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Why This Treasure Coast Mom Wants To Stop ‘All Aboard Florida’ Dead In Its Tracks

Christine DiMattei

Until just a few months ago, Kasey Carol “K.C.” Traylor knew nothing about trains.

But now the stay-at-home mom from Palm City could probably tell you everything you need to know about double-tracking, quiet zonesor the decibel level of locomotive horns. 

"I know more about trains than I ever thought I would,” says Traylor, with a laugh.

Her crash course in railway systems began in January, when she read a news report about All Aboard Florida's plans to build a passenger rail from Miami to Orlando along the Florida East Coast Railroad corridor.  The 16 round-trip trains would have stops in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.

But they’d also run straight through downtown Stuart, where Traylor, her husband and her 5-year-old daughter spend of a lot of time. Initially, she was worried about the prospect of increased noise and traffic and wondered if the trains could possibly be shifted further west, away from coastal communities. When she asked her neighbors what they knew about the $2.5 billion All Aboard Florida project, she found that most of them had never heard of it.

“And the few who had heard about it thought it was a done deal," says Traylor.

But it wasn't. All Aboard Florida's application for a $1.6 billion federal loan required a lengthy environmental review. And that bought Traylor time to do some research, inform her neighbors and get their feedback. Traylor, who says she has a background in sales and marketing, drew up an online petition opposing the rail service and dubbed her campaign 'Florida Not All Aboard.'  Within weeks, she had a website, a logo – an angry-looking cartoon train resembling the evil twin of The Little Engine That Could – and a slogan: “Stop Big Choo Choo In Its Tracks.”

Credit Florida Not All Aboard website
A logo for the Florida Not All Aboard campaign.

 So far, 32,000 people have signed the petition. Many are worried the continual flow of trains will only lead to traffic congestion, slower emergency response times and noise pollution.

And in coastal communities where the railroad tracks cross drawbridges – chiefly on the New River in Fort Lauderdale, the Loxahatchee River in Jupiter and the St. Lucie River in Stuart – there are concerns about the impact of repeated and lengthy bridge closings on recreational boating and marine industries.

“The fact that K.C. has stirred up as much activity as she has is fantastic,” says Stuart restaurant owner Paul Daly, who fears he’ll lose business if traffic tie-ups keep visitors away from downtown.  “And it's all headed in the right direction."

In recent months, Traylor has been taking her concerns to transportation officials in Tallahassee.  At least twice a week, she makes regular trips to South Florida, appearing mostly at city commission meetings.  One point that Traylor stresses during public hearings is the fear that track upgrades will open the door to more freight train traffic -- something she and her supporters believe will destroy the quality of life in the coastal communities the rail will pass through.

All Aboard Florida officials, meanwhile, promise a rail system that would relieve the state's congested roadways, boost tourism, create jobs and add more than $6 billion to Florida’s economy over the next eight years.  The company also says fears of increased freight traffic are ill-founded.

“Virtually every railroad that has passenger traffic on it is what’s known as a joint-use corridor, where freight trains and passenger trains share the use of the corridor and share the use of the track,” says Mike Reininger, All Aboard Florida president and chief development officer.

Starting this week, Floridians who want to express their opinions about All Aboard Florida can do so at one of eight public meetings from Miami to Orlando.  The workshops, hosted by the Federal Railroad Administration, will collect public comments about its Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the West Palm Beach to Orlando leg of the project. 

Meanwhile, All Aboard Florida recently announced it wants to ditch the federal loan in favor of private funding sources for the remainder of the project.  But K.C. Traylor says as long as the loan is pending, All Aboard Florida is still not a done deal.  And she’s not giving up.

“Florida Not All Aboard will continue until the All Aboard Florida project folds up or we see trains running 32 times per day and realize we have done all we can,” she says. “We strongly believe the first will happen and the latter will not.”

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The Federal Railroad Administration is hosting eight public information meetings on the All Aboard Florida project.  All meetings will be from 3:30-7 p.m. Dates and locations:

·         Oct. 27: 300 N.E. Second Ave. in Miami

·         Oct. 28: 1950 Eisenhower Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale

·         Oct. 29: 1001 Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm Beach

·         Oct. 30: 900 S.E. Salerno Road in Stuart

·         Nov. 5: 6155 College Lane in Vero Beach

·         Nov. 6: 9221 S.E. Civic Center Place in Port St. Lucie

·         Nov. 12: 430 Delannoy Ave. in Cocoa

·         Nov. 13: 800 International Drive in Orlando

Christine DiMattei is WLRN's Morning Edition anchor and also reports on Arts & Culture.
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