PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — More signs of hope are emerging for keeping Tri-Rail on the tracks across South Florida.
WATCH BELOW:
House lawmakers have fully restored funding in their version of next year's budget, though the proposal still needs Senate approval. Tri-Rail previously said it would run out of money by the summer of 2027.
From Miami to Mangonia Park, commuters tell WPTV's Michael Hoffman that losing the service would be a major setback.
“It’s great news,” said rider Jason Howell about the funding restoration. “It’s needed — not just for our county, but the counties below us.”
Other riders echoed that concern.
“It’ll be hard for me to go to school and go home from the gym,” said Ze’Kariah Dlover.
“It’d be very difficult,” added Jeffrey Barbosa.
Many commuters say without Tri-Rail, traveling county-to-county would become more expensive and time-consuming.
WPTV's Dave Bohman connected with Palm Beach County Vice Mayor Marci Woodward, who also serves as chairperson of Tri-Rail's governing board. Woodward said there is support from the Florida Department of Transportation and the Governor's Office in allocating the full $42 million to Tri-Rail.
"If everything stays the course, I'm very confident everyone is on the same page," Woodward said. "Anything can happen, you know, as we saw last year, but as of right now, I feel very confident.
"It will have to go through the Senate,” Woodward added. “FDOT, the governor’s office, everyone is on the same page right now to restore the funding that was lost last year.”
The Senate has not yet signed off on restoring the funding. The governor typically signs off on the final budget in June.
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