Tampa to Orlando High Speed Rail Back on the Table

"State officials will consider private bids to build a high-speed rail link between Tampa and Orlando, reviving a dormant project to link the two cities," report Lawrence Mower, Caitlin Johnston, and Steve Contorno.

"Brightline, the high-speed railroad linking Miami and West Palm Beach with hopes of reaching Orlando, said it has put it in a bid to build track along Interstate 4, leasing land owned by the state and the Central Florida Expressway Authority," according to the article. Brightline's pitch means the Florida Department of Transportation will open the idea up to a competitive bidding process.

The plan would seem to hinge on the ability of private funds paying for the entire project after Governor Scott passed up $2.4 billion in federal high speed rail funding in 2011.