Corrine Brown, D-Jacksonville, would be visiting the caucus to talk up commuter rail along with other backers such as Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. But over the weekend, Meek’s office said he wasn’t likely to be there and Brown would be out of the country. No word from Dyer despite our inquiries, but the Senate Democratic Office now says only Sen. Lee Constantine, R-Altamonte Springs, is confirmed to attend the meeting, where he’ll no doubt face a tough crowd of SunRail opponents, including fellow Orange County Sen. Gary Siplin.

Hmmmmm.

Why are U.S. Reps. Kendrick Meek and Corrine Brown planning to stick their noses into the state legislative battle over the CSX deal? And why are they taking the side of a deal that guts union jobs, hands over up to $600 million in cash and product to a highly profitable private company, and harms several communities for the benefit of another. Haven’t Democrats backed quite enough corporate bailouts of the powerful lately?

From the Orlando Sentinel:

Senate Democratic Leader Al Lawson, D-Tallahassee, says his phone has been ringing constantly thanks to SunRail backers, a day after he tried to gut funding for the commuter rail project from the state budget.

So next Tuesday, he said, U.S. Reps. Kendrick Meek, D-Miami, Corrine Brown, D-Jacksonville, and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer plan to meet with the Senate Democratic Caucus to try and massage concerns that the project is diverting money away from their hometown projects.

“It’s going to be a full-court press,” Lawson said. For his part, the veteran Tallahassee lawmaker says he still hasn’t gotten any answers out of the Department of Transportation (neither have we, for that matter) about where exactly in the state’s universe of trust funds and bank accounts it has socked away the $432 million it plans to pay CSX Corp. for the rail line.

By way of background, Corrine Brown is from Jacksonville, CSX’s hometown. Meek and Sen. Bill Nelson were sponsors of a 2007 bill laying out a $1 billion federal tax credit for freight track construction, as reported by my intrepid former colleague Lindsay Peterson of the Trib. CSX clearly has no trouble spreading aound its (almost) monopolistic wealth to the supposed party of the little guy.

From Lindsay’s story:

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., has signed on as co-sponsor of the tax bill in the Senate. Democratic U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, from Miami, is a House sponsor. Since 2005, Nelson has received $19,000 from railroad political action committees. Meek has received $18,000. In 2004, Nelson spent a weekend worth $3,072 at CSX’s Greenbrier [now bankrupt] resort in West Virginia. A Nelson spokesman has said Nelson visited Greenbrier at CSX’s request, to present a legislative overview at a company meeting.

They know where their bread is buttered.

For Meek, I will say that backing a coporate socialist, union-busting deal is a peculiar move for a guy running for U.S. Senate in a Democratic primary. Are you listening Dan Gelber?

How might a responsible Democrat, even one facing regional pressures, handle this deal? Maybe the way freshman U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson of Orlando did in an interview with me Wednesday. When I asked him about the CSX deal, Grayson talked about the importance of mass transit and rail generally, noting that it’s rightfully a progressive priority. But, he said, in this particular deal, the state is paying CSX too much money and CSX has slipped what he termed “union-busting” measures into the deal. Grayson, who has little role in the ultimate passage of the deal, didn’t actually give it a thumbs up or thumbs down. But he did say he hoped the plan could be fixed. I do too. In fact, I’ll sign on right here to a deal that pays CSX less, doesn’t attack unions, and manages not to harm other cities.

I’ll have more from my Grayson interview soon, but I was struck by his ability to clearly communicate both support for transit and rail and opposition for using these progressive priorities as stalking horses for corporate anti-progrressive interests. Memo to Democrats out there, just becasue CSX – smartly – advertises on NPR and “Open Left” and puts you up at its fancy hotel doesn’t make the company your ally. This is Exxon with cool horns.

“And the clock is ticking: The state’s deal with CSX expires in June and so could a promise of an additional $300 million in federal funds to buy rail cars and help build the 17 planned stations.” — SunRail: It may be now or never for Orlando’s grand plan to get commuters off I-4, onto daily train

“While residents of Central Florida have focused on the costs and benefits of providing an alternative to driving to work on Interstate 4, Dockery has been obsessed by a far-larger component of the project: The state is paying nearly $490 million so that CSX can relocate a logistics center to nearby Winter Haven and reroute most of its freight operations to tracks that run down the interior of the state.” – Not all aboard: Lakeland would bear brunt of freight trains rerouted for sake of SunRail

“Yarbrough said SunRail would be responsible for passengers and bystanders — even if CSX were to blame for the accident — because of what’s known as the “but for” argument: “But for” SunRail, they most likely would not have been in the rail corridor.” – Central Florida commuter rail: Who pays if somebody gets hurt?

Each of them, through committees and employee donations, provided $10,000 to Mica’s 2008 campaign, according to Opensecrets.org.

The railroads are tied for third among Mica’s largest contributors. Did I mention this is a freight deal?

What follows is the letter I imagine Winter Haven Chamber Pres. Bob Gernert and City Manager David Greene are crafting right now to set her straight.

