May 2009
Community Paper
copyright ©2009 by Community Paper College Park, Inc. All rights reserved.


From the Desk of Orange County Commissioner Bill Segal

Sunrail needs our help!
I hope many of you believe, like me, that Sunrail is the way of the future. Sunrail is our commuter rail train that will run from Poinciana to Deland and be the spine of a multimodal transportation system that will one day allow people to work, shop or recreate with ease and efficiency. We simply can’t continue to build more roads to alleviate gridlock – we have to move people in mass transportation.
    Don’t be fooled by reports that the money for Sunrail can go to offset education funding. Our schools need help as well, but the money for Sunrail was appropriated last year by the State Legislature and if we don’t spend it on Sunrail, it will go to other transportation projects around the state instead of here at home. There are some very hard choices the legislature will have to make this year about spending priorities and I believe education spending should be one of their top priorities.
    I traveled to Tallahassee this year on my own dime to let our legislators know how important I thought Sunrail was to our continued progress as a County and region. I hope you will join me in pushing for this important project.
    Right now Sunrail is held up in the State Senate. Please consider calling your state Senator and letting them know how important you think this project is. If you don’t have their number, please contact my office at 407-836-7304 or district5@ocfl.net and we’ll give you their contact information. If you are on Facebook, please join the group “Let’s find 10,000 Floridians who support Sunrail. You can also contact State Senators who have not yet committed one way or the other and ask for their support. Again, contact my office for a list of people we need to contact.
    Thanks so much and I hope you will join me in fighting for Sunrail!

As always, if I or any one of my staff can be of assistance, please don’t hesitate to call us at 407-836-7350 or email us at district5@ocfl.net
Commissioner Bill Segal