Why Osceola residents need to vote "for" SunRail

If you’re an Osceola County resident who rides SunRail, please read this article.

Osceola County is holding a special election on May 21^st to ask residents to support a referendum that can help pay for and improve public transportation – SunRail and Lynx.

Please vote “for” this referendum that will increase the county sales tax by one penny.

If approved, this tax would raise $67 million per year.

This money will go for transportation – including SunRail and Lynx service in Osceola County. 

In case you didn’t know it, the Florida Department of Transportation is subsidizing SunRail until 2021, when it will be the responsibility of Osceola and the other SunRail partners – Orlando, Orange, Seminole, and Volusia counties – to pick up the tab.

No public transit system in the world can pay for operations solely from the fare box. Typically, a transit system can pay about 30 percent of the costs from fares. Beyond that, they need government support.

Without a dedicated funding source, SunRail would have to go from county to county every year begging commissioners for enough money to keep running. That’s what Lynx has been doing for years, which is why our public bus system is barely scraping by.

Remember, public transit is a service. The police and fire are also very expensive services paid for by the government. Unlike police and fire, transit raises some of the money needed to pay for its operating costs. Keep in mind that all transportation – from the street outside your house to the airlines – receive government subsidies.

No doubt you can see every day how many Osceola residents ride SunRail.

The SunRail train has been a huge hit since last summer when it started serving stations at Tupperware, Kissimmee, and Poinciana. Folks boarding at those stations and Meadow Woods in Orange County have nearly doubled SunRail’s daily ridership.

Granted adding a penny to the sales tax will put a squeeze on some residents. But the sacrifice is worth it because communities with a strong transportation system – both roads and public transit – are attractive to investors and that means more employers; more and better employment opportunities, and a better standard of living for everyone.

We strongly encourage Osceola riders you and your neighbors to vote “for” this referendum on May 21^st.

Hopefully, Orlando, Orange, Seminole and Volusia counties will soon follow Osceola’s leadership to create dedicated funding sources for public transportation.