Bridging the gap

It’s 7:30 a.m. as U.S. Rep. John Mica steps out of an elevator on the 18th floor of the Citrus Center tower in downtown Orlando, turns to the right, and is immediately ambushed by handshakes.

The man who became a prominent face for the SunRail system blazing its way through Central Florida has recently been recast as a peacemaker, bringing together counties and cities up and down the 61-mile long commuter rail system. But today, inside the opulent Citrus Club overlooking Orange Avenue through floor to ceiling windows, he’s here to talk business — namely what SunRail can do for Central Florida’s coffers.

Working his way quickly through the crowd, Winter Park Mayor Ken Bradley rushes to shake Mica’s hand, extending an olive branch from one of the cities that’s been dubbed by some detractors as having the most to lose by having more rail traffic funnel through its downtown.

"It’s good to see you again," Bradley says with an outstretched hand, knowing that on Winter Park’s commission, his opinion was in the minority on some key aspects of the rail deal. Ever the proponent of the commuter rail system, he looks happy to say hello to Mica, though he’s also running interference for his fellow commissioners.

Some members of Bradley’s own City Commission had argued that Winter Park had been "pressured" into a deal with Orange County that would leave the city open to large liabilities if an accident were to happen anywhere along the line. Recently the Commission has made a more concerted effort to get that deal changed to reduce the city’s financial burden and potential liability to lawsuits and damages.

Winter Park City Commissioner Beth Dillaha had argued for more than two years that the city should seek improvements to its funding agreement with Orange County to share the financial burden and potential liability of operating the commuter rail system through its borders.

"This is a very bad contract on a number of levels," Dillaha said about the deal between the city and county at an April 12 meeting.

A few days after Mica talked money with Central Florida’s business elite, Bradley was in another room, this time on the ground level at the Rachel D. Murrah Civic Center, shaking another set of hands, and downplaying what discord remains between the city and the county.

"There will be a rail stop in Winter Park barring some minor language changes in the agreement," Bradley said.

A handful of prominent politicians talked about easing Winter Park into harmony with the rest of the municipalities involved in the system. It was also a forum for some snarky commentary on what’s held the city back.

"Winter Park and commuter rail hasn’t been an issue, it’s been a soap opera," Orange County Commissioner Bill Segal said. As for renegotiating the city’s agreement with the county, Segal said, "We want Winter Park to be comfortable because we want them to have a stop."

But the traditional proponents of the system fought back, talking up the potential the system has for bringing money into the city, while at the same time avoiding or downplaying the city’s issues with its agreement with the county.

"I don’t think any community along the line is better suited to have success than Winter Park," State Sen. Lee Constantine said. "None of them have a stop in the heart of a business and shopping district."

That, he said, outweighs the potential negatives in the controversial deal.

"Winter Park will get more value out of this than any other stop along the way," he said.