Twenty-four miles of light rail tracks from Clearwater to downtown St. Petersburg; a substantially expanded bus system; traffic lanes dedicated for buses; more pedestrian trails. All at a cost of at least $1.7 billion from $130 million a year in new taxes. This is the vision of Brad Miller, the executive director of the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority. Miller, along with St. Petersburg City Councilman, Jeff Danner, is leading the charge to approve a November 2014 referendum to develop an expanded mass transit system in Pinellas County. Miller’s vision, however, is also the nightmare of anti-rail, anti-tax activists. Next year’s campaign is certain to consume much of the political oxygen in the community. On Thursday, June 20, Miller and Danner will face Suncoast Tiger Bay Club members to discuss their ideas. No matter which side of this debate you are on, you should make plans to attend this forum.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Jun 2013 11:00:53 +0000