Senate vote keeps CSX-Orlando on track

The engine keeps chugging, but is this any way to run a government?

TALLAHASSEE - The Senate narrowly defeated an amendment to steer millions of dollars away from Central Florida’s commuter rail project Wednesday as the Legislature opened debate on the state's $65 billion proposed budget.

A bipartisan group of senators opposing the state’s $650 million-plus deal to buy the 61-mile rail line from CSX Corp. for commuter rail tried to divert $20 million of that pot to make up spending reductions to courts – arguing the rail deal was less important than courts.

Republican Sens. Alex Villalobos of Miami, Charlie Dean of Inverness, and Paula Dockery of Lakeland joined in with Democrats trying to transfer rail dollars from the Department of Transportation budget to other priorities like courts and elderly care. - Orlando Sentinel

Other updates on CSX Corp.:

• Palm Beach Post: People lose, trains win in Senate budget debate


• See how each senator voted ("N" is a vote for CSX; "Y" is a vote for taxpayers and transparency): Senate Bill 2900, A19


• JACKSONVILLE - CSX Corp. was the top performing Jacksonville-based company with a 27 percent first-quarter stock price gain, following a 28 percent rise in 2007. CSX's first-quarter performance stood out nationally as the sixth-best gain among all stocks in the S&P 500. - Black Enterprise


• MINNEAPOLIS - Agricultural giant Archer-Daniels-Midland filed a federal anti-trust lawsuit in Minneapolis made public Wednesday [Mar. 26], accusing the five largest U.S. railroads of a price-fixing conspiracy. ADM joins a growing chorus of companies that have filed such claims against the railroads since last year. - US AgNet