Transit setbacks may be costly

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Transit setbacks may be costly

Opinions

Wednesday, 16 March 2011 11:30

Osceola County residents and their counterparts all over Florida have much to think about these days in terms of how the state will move forward in coming months and years.
First, we have to wonder about the future of transportation, specifically mass transit. Gov. Rick Scott has rejected federal funding for high-speed rail between Orlando and Tampa and, more recently, he delayed funding for SunRail at least until summer in order to have time to review the project.
We hope that the governor – if he chooses to derail SunRail completely – offers an alternative solution at equal or lesser cost than SunRail to relieving the congestion on Interstate 4 and other roadways.
As our population resumes its growth once the economy improves, we are going to need mass transit alternatives to get in and out of our population centers. Adding an unlimited number of lanes to existing highways and interstates isn’t feasible and certainly won’t be inexpensive.
We also worry that our reluctance to move forward on rail transit now will hinder our ability in the future to secure federal funding for transit projects. The bottom line is that we need jobs and economic stimulus now, especially in light of Osceola County’s continued high unemployment rate.
On another related issue, the Florida House recently passed a bill that would make it harder for those who are out of work through no fault of their own to get unemployment compensation. Community service requirements, a skills test and reducing the number of weeks compensation can be paid (a cut of six weeks) appear to be based on the idea that people who are getting benefits don’t deserve them. This legislation would tie the number of available benefit weeks to the unemployment rate, with more weeks available as the rate increases.
Advocates say it would create jobs by providing needed tax relief to Florida businesses. While it might do that, the change also would take money out of the hands of those who would spend it quickly in this and future recessions, which is a benefit to businesses, not a detriment.
From what we understand, Florida already has one of the strictest unemployment compensation systems in the country. Plus, Florida also reportedly has the fourth lowest maximum weekly benefit in the country – $275 – with an average weekly payment of $230. These statistics are not something in which we should take pride.