From 83 Degrees Magazine - Tampa Bay's new media sensation covering the talent, innovation, diversity and economic development of Tampa Bay from 83 Degrees in Tampa Bay.

High On High Speed Rail

A roundtable cabal of high speed rail supporters gathered this week at the Greater Tampa Bay Chamber Partnership offices to ponder strategies to get the deal complete in the face of voter rejection and loss of political support in Tallahassee.

Rail was soundly rejected at the Hillsborough polls in November, now the new governor has denied State involvement in HSR. This will not stop these zealots of self interest. HSR backers say these concerns are moot since they are entitled to do as they please.

A more recent setback was the failure of their Plan B, the backup plan to loosing the referendum vote to just go ahead and have TBARTA issue the tax anyway. This plan was mucked up by Florida law and common sense. The naysayers insisted on “no taxation without representation” as some kind of legal right.

Here are some ideas raised at the commiserating roundtable of failed projects:

• Somehow pretend that HSR is a jobs project, hey it worked with the Raymond James Stadium scam,

•  Hire more lobbyists and consultant.

• Develop new powerful buzzwords like reinvent, bonanza, train-cluster, or something to re-brand the issue and campaign.

• Have TBARTA declare itself a sovereign nation then appoint a king who will build HSR.

From 83 Degrees Magazine - Tampa Bay's new media sensation covering the talent, innovation, diversity and economic development of Tampa Bay from 83 Degrees in Tampa