In response to an ill-formed and ill-placed constitutional amendment passed on the 2000 general ballot, the Florida Legislature in its 2001 Session created a High-Speed Rail Authority. The legislature then gave the Authority an unrealistic deadline to generate a rushed concept with a development timeline that is unattainable, a mammoth billion-dollar price tag, and few complete answers to logistical mega-questions. As a result, these latest actions could leave the Florida Legislature and taxpayers paying into the next century for the overconfidence of the high-speed rail proponents.
