Metro I-4 News

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We always welcome another show to look at gadgets: Florida builders open Orlando trade show to public - a first

Speaking of homes: Building in a Niche: Smaller Houses Sell

This may shock some but there is Proof there were tourists before there were theme parks

CSX looks to lobby and public relations to argue case: Kassab: Railroad carries new message, but how lean is lean, and how green is green? And is it worth the money taxpayers must invest in the billion-dollar a year company?

Bonus: Regulators Raid Wachovia’s Hub

I think a lot of us would give up email if only because of spam: E-mail backlash moves workers to text, but we also need to think about the Florida Sunshine law. How do we keep records of text messages sent. There are ways, but we need to make it mandatory for all Florida government organizations.

In housing news: Orlando-area home sales post gains and Foreclosures still rising, but some see hope

Florida Southern College is named on the “best and most interesting” schools in the country: Book Ranks FSC Among Best Schools

This should come as no surprise to those involved with CSX and the FDOT: Railroad Info Meeting Underwhelms Audience

Drilling for oil on our coast will not help you get to work: Floridians Should Not Be Panicked Into Sacrificing Their Coast

A little bonus for today: USF Polytechnic Technology Incubator Needed in Downtown Lakeland

MI4 is taking tomorrow off. We’ll be back on Sunday with a two-day report.

Hillsborough County is considering changing the county charter. Here’s What To Expect If County Voters Opt To Have A Mayor

Oddly, the Tampa mayor is bucking the obvious turn away from bottled water Don’t Toss Bottled Water, Iorio Says

Just be very careful where you park in downtown Orlando: Car-booting guy offers no apologies

This is a scary thought “The massive Deseret Ranch — four times larger than the city of Orlando — is taking a key step toward its first major development.” Homes, homes on the range in Orange County near Orlando International Airport?

The public has been discussing rail road issues quite a bit this past year, but how many officials were listening? Here’s a Florida DOT meeting so the Public Will Get Chance to Discuss Railroad Issues

A pair of bonus stories: Newspaper Industry Woes Inspire Prayer Web Site is presented without comment, other than if Americans can’t find a way to fall in love with newspapers again, we’re going to be a much poorer country.

This is an old one, but I thought it deserves a look. It’s all about fair representation and some people don’t believe we get it when politicians design political districts: Taking Aim at Gerrymandering

In the latest Gainesville Sun you can find a telling comment or two:

The $491 million project, which would add commuter trains to a 61.5-mile stretch of CSX rail line in the Orlando area, would route roughly eight or nine freight trains per day from that rail line onto the CSX line that cuts through Hawthorne, Waldo and other parts of eastern Alachua County, said Fred Wise, manager of the FDOT’s Rail Office. To help accommodate the expected increase in train delays, the FDOT is planning to build an overpass on SR 26 near Orange Heights sometime in 2010, when the increased freight traffic is expected, Wise said. Gaineseville.com

“Eight or nine trains” per day. If Lakeland is getting only “four or five” then could someone show me where the other four or five are getting off the line? I’m serious. I’m sure there’s a spot on that winding rail map I missed.

The FDOT is building an overpass on SR 26. Orange Heights has a population of, well, you know I can’t find population figures for Orange Heights. Look up the numbers and you’re usually referred to nearby Hawthorne with a population of 1415. Looking at a Google map of Orange Heights only shows about five or six streets.

I’m sure Orange Heights is a great town, but what kind of traffic do they have on SR 26 to warrant an overpass?

Wise continued his work to help the citizens affected by the increase in traffic:

Wise said FDOT employees also have met with officials in Starke to improve signals at rail crossings and make other safety-related changes.

“The goal is to mitigate the impacts of this to make sure there’s a smooth transition to the increase in freight traffic,” Wise said. — Gaineseville.com

Stake Florida, population 5,769, will have a “smooth transition to the increase in freight traffic.”

I am sure all the citizens of Lakeland, Florida, population 89,108, can applaud the FDOT for ensuring the continued vitality of our smaller cities.

While doing a little research on Orange Heights, I found an interesting paragraph:

Initial construction was not easy because not everyone wanted the railroads. Mrs. Laughinhouse-Stephens told how some settlers met the railroad track layers with shotguns. Her father, who was the railroad track foreman in charge of getting the tracks through the towns, said that the law was if the tracks were laid and the trains passed over them, then the tracks were secure and could not be taken out again. The crews often finished laying track during the night; the train ran early in the morning, and the land owners woke to find the deed done. — Hawthorne Florida History

I will offer no additional comment to that.