Name That Florida Republi-CON

He "describes himself as a fiscal conservative, arguing that 'all taxpayer-funded infrastructure projects must be wise investments.' But he has pulled strings in Washington to get special consideration for [this pet] project. . . [spending] years badgering federal agencies, bullying state officials, blocking Amtrak naysayers and trying to bypass federal restrictions to build support and squash opposition to the commuter line."

However, this " 61-mile commuter rail project . . . ranks as one of the least cost-effective mass transit efforts in the nation.

With a price tag of $1.2 billion at completion, the rail line is expected to serve just 2,150 commuters a day when it starts operating in three years. It will not link to the Orlando airport or Disney World, among the region’s biggest traffic generators. Florida’s governor is even considering killing the project, worried that local government officials will rebel if they have to cover any shortfalls at the fare box.

But the so-called SunRail project has survived, at least so far, a testament to the ability of one congressman to help push through hundreds of millions of dollars in federal spending, even at a time of deep concern over ballooning federal deficits.

[He is] "chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has spent years badgering federal agencies, bullying state officials, blocking Amtrak naysayers and trying to bypass federal restrictions to build support and squash opposition to the commuter line. . .

But skeptics question whether [his] real goal is to give a taxpayer-financed gift to CSX, the freight rail giant and a generous Mica campaign donor, which would get $432 million for its tracks and for upgrades to tracks it owns elsewhere in the state."

Read The New York Times, A Congressman’s Pet Project; a Railroad’s Boon.