Heading into Budget Proposal, Gov. Scott Puts Brakes on SunRail

TALLAHASSEE – Governor Scott has halted progress on the $1.2 billion Florida SunRail project, centrail Florida's planned commuter train. The governor put a hold on $235 million in project contracts that were flagged as "urgent" by the Florida Department of Transportation. The contracts include $168 million for designing and building the first phase of the line and $39 million more for cars, according to documents released by the Governor's Office.

Governor Scott signed an executive order immediately after he taking office, which froze nearly 900 regulations awaiting approval and literally hundreds of contracts, each worth more than $1 million. Contracts related to the SunRail were some of the first targeted by Scott and his staff for further scrutiny.

Scott had vowed to turn away such projects while on the campaign trail and on his first day in Tallahassee was met by activists who intended to make sure he made good by getting rid of what they viewed to be a wasteful project. Scott is also reportedly weighing the future of 26 other contracts including money for solar panels on state buildings and energy-saving improvements to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement building.

* SunRail is not to be confused with the high-speed rail project slated to run between Tampa and Orlando.