Scott made the right call

Congratulations are in order for Gov. Rick Scott, and now for Florida Sen. Mike Haridopolos, for protecting taxpayers by halting Florida’s ill-conceived high-speed rail project. Scott says the project is far too costly to taxpayers, and the risk far outweighs the benefits while Haridopolos asserts “We will not finance our future …” and “… under no circumstances would we use state dollars, needed to support priorities like education, to pay for high-speed rail. For Floridians, that would be unforgivable. Florida is leading by example in keeping its fiscal house in order.”

Now, it’s time for Scott, with Haridopolos’ support, to put the brakes on the boondoggle SunRail project for the very same reasons. The $432 million set aside for SunRail, per passage of the 2009 rail bill, should be utilized for priorities of Floridians and to plug the state budget deficit.

The SunRail commuter rail project, with its $1.2 billion first-year start-up, lacks a funding source (a clever term for new or increased taxes) to operate and maintain the system for 92 years of the 99-year commitment. Florida’s taxpayers would pick up the first seven years of operating and maintenance costs with responsibility for funding the remaining years falling solely to the taxpayers of Central Florida. On such projects, history consistently shows us costs are significantly underestimated and ridership optimistically overstated. But, unbeknownst to Central Floridians, FDOT, with the approval of Central Florida politicians, have a solution for that: funds for our existing road and bridge projects will be raided or deferred in order to provide for a projected 4,000 SunRail riders.

As a city commissioner, I studied the details of this commuter rail project for years and opposed it for the same reasons cited by Scott and Haridopolos. Approvals of the SunRail project were made in the heyday of the economy when optimism, irrational exuberance and the idea that future elected representatives would figure out how to make taxpayers pay for it were considered acceptable criteria for decision-making.

That style of decision-making is laughable in today’s world. It is unacceptable to the taxpayers, represents an irresponsible methodology for approving projects and spending, and threatens the fiscal sustainability of our future.

No prudent citizen or businessperson would incur debt without a hint as to how he or she would pay it back. Nor would a prudent bank lend money in such a scenario. Yet our legislators repeatedly ignore common sense, and commit to spending with only a vague reliance on future optimism to guarantee against default. It’s time we limited Fantasyland to its proper make-believe adventure at Disney World and not an everyday experience in Florida government.

It’s time for fiscal prudence. It’s time for leaders who have the fortitude and courage to “just say no.”