Orange County last week moved closer to developing a new rapid transportation system. This could potentially involve installing rail or a rapid bus line to enhance the county’s accessibility and make it easier for residents and tourists to get around.
“Transit is part of tourism, and we can’t ignore it,” said county commissioner Kelly Martinez Semrad, who’s taken a lead on the proposal. “We must be able to move our workers, we must be able to move the employees, the tourists and the residents that are here. It’s time to do something.”
The Orange County board of commissioners last Tuesday considered a rapid transit proposal, dubbed the Sunshine Transit Advancement Resolution Plan, or STAR. It was initially developed by activists with the Sunrise Movement Orlando, a youth-led climate justice organization.
According to Semrad, the proposal is the culmination of about two years’ worth of work that ultimately reached her district’s neighborhood advisory council. It’s based on a similar rapid transit plan that is currently being implemented in Miami-Dade County.
An environmental advocate and hospitality professor by trade, Semrad collaborated with the Sunrise Movement, other transit stakeholders and the public to finalize details of the proposal.
It’s received over 3,200 signed petitions of support from members of the public. Dozens of people urged county leaders to support the plan during the public comment portion of Tuesday’s meeting.
And it’s been endorsed by several labor unions, local Democratic state lawmakers, Orlando’s U.S. Congressman Maxwell Frost — who could ostensibly seek federal grant funding for the plan — and the International Drive Chamber of Commerce.
“The affordability crisis is tied directly to transportation,” said State Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, speaking in support of the plan during public comment Tuesday. Eskamani, a term-limited state representative, is currently running for Orlando mayor and will be on the ballot next year.
Finding the money
Orange County doesn’t currently have any dedicated funding source for its regional transportation system. An effort by outgoing Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings to change that — by establishing a dedicated sales tax for transit — failed to get enough support from residents at the ballot box in 2022.
“There is no question, in my humble opinion, that this county has got to get after a multimodal transit system,” Demings shared during the Tuesday meeting. “It’s costly, and it’s getting more and more costly every day.”
County commissioners expressed support for advancing the STAR plan forward, but stopped short this week of voting on developing a feasibility study for it.
A feasibility study would inform key details of the plan, such as which mode of transportation would be most successful in certain areas of the county, cost estimates and funding sources.
Ironically, county manager Byron Brooks pointed out, however, that even conducting a feasibility study could cost the county over $1 million. Determining whether to move forward with a study — at a time when many local governments in Florida are looking to tighten their spending — will be the next step for the Orange County Commission.
“This would require a budget amendment,” Semrad conceded. “But when you have people coming to you saying, ‘Hey, I am having to make budget amendments every day of my life because I can’t afford to live here anymore and I am considering leaving’ — we have to do something.”
What’s the plan?
Rapid transit is defined under the STAR plan as a transportation service that operates every 15 minutes or less and is separate from road traffic. This could, ultimately, be a rapid transit bus line, light rail or heavy rail.
The STAR plan would coordinate with the existing Sunrail and the Lynx bus system to build eight high-traffic corridors in Orange County that would be serviced by the new rapid transportation system. This could include corridors along Colonial Drive, International Drive, Semoran Boulevard and Orange Blossom Trail, and along the Sunrail route.
Supporters say this would help support local tourism — by giving tourists an easier way to get around. But it could also help county residents commute to school or work, including employees of theme parks like Disney World or Universal Orlando.
“It’s to the point now that a lot of people have to make the choice of buying gas or buying food,” said Ryan Myers, a Disney World employee and member of the labor union Unite Here, speaking to the county commission during public comment. “I open up Star Wars every day,” he added. “People deserve to choose a well-planned public transit network to solve our gas insurance and accessibility issues.”
According to Semrad, one in three residents in Orange County would be within a 15-minute walk of a rapid transit station, if the STAR corridor plan were fully implemented.
The plan, importantly, also includes a financial framework, such as identifying a diverse portfolio of funding sources for the construction and operation of the transit system.
Options to pay for it could include federal and state grants, the development of a public trust fund overseen by a citizens board and tax increment financing — a public funding method that involves establishing a district that can capture some of the area’s property tax revenue to help pay for infrastructure projects.
Mayor Demings pointed out, however, that under state law, only county officials would be able to determine and establish dedicated funding sources. The citizens board idea, he argued, would need to be modified or scrapped.
“If the county establishes some type of dedicated funding source, especially if it’s some type of taxation, the decision-making body has to be the board of county commission. It cannot be a citizen-based group.”
Thinking of the future
According to Giancarlo Rodriguez, a co-founder of the Orlando chapter of the Sunrise Movement, the STAR plan is based on a similar rapid transit plan in Miami-Dade County called Strategic Miami Area Rapid Transit, or SMART.
That plan, involving five transit corridors, was approved by the Miami-Dade Commission in 2016. Just one 20-mile corridor so far, the South Corridor, is fully operational as of last fall. However, it’s already seen more than 150,000 riders, as of May.
Rodriguez also pointed to the city of Atlanta’s Beltline — a 22-mile walkable corridor — and Chicago’s rail system as examples of ways local governments can improve accessibility, commute and transit options.
Several younger people, during the public comment portion of the meeting, said Orange County’s lack of strong public transportation options is contributing to their decisions on whether to stay in Orlando or move somewhere that has better transit infrastructure.
“I want to stay here with my partner and start a family,” said local resident Cameron Silverman. “However, if the STAR plan is not studied and eventually passed, an entire generation of young people, including myself, will be priced out of the community we love. Orange County will miss out on future prosperity as this generation moves to the cities that are more affordable and support multimodal freedom.”
A recent University of Central Florida graduate, Melissa, said she has lived in Orlando for three years, but that she’s about ready to leave. “I’m a young professional with money to spend, but the lack of a cohesive public transportation system makes me want to take my money elsewhere,” she said, candidly. “The brain drain happening in Orlando is partly because there is no real way of getting around the City Beautiful, and you can fix that.”
Cost concerns
Finding funding for the STAR plan was the biggest and really the only major concern voiced by county leaders Tuesday — even after giving themselves a four-figure raise this fiscal year.
Orange County, like other Florida municipalities, is preparing for a potential loss in property tax revenue if a proposed constitutional amendment, Amendment 3, is approved by Florida voters this fall.
According to the county, Amendment 3 — expanding Florida’s homestead property tax exemption — could reduce Orange County’s property tax revenue by an estimated $165 million in 2027 and $275 million in 2028.
Property tax revenue is used by Orange County to help fund essential public services like public safety, roads, libraries, public parks, animal services, and county health services.
“Obviously, [there are] some real concerns about money, and this is going to cost a lot of money,” noted county commissioner Michael Crabbe, the lone Republican on the board who was nonetheless supportive of the STAR plan overall. “I’m just so happy to see young folks just so engaged with this very important issue.”
A vote on conducting a feasibility study is expected to come up at a later date. Several county commissioner seats, plus the mayor, are up for election this November.
At least one of the two candidates running for Orange County, Tiffany Moore Russell, is openly supportive of the STAR plan. Her opponent, Chris Messina, is more supportive of adopting an expanded microtransit program that shifts away from the larger Lynx buses and focuses on smaller vehicles with point-to-point service.
“I’m glad to see Orange County taking a closer look at moving the STAR Plan forward,” Moore Russell said in a statement Tuesday. “No resident should have to spend hours making multiple connections to get to work. We have an opportunity to build a transportation system that better connects Orange County and works for the people who depend on it.”
