Why Is A High Speed Rail System Being Proposed By Constitutional Amendment?
Proponents of Amendment One say its genesis was a sense of frustration over the on-and-off status of building a high-speed rail, and the belief that a project of such magnitude of time and cost, if approved, should be beyond the reach of future legislatures and governors to derail. Proponents note that the concept of a high speed rail for Florida has been discussed for decades; that a legislatively established High Speed Rail Transportation Commission studied it beginning in 1984; and that in 1992 the Legislature enacted the Florida High-Speed Rail Transportation Act (Chapter 341, Florida Statutes). Proponents point out that this law has not been repealed, they contend that it is not being observed by the Governor and Legislature, and they therefore are pushing a strong constitutional amendment. The existing law of the land (Florida Statutes) states, in part: 341.321 (1), F.S. The intent of ss. 341.3201-341.386 is…to encourage and enhance the establishment of a high-speed rail transp
