Feds Give Fla. $800M More For High-Speed Rail Line
TAMPA, Fla. (CBS4) - The federal government has given Florida another $800 million to build a high-speed rail line between Tampa and Orlando.
The grant announced Monday brings total federal funding to $2 billion.
President Barack Obama came to Tampa in January to announce $8 billion in stimulus awards for rail projects nationally including $1.25 billion for the Florida route.
The new money is not stimulus but comes from $2.5 billion that Congress put in the Department of Transportation's budget for high-speed rail.
Sen. Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat, said he expects the state to get the remaining $300 million in federal money it needs next year. The project will total $2.6 billion including about the state's contribution.
Florida also is getting $8 million to plan an Orlando-Miami leg.
