Florida labor unions blasted state transportation officials for refusing to back down from a proposal to do away with union workers on railroads.

Lawmakers are expected to meet later this week in a special session to vote on commuter rail issues in an effort to tap into nearly $4 billion in federal stimulus money for transportation projects being doled out in January.

At issue is the controversial Central Florida SunRail commuter rail project that lawmakers failed to approve during the past two regular legislative sessions.

Florida Department of Transportation officials already signed off on a deal in which the state would pay transportation behemoth CSX Inc. about $500 million for 61 miles of track and upgrades to its railyards and continue to be able to haul freight on the line that would also be used as a commuter system.

The unions accuse FDOT of refusing to negotiate with them over language in a proposed bill that would effectively prohibit union laborers from working on the construction of new projects or on the SunRail line.

Mike Williams, head of the state AFL-CIO, called the effort “government-sanctioned union busting at its very best.”

FDOT officials have not yet responded to the accusations.

SunRail has the backing of prominent GOP lawmakers, including Gov. Charlie Crist.

The session is also supposed to include a fix for the financially ailing Tri-Rail line.

Next week’s special session to prove the state’s commitment to commuter rail could go nowhere without concessions to unions.

Senate President Jeff Atwater is trying to round up support for a Central Florida commuter line by linking it to a financial fix for the flailing Tri-Rail to draw down federal money for a third project, a high-speed line linking Tampa, Orlando and Miami.

The bill’s been negotiated by House and Senate leaders and the governor’s office behind closed doors throughout the month.

But Atwater’s ability to pass the measure in the Senate could hinge on two key Democratic senators: Democratic Leader Al Lawson of Tallahassee and Tony Hill of Jacksonville.

The labor unions were part of a coalition that killed the Central Florida SunRail deal despite backing from powerful GOP lawmakers and Gov. Charlie Crist.

Now the unions are pressuring Lawson and Hill to oppose the measure that is expected to include a provision that would allow SunRail to operate without union workers and do away with some Tri-Rail union jobs.

It might be hard for Lawson and Hill to turn their backs on the unions next week.

(more…)

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.”

Republican Gov. Charlie Crist said this morning he hopes to announce a special session dedicated to passenger rail issues by Thanksgiving. He described his ongoing negotiations with Senate President Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, and House Speaker Larry Cretul, R-Ocala, over a potential December session as “hopefully optimistic.”

There’s a list of issues being hammered out, but at the top is finding money for South Florida’s cash-strapped Tri-Rail. Republicans are targeting a $2 fee on rental cars as the source and discussing whether to let county commissions approve the charge or require a referendum.

“That’s sort of one of the issues we’re dealing with,” Crist said.

Florida’s Republican leaders believe they need to settle funding issues for Tri-Rail and a host of insurance and money issues for a proposed Central Florida line known as SunRail before the state has any chance at securing $2.5 billion in federal stimulus money for an Orlando-Tampa bullet train.

“That – in terms of job creation, in terms of alternative transportation arteries for our fellow Floridians — is incredibly important,” Crist said of the stimulus money. “And I would really hate to see that opportunity lost.”

Some background on the issue here.

State Sen. Paula Dockery will enter the race for governor tomorrow, ending months of speculation about whether Attorney General Bill McCollum will face a GOP primary opponent.

Dockery confirmed that she will file papers to enter the race tomorrow.

The Lakeland Republican earned an ardent following in the spring when she led a winning crusade against a proposed Central Florida commuter rail line backed by prominent GOP leaders including Gov. Charlie Crist.

Dockery raised a ruckus about a deal in which the state would have paid transportation behemoth CSX Inc. more than $600 million for 61 miles of track for the SunRail project. Lawmakers ultimately refused to pass it even after a last-ditch effort to link it to the floundering Tri-Rail that was $80 million in the red last year.

Florida’s lagging economy that forced the legislature to trim more than $5 billion from the state budget over two years bolstered Dockery’s opposition to the project.

Dockery also criticized a component of the deal that makes the state liable for any accidents on the rail line even if they are caused by CSX, which would still be allowed to run freight cars on the commuter line.

Perhaps not coincidentally, SunRail supporter McCollum, who hails from the Orlando area, today ordered Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Stephanie Kopelousos to appear before the Cabinet on Nov. 17 to give an update on the liability issue.

“I strongly support legislation to implement a SunRail agreement,” McCollum wrote.