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Rick Scott Can Keep High-Speed Rail Away

By Adam Sorensen | @adamsorensen | March 4, 2011 | +

So rules Florida’s Supreme Court. The decision, reprinted in full after the jump, is just one page long and succinctly notes that there’s absolutely nothing that prevents Governor Scott from declining federal rail dollars. The suit filed by state senators Thad Altman, a Republican, and Arthenia Joyner, a Democrat, basically argued that Scott overreached by turning down the money after the legislature had approved it. The Obama administration hopes to spend $53 billion to expand passenger bullet trains over the next six years, but whether that money ever gets appropriated or not, it won’t be going through Tallahassee any time soon. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will send this $2.4 billion project elsewhere.

THAD ALTMAN, ET AL.
vs. HON. RICK SCOTT, GOVERNOR
___________________________________________________________________
Petitioner(s)
Respondent(s)

On March 2, 2011, petitioners filed with the Court an “Emergency Verified

Petition for Writ of Quo Warranto, or in the Alternative, for Writ of Mandamus, or

other Equitable Relief.” The petition was filed as an original proceeding pursuant

to article V, section 3(b)(8) of the Florida Constitution. The emergency nature of

the petition is based on an alleged March 4, 2011, federal deadline by which to

“accept” $2.4 billion in federal grant funds for construction of a high speed rail

project. The petitioners allege that Governor Scott has exceeded his constitutional

authority and violated the separation of powers under the Florida Constitution.

The Court has reviewed the petition, response, and reply, has heard oral argument,

and has considered the factual allegations and legal arguments. Based on the

limited record before the Court and a review of the federal and state law relied on

by the parties, the Court has determined that the petitioners have not clearly

demonstrated entitlement to quo warranto, mandamus, or any other relief.

Accordingly, the emergency petition is hereby denied.

NO MOTION FOR REHEARING SHALL BE PERMITTED.

CANADY, C.J., PARIENTE, LEWIS, QUINCE, POLSTON, LABARGA, and
PERRY, JJ., concur.

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  • allthingsinaname

    You get what you vote for.

  • nflfoghorn

    Indeed. Collectively we’re dumb ****s.

  • nflfoghorn

    God help us if a hurricane hits. He might refuse that too.
    .
    But at least our teachers will now produce better-educated kids once he cuts millions from the education budget.

  • nflfoghorn

    that = FEMA $

  • Matt

    So a handful of Republican appointees to the Florida Supreme Court has basically ruled that the Sunshine State is a dictatorship run by the governor, and the state legislature is worthless and powerless. That’s what this boils down to. Wonder if the ruling would have been the same if it were a Dem governor…
    http://www.sunstateactivist.org

  • afguy

    Is this what happens when you “scare” a state full of elderly voters into electing someone who will “protect” their retirement investments by cutting waste?

  • allthingsinaname

    I am elderly and your statement is hogwash! This what happens when people do not vote, or do not understand what they are voting for.
    .
    Those people come in all the age, social, and economic brackets I can think of.

  • shepherdwong

    I’m actually with Scott on this. I can’t think of a bigger waste of money than building a high-speed train to Orlando.

  • troubador222

    Which means it is decided law then and I accept it. Thats the way it works. I still think it is a terrible choice though that cost the state a lot of jobs. Where I live and am trying to find a good job while working where I can.

  • allthingsinaname

    Well on second thought not hogwash, but certainly incomplete.

  • allthingsinaname

    Inside joke?

  • CP in FL

    The train would have eventually gone to Miami and beyond when a national network of high speed rail is constructed. Governor dipsh!t just shipped over 2 billion dollars and tens of thousands of jobs to California. The Florida HSR project was already approved by the legislature before Scott was elected. I guess King Scott gets to make the laws in Florida now. I wish I could move to California.

  • CP in FL

    Scott basically bought the election in Florida. He spent 75 million of his money (stolen from the US taxpayers while CEO of HCA) on the election. A little over 2,588,000 out of a total of around 8,000,000 registered voters in Florida elected this clown.

  • newfreedomblog

    The train would have eventually gone to Miami and beyond…

    .
    Pray tell what is “beyond” Miami? Key West? Havana?
    .
    Yes, Castro would be so proud….happy….giggling even.

  • nflfoghorn

    “Honorable,” my butt.

  • shepherdwong

    “Inside joke?”
    .
    For anyone who’s ever had to misfortune to be in Orlando. For that matter, ship St. Augustine to the upper 49 and just close-off the rest of the state. It will be under water in a few decades anyway.

  • allthingsinaname

    So next he will be asking billions for a sea wall around the State?

  • 53_3

    The hurricane or the help?
    .
    I don’t think he’s quite up there with God yet on the food chain.

  • 53_3

    Hey, more money for us up here!
    .
    We’ve already started to tear down the Alaskan Way Viaduct.
    .
    A good thing, too, because the viaduct just seems more and more lie a monument to Highway 880 in Oakland. It shimmies and wiggles in an earthquake.
    .
    They showed pictures of it yesterday. Some women’s breasts and butts do that, but steel and cement?
    .
    No way…

  • lreed580

    When the topic of HSR in Florida was discussed on C-span’s Washington journal, you had quite a few callers, including Republicans, who were really upset with Scott turning this money down. Of course, there’s any number of states standing in line to take those funds.

  • truevcu

    Given how bad traffic is up here I REALLY hope one of them is Virginia

  • apr2563

    Gimmee, gimmee, gimmee. I will find good use for the money.
    .
    Scott would rather get government money through fraud.
    .
    http://motherjones.com/mojo/2010/11/rick-scott-florida-governor-alex-sink
    .
    Rick Scott Buys, Er, Wins Florida Governor Race
    .
    “Scott brings to the governor’s mansion in Tallahassee quite a checkered past. For starters, there’s that $1.7 billion federal fine—the largest of its kind in American history—slapped on the hospital chain that Scott founded and led as CEO, Columbia/HCA, for health care overbilling. (Scott was not charged in the federal investigation, but the company pleaded guilty to 14 felony charges.) Since then, Scott has fended off similar accusations of overbilling by Solantic, the health clinic chain he subsequently founded and in which he’s the majority investor.”

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