Commuter rail around Florida State became a zillion times more tangible with the Florida Senate passing of a bill (or, click here for the St. Pete Times coverage) that will permanently fund the eastern stateside Tri-Rail, and, the hereunto proposed SunRail system which focuses more on connections in central Florida.

Central and Eastern Florida are getting theirs.  And, in a way, it's all about Tampa getting its, too.

What about Tampa?  These newly funded plans have been in the works for awhile and only under the shimmering burst of fireworks for high speed rail have they sprinted to the forefront, which is great news in general.  But I ask again, what about Tampa?

Well, the entire point of this, and, the hope now, is that this demonstrated zeal and commitment by the state in a real commuter rail foundation will be the last magnet needed to draw Obama's nod to a Florida high speed rail system.  A system that will connect Orlando and, over time, the rest of the state, to downtown Tampa.

A decision that will revolutionize Tampa should come out of Washington this month or darn soon thereafter.  You can follow these developments more precisely through the Ed T. flank of the pro-rail movement at the ConnectUS website, which has taken the lead in speaking up for the hoped for high speed rail line and much of the advocacy for SunRail with a Tampa/Orlando slant. 

Meanwhile, Governor Christ will likely sign the new Rail Bill immediately, and one way or another, the world as we once knew it in Florida, will begin to change.  Let's just hope when this action blitz is over, Tampa is at the forefront.