text: Orange leaders back Lake County rail line - tribunedigital-orlandosentinel
  October 19, 2010|By David Damron, Orlando Sentinel
  Orange County Commissioners Tuesday signaled support for making rail improvements between Lake and Orange counties that could someday serve as a commuter line, but elected leaders put whether to pitch in $1.7 million in funding to help pay for the effort until next year.
  Orange County commissioners signaled support Tuesday for making rail improvements between Lake and Orange counties that could someday serve as a commuter line but put off until next year a decision on whether to pitch in $1.7 million to help pay for the effort.
  Commissioner Fred Brummer asked colleagues to tap county reserves to help pay for $18.4 million in rail line improvements between Plymouth and Eustis.
  Brummer said the urgency of his request was largely because of an unexpected state grant that would pay for as much as $13.8 million of the 20-mile improvement project.
  The rest of the funding would come from local governments and a private company behind the project, Florida Central Railroad.
  The upgrades would immediately improve freight transportation and are needed to connect Lake County to Orlando's inner core via the planned $1.2 billion SunRail commuter system.
  However, most commissioners were uneasy about approving a $1.7 million pledge without more background, and answers about what other cities in Orange, such as Apopka, Ocoee, and Winter Garden might be willing to contribute. So the funding decision was put off to January.
  In other action, commissioners voted 5-2 to asking for the repeal of a new state law requiring inspections of septic tanks.
  Brummer pushed for the resolution to oppose the new law because he said the inspections would likely result in requiring residents to replace the systems.
  Environmentalists disputed that and said repealing a law backed by a variety of groups from Realtors to homebuilders would set back efforts to protect sensitive spring and river regions from faulty septic tanks.
  County Mayor Rich Crotty and Commissioner Linda Stewart sided with supporters of the law, while commissioners Brummer, Scott Boyd, Lui Damiani, Tiffany Moore Russell and Bill Segal backed the resolution.