Florida Reveals Changes to Inter-City Rail

Inter-City Rail Updates – Pictured: Brightline Train – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by EQRoy

A new bill that establishes new liability and insurance regulations for one of the biggest railroads in the state of Florida was approved by the state legislature.

On July 1, the Coastal Link Commuter Rail Service Act will take effect, influencing how customers engage with Brightline and the Florida East Coast Railway.

To learn more about the proposal, Newsweek addressed an email to Representative Vicki Lopez, the bill’s sponsor.

The Background

The rail line that links Miami and Orlando, Florida, is called Brightline. With 2.6 million rides taken and a total of 5.4 million miles covered in 2024, its Miami-Orlando services rank among the most popular in the nation. There are significant consequences for commuters from any regulation that alters how passengers use the route.

Things You Should Know

Governor Ron DeSantis signed the new law into law Thursday, enabling Florida’s public agencies to obtain insurance and take on certain indemnity duties pertaining to the operation of commuter train services on the corridor.

Additionally, the law permits state entities that sign contracts with Brightline to assume liability for passenger-related incidents.

According to a section of the bill, Brightline and FECR are “not officers, agents, employees, or subdivisions of the state,” which means that neither the state nor its employees are entitled to the sovereign immunity provisions.

For accidents involving their own passengers and invitees, agencies will be allowed to reimburse Brightline and the FECR “regardless of whether the loss… is caused in whole or in part, and to whatever nature or degree, by the fault… of such freight rail operator.”

This implies that public institutions will only continue to assume the risk of accidents involving private operators within very specific bounds, which is important information for consumers and insurers.

What Individuals Are Saying

Regarding Brightline’s 2024 expansion plans, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stated: “It’s privately funded. I mean, we won’t be responsible for paying taxpayers to operate trains as the state.

“There is a corridor that they can use if they move forward. However, taxpayers in Florida will not be building a train. I can make that apparent.”

What Follows

Governor Ron DeSantis approved the Coastal Link Commuter Rail Service Act Thursday, and it will take effect on July 1. As part of its larger aspirations to spread throughout Florida, Brightline intends to construct a station in Cocoa, a city east of Orlando that is close to the Atlantic Ocean.


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