Grover Norquist warned lawmakers not to vote for a rental car surcharge to subsidize financially flailing Tri-Rail as officials consider a special session on rail issues as early as next month.

Norquist, head of Washington, D.C.-based Americans for Tax Reform, sent legislators and Gov. Charlie Crist a letter today urging them to forget about the rental car tax.

They’re trying to reach consensus on SunRail, the controversial Central Florida commuter line that lawmakers failed to pass for two years in a row, by including the provision for the South Florida commuter rail.

And they’re trying to convince federal lawmakers that they’re committed to light rail although Tri-Rail lacks a dedicated funding source and ran more than $80 million in the red last year.

That’s because they want to get federal transportation funding for new rail projects Sunrail.

Crist, a SunRail supporter, is urging House and Senate leaders to call a special session as early as next month to deal with the commuter rail project and said today he supports giving voters in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties where Tri-Rail operates the chance to decide whether they want the surcharge.

Lawmakers did previously pass the surcharge but Gov. Jeb Bush vetoed it.

Whether voters approve it or not doesn’t appear to make a difference to Norquist.

“Despite allowing for ‘protections’ such as those in SB 1212 that would bring a tax hike to referendum, allowing a tax hike is still a bad idea,” Norquist wrote. “Facilitating a clear path that allows others to raise taxes is itself an act supporting tax increases.”