Two Florida counties vote to fight All Aboard Florida line

Leaders of two Florida counties voted Tuesday to try to stop All Aboard Florida (AAF) from running a private passenger-rail service on Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) track through their counties.

Commissioners in Indian River and Marin counties voted to set aside $4.1 million to fight the company's efforts to build a passenger-rail line that would travel between Orlando and Miami, with stops in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.

The counties' commissioners voted to act in response to citizen complaints about the supposed impact the trains and noise would have on their quality of life.

AAF Vice President of Corporate Communications Lynn Martenstein issued the following statement in response to the commissioners' actions:

"By their actions [Tuesday], the Indian River and Martin County commissions have decided upon a negative course of action regarding their engagement with All Aboard Florida. The company is hopeful that a more positive and productive forum can be found. We remain open to exploring a future station to serve communities in the Treasure Coast, and bring the direct economic benefits of this important new transportation system to area residents and visitors. A good example of a positive dialogue can be found just up the coast. Brevard County has recently undertaken a productive process that could lead to its securing a future station."

AAF officials have said the company plans to operate 32 trains per day between Orlando and Miami on FEC track. The company is seeking $1.75 billion in private financing to pay for the project.