Court Says Scott Can Reject Federal Rail Money March 4, 2011 | WMFE - The Florida Supreme Court has upheld Gov. Rick Scott's authority to kill the proposed Orlando to Tampa high-speed rail line. Two state senators, Democrat Arthenia Joyner of Tampa and Thad Altman, a Republican from Viera sued Scott. They argued that he had overstepped his authority and violated Florida's constitution by rejecting the federal funding. But the state's high court disagreed. The justices said there were no grounds to compel Scott to accept the federal money.
Immediately following the court’s decision, Gov. Scott contacted U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and told him that Florida will focus on other infrastructure projects instead. California, Washington and Illinois are among several states that have expressed interest in accepting the federal money. Governor Scott immediately unveiled a $77 million dollar proposal to dredge the Port of Miami to accommodate larger ships expected to be traveling through the expanded Panama Canal.
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