Brevard County is so close to getting its own Brightline train station

Five million dollars.

That might be the only thing standing between a Brightline train station coming to the Space Coast. The alternative — Brevard remains just a blur to passengers traveling on the high-speed rail line between Orlando and Miami — isn’t all that exciting.

The vote on whether to release $5 million in tourism tax funds goes to the County Commission tonight.

I hope that our Commissioners will vote with a resounding ‘yes’.

Why? Well, besides the obvious idea that it would be better to have a train stop in Cocoa than none at all, there are the following factors to take into account:

■ The $5 million could become $25 million, thanks to a federal grant program that quadruples local investments. Applications for the grant must be submitted by May 28.

■ This is not a property tax or a special tax or a loan. This is money the Brevard County Tourism Development Council already has at its disposal, through tourist revenue, through a 5% tax on hotel rooms and vacation rentals. The council already voted 8-0 in favor of the money for a station.

■ The city of Cocoa has already approved $5 million for the station. (This number could also reach $25 million, due to the federal grant program.)

■ The Space Coast Transportation Planning Organization has already allocated $15.5 million in federal funding for the project.

■ If provincial negotiators insist on a clawback provision, the $5 million will be returned to the treasury if federal funding is not forthcoming for some reason.

I know $5 million is a lot of money, but is it really, considering the railroad’s plans to connect to the Tampa area and eventually to Jacksonville? Moreover, there is no guarantee that an unprecedented federal program will continue beyond this year. Furthermore, a delay now will only result in rising construction costs, and who’s to say Brightline won’t find another place to build another station.

It’s also not much when you consider the station’s $45 million cost and the $30 million needed for track improvements needed to make a stop possible.

Brevard County Commission Chairman Jason Steele said, “We will fool ourselves until the day we die” if the county misses this opportunity. “Because I’ll tell you what: If those trains go to Tampa and we miss the opportunity to be prime time, we’re making a big mistake.”

Steele added that the county spent a lot more tourism tax money on things that didn’t result in the “heads to beds” (hotel stays) that a train stop will provide.

The Cocoa station would be 7,500 to 9,000 square meters. It would be built on part of a 200-acre site near Clearlake Road/US 1 and State Road 528. Brightline is donating land for the project and also covering operating costs for the station and 500-space parking lot. totaling about $3 million per year.

Brightline currently operates 32 trains per day – 16 in each direction – from early morning to late evening on the approximately 3.5-hour route between Orlando International Airport and Miami.

“This, in my opinion, is the most exciting thing that has ever happened to Brevard County,” Steele said. “I’ve lived here for 50 years and I’ve never seen an opportunity like this.”

Is this a perfect situation? No. Would it be better if the province had more time to think about financing? Certainly.

Brightline had also lost money, but officials say the business is solid and losses were expected during the new line’s first few years of operation. There has also been some discussion about South Florida trains not having enough seats for discounted monthly passes, but more coaches have been ordered, which should be in place by the end of the year.

The county made a mistake several years ago when we lost Major League Baseball spring training. Then we lost minor league baseball. I know that youth sports and amateur tournaments held at Space Coast Stadium generate a lot of dollars, but let’s not lose this when we are so close to making it happen.

Vote yes.

Contact Torres at [email protected]. You can follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @johnalbertorres.

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