Florida’s state legislature has passed a new bill that creates new liability and insurance rules for one of the state’s largest railroads.
The Coastal Link Commuter Rail Service Act, which affects how consumers interact with Brightline and the Florida East Coast Railway, will come into effect on July 1.
Newsweek contacted the bill’s sponsor, Representative Vicki Lopez, for more information on the legislation via email.
The Context
Brightline is the rail service that connects Miami to Orlando in Florida. In 2024, its Miami-Orlando services covered a total of 5.4 million miles with 2.6 million rides taken, making it one of the most frequently-traveled routes in the country. Any legislation that affects how passengers interact with the route has big ramifications for commuters.
What To Know
The new law, which was approved by Governor Ron DeSantis on Thursday, allows public agencies in Florida to assume certain indemnification obligations and purchase insurance related to the operation of commuter rail services on the corridor.
The legislation also authorizes state agencies that enter into agreements with Brightline to take on risks related to accidents involving their passengers.
Part of the bill explicitly defines Brightline and FECR as explicitly “not officers, agents, employees, or subdivisions of the state,” meaning that the companies and their employees do not receive the sovereign immunity protections that the state would.
The new Brightline train is headed to Fort Lauderdale, in Miami, Florida, October 23, 2024. The new Brightline train is headed to Fort Lauderdale, in Miami, Florida, October 23, 2024. Getty Images
Agencies will be able to indemnify Brightline and the FECR for costs and expenses due to accidents involving the agency’s own passengers and invitees, “regardless of whether the loss… is caused in whole or in part, and to whatever nature or degree, by the fault… of such freight rail operator.”
For consumers and insurers, this means that public entities will only continue to bear the risk of accidents related to private operators within very strictly defined boundaries.
What People Are Saying
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said in relation to Brightline’s plans for expansion in 2024: “It’s privately funded. I mean, we are not going to be on the hook as the state with taxpayers for doing trains.
“If they proceed, there is a corridor to be able to do that. But it’s not going to be Florida taxpayers constructing a train. I can be clear on that.”
What Happens Next
The Coastal Link Commuter Rail Service Act will come into effect on July 1 after being approved by Governor Ron DeSantis on Thursday. Brightline has plans to build a station in Cocoa, a city near the Atlantic Ocean east of Orlando, as part of its broader efforts to expand throughout Florida.
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