Dear Cindy:

We read recently that you are angry about the possibility of rerouting freight traffic in ways that may affect the public spaces you’ve spent lots of money to enhance. That’s understandable. But you have to get over it. In the grand scheme of things, in this economy, public spaces must be sacrificed.

We here in the Winter Haven government and business elite are honest and upstanding about our commitments, and we’ve stated publicly that we want to help Lakeland with the rerouting made necessary partly because of our ILC.

As Bob wrote on Oct. 16, 2008: “Lakeland’s agenda includes rerouting freight traffic away from downtown. The Florida Department of Transportation is currently studying the feasibility for just such rerouting. We support Lakeland’s quest for the best solution possible.”

A map and common sense will tell you that the Van Fleet Trail line is the most efficient way to reroute freight traffic from Lakeland’s core and avoid creating a longterm industrial corridor/freight superhighway leading into the ILC. And you know, none of us – including you and Bobby Green – had any concern about this deal when it was dumping the bad parts in the middle of Lakeland’s public projects. Jack Myers even talked about how much you guys like trains, if we remember correctly. It’s only fair and right that we, who have supported and fought for this plan, embrace its consequences. We must all sacrifice a little for the greater glory of CSX, economic development, and the regional unity embodied by the “One Polk” organization.

And honestly, trains and parks and trails can coexist quite well together. We in Winter Haven have a much greater sacrifice to make. Bob’s already looking for new office space to replace the chamber office that will be demolished to make room for the revitalized line through downtown. But that’s a small price to pay to for 100 jobs or so at the ILC and the big financial boost for Phoenix Industries and Highland Cassidy. So get on board, Cindy.

Yours Truly In Freight,

Bob Gernert and David Greene

Versions of the editorial promptly appeared in The (Lakeland) Ledger and the Gainesville Sun. Two of several money paragraphs:

“Why aren’t the fiscal conservatives, or just the fiscally responsible, in Tallahassee asking why the state of Florida is paying a national corporation that made a record $2.2 billion profit last year – up 26 percent from the year before, incidentally – so much for a project that some observers say could be done for one-third or less than the current projected price tag? When a recent study declared the Orlando commuter project the costliest railroad acquisition in U.S. history – $10.5 million per mile – where were our representatives in Tallahassee demanding a reassessment of the project’s scope and cost?

DOT officials say that since the CSX money was appropriated by the Legislature in 2006 for the commuter line, hence, for CSX, it does not need the Legislature’s approval to move forward with the project. That, of course, begs the question: Who, exactly, is running state government, and what happened to checks and balances?”

That’s a damn good question.

Ah, and then there’s The Sentinel editorial board and its latest bout of rail teen angst. I made a note to myself a while back to mock them every time they write one of these hissy fit “Paula Dockery is mean” eddies. However, I’m sorry to say, I fell down on the job and missed one a week or so ago. No worries. The 17-year-olds were back at it yesterday. They’re nothing if not predictable.

In reading these two pieces – the Star-Banner’s and the Sentinel’s – side-by-side, a curious juxtaposition grabbed me: The Star-Banner referred to CSX, directly and indirectly, 18 times by my count. The Sentinel? Once, in passing. CSX is the Sentinel’s Lord Voldemort of freight quadropolies. It must not be named.

This reluctance to talk about CSX is key to maintaining the fiction that this is a commuter rail deal. It’s not. For the 60 billionth time. It’s a freight deal. It’s the state-funded implementation of CSX’s Florida business plan, which focuses on cash, not commuters, I promise you. If you understand nothing else about this deal, understand that. Freight deal, freight deal, freight deal. Did I mention it’s a freight deal? Orlando’s commuter rail plan is the teeny little loin cloth barely keeping this bloated naked body of corporate welfare from being so obscene that Polk Sheriff Grady Judd would arrest it. (Sorry. Got a little graphic there.)

Anyway, the Sentinel’s latest makes one other thing clear: THE ORLANDO CABAL IS WORRIED. Brave Sir Charlie may well rescue them. We’ll see. But pleading for his intervention is a far cry from last year’s “Shut up hicks and assorted little people and take what’s good for you,” isn’t it?

There are couple of specific paragraphs below I want to highlight and respond to:

Commuter rail’s remaining opponents are trying to use the ailing economy as an excuse to win over state senators skittish about spending money on new projects (especially outside their districts).

They’re doing so even though the $432 million the state has agreed to pay CSX for the rail line sits in a transportation trust fund that can’t be used to pay for, say, non-transportation projects in other regions of the state.

Like say, the Lawton Chiles trust fund couldn’t be used to fill budget holes.

Anyway, I find it peculiar that the state has $432 million earmarked to pay CSX for the rail line when its original press release said it was buying the 61 miles of the A-line for $150 million. It would be fun to read how the Sentinel explains the disparity between those two figures. But that would require them mentioning CSX. So I’ll tell you. It’s for the funding of the robustly profitable CSX’s business plan to become a de facto freight monopoly in Florida. Did I mention it’s a freight deal?

