Our Observation

U.S. Rep. John Mica has had one hell of a month.

After doing everything he could to save high-speed rail, the Winter Park congressman laid the project to rest just to be thrust into a new fight seven days later: convince Gov. Rick Scott that SunRail shouldn’t meet the same fate.

Scott said Friday that he will not make a final decision on SunRail until July. The project’s train contracts, worth $235 million, were put on hold in January when Scott took office. The Florida Department of Transportation, which oversees the project, was recently directed to sign the contracts in order to lock in today’s prices. While that’s somewhat assuring, the future of SunRail is anything but clear.

We agree that Scott’s decision to kill high-speed rail, which would have connected Orlando to Tampa with a future route to Miami, was premature. That’s evidenced by a March 9 FDOT study — released just four days later — that showed the system would have made a $10 million profit in its first year and at least tripled that yearly figure within a decade of operation.

Mica fought tirelessly to save a piece of the project — a leg from the Orlando International Airport to the theme park area, which he said would have proven more lucrative. After Scott’s call to White House Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to reject the $2.4 billion, Mica said he was “disappointed” that Scott refused to even consider several alternatives — some that would have taken the project completely out of the state’s hands.

Disappointed is an understatement. Leaders can’t make good decisions without all of the facts. Scott folded his arms like a stubborn child and neglected to properly weigh and evaluate other options for the system. We hope he doesn’t make the same devastating mistake with SunRail.

He’s already showing progress by announcing a timeframe for his decision instead of springing it upon the state and upending Florida’s congressional offices. Four months — that’s the running time for Mica’s next battle. House Transportation Committee chairman Mica, Florida House Speaker Dean Cannon and Senate Majority Leader Andy Gardiner need to pace themselves and build up an arsenal of studies and endorsements that Scott won’t be able to ignore.

SunRail is in Scott’s proposed budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, and it seems that he’s using the project as leverage to persuade lawmakers to favor his $1.7 billion worth of corporate and property tax cuts. Lawmakers have been uneasy about the cuts as the state faces a $4 billion budget hole. The only way to cover that shortfall — it’s law that the state has to balance its budget — is to make cuts in education and health care, which account for more than 45 percent of the budget pie.

But lawmakers shouldn’t let themselves be bullied. Sen. Thad Altman, R-Melbourne, told the Orlando Sentinel last week that Scott’s decisions on both rail projects “are politically motivated and not based on good, sound management decisions or economics.” Altman said Scott is not respecting the legislative process. Caving into pressure from Scott would further destruct the increasingly shaky foundation of our democracy.

SunRail construction should have started this month, bringing loads of jobs to the beleaguered construction industry, and prices are only going to increase from here. It won’t hurt to take a closer look at SunRail to review the plans’ merits — maybe the deal can get even more streamlined — but the project should not be piecemealed. We’re confident that the evidence in favor of SunRail will speak for itself. We just hope Scott listens this time.