http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/sep/22/high-speed-rail-proponents-want-more-support-tampa/news-money/


Rail proponents want more support for Tampa-Orlando route

By TED JACKOVICS  | The Tampa Tribune

High-speed rail advocate Ed Turanchik said he has gathered 5,000 members for the FastRailConnectUs.com group he created in mid-August, backed by a consortium of local business groups.

This morning, Turanchik called for additional business support to lobby
the Obama administration to select the Tampa-Lakeland-Orlando high speed rail corridor in December to receive $2.5 billion in federal stimulus
funds.

Turanchik outlined a range of potential business benefits to the Tampa
Bay area if the rail line were begun as envisioned in 2011 and completed
by 2014 to a group of about 75 people at a Tampa Downtown Partnership gathering:

High-speed rail connections could serve as a recruiting tool for the
Tampa Convention Center, with groups holding conferences in Tampa able to travel the 60 miles to Disney in a half-hour or so on 150 mph trains.

Visitors to Orlando could take a high-speed train from Orlando
International Airport and the International Drive hotel complex to Tampa
to visit local venues like Busch Gardens and make connections to the
Pinellas beaches.

High speed rail connections could strengthen development of the "I-4
high-tech corridor."

Residents of the Tampa area, for example, could seek employment in
Lakeland and Orlando, which could pay off when job opportunities arise.

While Turanchik did not elaborate on the point, local companies in the
past have cited instances where recruitment of high-skilled
professionals, such as engineers, has been thwarted because
opportunities for spouses did not exist locally.