And they’re doing so despite the fact that commuter rail has few equals in its ability to stimulate the weakened economy. It’s expected to generate thousands of construction jobs and help rejuvenate retail, commercial and housing sectors.

A few temporary construction jobs at the Winter Haven, which CSX says it will build with its own money if it loses the state’s contribution. And then 110 permanent jobs. That would be $600,000 per permanent job if my math is correct. Don’t know what other jobs they’re talking about. They manage never to be specific. And rejuvenate retail? Not so much in downtown Lakeland.

But several senators outside our region remain concerned about how their support for commuter rail in Central Florida could be used against them by rail opponents. Last year, egged on by Paula Dockery, the Senate’s leading commuter rail foe, trial lawyers threatened to run attack ads against senators who supported the trains for Orlando.

The correct phrase is corporate welfare foe. But, of course, correctness doesn’t matter.

Elected to serve all the state’s residents, the governor could promise senators outside Central Florida that he’d work next on getting similar systems for Tampa and Jacksonville. And he could promise that he’d help deflect any false or misleading attacks aimed at them for supporting a system that, despite what opponents might say, would bring Florida more jobs and better transportation options.

Indeed, Gov. Crist does represent all Floridians, including those who are not CSX shareholders, in the Orlando Cabal, or JD Alexander (Another name you’ll never hear in a Sentinel editorial. All those conflicts are incovenient.) Crist could insist that the deal be renegotiated, with an eye towards rewarding inclusion and fairness, not raw power. But since he’s never bothered to address a single question about the impact of this deal on the communities it harms, I’m banking more on the People’s Governor’s political antennae and self-interest than his concern for the People. Let’s make it clear: As of now, Charlie Crist supports spending at least $600 million – depending on how you look at it – on implementing CSX’s business plan. That should prove great comfort to the teachers not getting raises – or getting laid off.

And finally, “he could promise that he’d help deflect any false or misleading attacks…”

Two words: Bring it. The Sentinel is big on citing “misleading information” without ever citing what’s misleading. Maybe the Sentinel, so confident in its position, should sponsor a debate for the benefit of the governor. I volunteer. I’ll show up anywhere, anytime, with anyone. I would love to have a civil, rational discussion of misinformation. Somehow I doubt Gov. Crist will participate. But the offer still stands for whoever’s writing these works of art. Let’s have at it, in front of people. I’ll come to you. We can do it in Jacob Stuart’s living room. Or for the assembled legislative and lobbyist alumni of GrayRobinson. We could fill the DeVos Arena. I’m easy to reach.

Did I mention it’s a freight deal?

photo credit: Chuck Welch for Metro i4 News

Lakeland commissioners take a different tack in the long battle with CSX and FDOT: Lakeland to Hire Lawyer To Argue Train Issues

USF has a program for 1st generation college students: Program A Bridge To College Success

Trib editorial writers take on the gambling crisis: Gambling Governor Loses His Deal In High-Stakes Game Over Casinos

Bonus articles for today:

Freelance workers get together in Orlando’s coworking spot aiming to open in September

It seems that county mayor isn’t popular with everyone: Hillsborough County Mayor Ballot Initiative Challenged

If people can’t afford to own their home then of course: Brokers, lenders like prospects for Orlando apartment market

(1) Cameras really aren’t smart. (2) People keep communities safe. Not technology. Yet, the Sentinel headline might lead you to think otherwise: ‘Smart’ cameras will help keep new Parramore community safe

Library’s big move kicks off at campus This might be a good idea for Lakeland USF Polytechnic. Lakeland doesn’t need a branch library in the 1-4/Polk Parkway area yet, but it will sooner than you think. Build a joint use building, with separate check out stations. Make it where you can close off the public area when they close earlier than the campus library. Just off the top of my head.

Tampa is looking into a different approach to growth: Tampa Contemplates Transit-Oriented Development Concept

Does the two-party stranglehold on power help or hurt local politics? This Tribune editorial has a problem with one aspect of it. Strip Write-In Candidates Of Power To Close Any One-Party Race

The Tribune has a special report about one of the effects of the current economy: Staring Into The Face of Foreclosure

The Sentinel Editorial page Editor decides to retire, but there’s no mention if Sam Zell has anything to do with the decision: A great 35 years — and more to come

In an editorial that is certainly to generate a few reader arguments, the Tampa Tribune believes Big Investment In Rail Will Help State’s Economy Keep Rolling

The speed limits are going to be flexible on parts of I-4. I-4 signs to show changing speed limits Maybe that’s a good idea for the rest of the region?

Can you cut back on your gas consumption? Truths and myths about how to save on gas and Hypermilers’ save big on gas mpg, but there are dangers

Amendment 1 To Save Homeowners $200 to $300, but city managers are finding ways to get back that money you’re saving in property fees….and a little extra. Winter Haven Proposes Slate of New Fees

And in today’s “feel good” story: American Ingenuity Alive And Well

Travelers cut costs by boarding the bus

Free TV: How to live without cable, Direct dishes and the bills that go with them

Transit Authority Receives Funding

Rising Gas Prices Resulting In Changes in Retail Locations

Partnership may be a main engine for commuter rail