The Florida Senate Transportation Committee today passed Senate Bill 572 by Senator Debbie Mayfield, which establishes the Florida High Speed Passenger Rail Safety Act.
Brent Hanlon, chairman of Citizens Against Rail Expansion in Florida (CARE FL), released the following statement regarding the committee’s passage of the bill.
“Today’s vote by the Senate Transportation Committee demonstrates the commitment our elected leaders have to the safety and well-being of Florida residents and to the taxpayers.
“Residents of the Treasure Coast region have repeatedly expressed concerns about the ill-conceived All Aboard Florida rail project that will allow 32 trains to crisscross through pedestrian communities at high rates of speed. How can we expect school children, pedestrians, motorists and first responders to navigate through all this additional high-speed rail traffic?
“Sen. Mayfield’s proposal is desperately needed because AAF and its leaders have fought the residents of our community every step of the way by not only rejecting our safety concerns and repeated requests for the implementation of safety measures, but by also shifting the costs of any necessary safety upgrades to the taxpayers.
“According to the Federal Railroad Administration, there have been 48 rail related deaths in Florida this year. And more than half of those deaths occurred in South Florida where they have both freight and passenger rail. There is currently no law or regulation governing high speed rail safety in our state.
“We thank Senator Mayfield for her unwavering commitment to safety and thank the members of the Senate Transportation Committee for hearing our concerns.”
Senate Transportation Committee
Senate Committee Votes to Protect Florida’s Reemployment Program From Criminal Fraud
The Senate Transportation Committee today unanimously approved SB 372, sponsored by Senator Kelli Stargel, which strengthens the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s efforts to fight fraud in the state’s Reemployment Assistance program. The legislation provides DEO access to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles’ DAVID System, which includes the state photo identification database.
Cissy Proctor, Executive Director of the Department of Economic Opportunity, said, “I want to thank Senator Stargel, Chairman Gainer and the Senate Transportation committee for their leadership in protecting Florida’s Reemployment Assistance program from theft and fraud. This good bill will help DEO quickly identify criminals and prevent them from stealing Reemployment Assistance from job seekers who are trying to get back to work.”
The legislation includes the tools and legal authorizations that are critical to prevent and fight public benefits fraud by providing DEO access to the driver’s license database to confirm provided IDs are not fraudulent.
About DEO
The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity combines the state’s economic, workforce, and community development efforts. This new approach helps expedite economic development projects to fuel job creation in competitive communities. For more information, including valuable resources for employers and job seekers, please visit www.floridajobs.org.
