Below is an informal overview of the Weekly Washington activities of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.
FLORIDA HIGH SPEED RAIL
The Department of Transportation announced this week that Florida will get an additional $800 million of federal funds to create high-speed rail service between Orlando and Tampa, plus $8 million to begin planning for a link between Orlando and Miami. The recent allocation of federal dollars follows $1.25 billion already announced for Florida’s high-speed rail. The award means Florida only needs about $300 million more from the federal government, plus the state’s share, to complete the $2.6 billion first phase Tampa/Orlando project. The remaining federal funds could come next year, Senator Bill Nelson’s staff said. Securing federal matching funds for the work along this corridor will allow the work program to move forward more aggressively and create the opportunity for commencing its construction in a timely manner. These dollars will help to initiate the necessary environmental and engineering work to prepare the Miami-Orlando Corridor for construction and integration into Florida’s High Speed Rail corridor. The Miami-Orlando segment is critical to the success of this high speed rail system as it represents an estimated 85 percent of the ridership for federally designated Tampa-Orlando-Miami High Speed Rail corridor and will have speeds in excess of 180 miles per hour.
BEACON COUNCIL AND The Miami International Aerospace Show
OIA and the Beacon Council participated in a meeting with Senator Nelson’s office on Wednesday to discuss their application submission for grant funding through the EDA Space Coast RIC program. The application is for completion of the studies and plans required to implement the Miami International Aerospace Show (MIAS) by November 2012. The project has received support of Miami-Dade County, Enterprise Florida, Space Florida and Space Coast EDC. Additionally, the Beacon Council has briefed the EDC of Florida’s Space Coast, Space Florida, Enterprise Florida, Inc., and the South Florida Congressional Delegation on the MIAS.
The Aviation and Aerospace Industry is strategically targeted by the State of Florida, The Space Coast and Miami-Dade County for economic development. The Beacon Council identified an opportunity within the aerospace show industry due to the fact that no major commercial aerospace show exists in the United States or within the Americas. International aviation industry leaders have encouraged the Beacon Council to establish an international commercial aerospace show in Miami-Dade County. As such, the Beacon Council team developed a phased approach to pursue planning, promoting and implementing a commercial aerospace show in Miami-Dade County. MIAS will be a major international aerospace industry trade event that includes all industry sectors including aerospace, defense, commercial, general and business aviation, as well as aviation maintenance and support. A key feature of MIAS is to showcase Florida’s Aerospace industry to expand job creation opportunities in Miami-Dade County and in the State of Florida.
TIGER II GRANT PROGRAM
This week, Miami Aviation Department Director Jose Abreu and OIA met with Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart and Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart to brief them on the airport’s 25th street viaduct project. Director Abreu thanked both Congressmen for their strong support in trying to receive federal funding for this crucial project under the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER II) Discretionary Grant Program. The airport’s application is in the amount of $27 million for the N.W. 25th Street Viaduct (West) Air Cargo and Freight Access Project Phase II. This project provides critical ground access to the air cargo area of the nation’s top-ranked international air cargo airport at MIA. The project will create approximately 5,300 direct, indirect and induced construction-related jobs; 4,703 new on-airport and 23,514 new off-airport air cargo handling jobs through 2030; and capture $6.6 billion in air cargo-related economic benefits. OIA will continue to work with our entire South Florida Congressional Delegation to try and complete this important project to improve the County’s economy.
TIGER II GRANT PROGRAM
OIA, the Miami International Airport, and the Port of Miami have been working together to seek support for federal funds for major infrastructure projects in South Florida. This week, the South Florida Congressional Delegation sent a letter to the Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to show their strong support for two applications submitted by Miami-Dade County for funding consideration under the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER II) Discretionary Grant Program. The first application is in the amount of $27 million for the N.W. 25th Street Viaduct (West) Air Cargo and Freight Access Project Phase II. This project provides critical ground access to the air cargo area of the nation’s top-ranked international air cargo airport at MIA. The project will create approximately 5,300 direct, indirect and induced construction-related jobs; 4,703 new on-airport and 23,514 new off-airport air cargo handling jobs through 2030; and capture $6.6 billion in air cargo-related economic benefits. The second application is the Port of Miami (POM) Intermodal and Rail Reconnection Project in the amount of $28 million to reestablish rail connectivity to the Port. By improving the Port of Miami’s rail assets and its lead line, this project will provide a comprehensive intermodal rail system and will help sustain the port’s normal growth as well as any new growth that might result from the expansion of the Panama Canal.
