Transportation "avatars" of Central Florida

At first glance, Buddy Dyer and Rich Crotty look like the typical GOP (Good Old Politician) mayors of Orlando and Orange County, respectively. In fact, they could be the new personification of a familiar idea that is long overdue, making Central Florida a greener and cleaner transportation hub. Hence, by definition, they are worthy of the "avatar" label.

Both Dyer and Crotty were behind initiatives to establish a high-speed rail link between Tampa and Orlando, potentially making the I-4 corridor less congested with polluting cars and prospectively serving as a magnet for economic activity and jobs. That promise came closer to reality recently when President Obama announced in Tampa that the Central Florida project would receive $1.25 billion in federal stimulus funds to get the link up and running.The high-speed rail line is expected to generate 23,000 jobs and should stimulate technology transfers for new industrial development along and beyond its tracks.

The separate SunRail commuter train project slated to start construction before the end of the year also has their vigorous support as a job generator that will take polluting cars off the roads between suburban communities and downtown Orlando. The politicos are exploring how the two train systems can be hooked up for even greater advantage for Central Florida.

Of seemingly lesser importance, but still another forward-thinking transportation move, was the mayors Dyer and Crotty recent show of support for electric car charging stations around Orlando. Nissan will launch its all electric car, the Leaf, in the U.S. some time this year and Orlando will be one of its first markets.

Such initiatives are sorely needed in a state that lags behind the nation in economic recovery and employment. "Blog-o-namics," a regular posting of Orlando Sentinel reporter Jim Stratton, who has been on point in reporting the jobs crisis in Florida, recently wrote:

"State forecasters have revised their projections for unemployment, saying Florida's jobless rate will peak at 12.3 percent sometime between July and September."

Experts are telling us that many of those lost jobs will never come back. The technology transfer associated with greener and cleaner transportation in Central Florida may pick up the slack by creating new employment opportunities. Immediately, the avatar mayors of Orlando and Orange County have pledged to add the electric cars to their fleets when it comes time to replace vehicles. That's a good start.

And, That's That...