We’re kicking off the third installment of Central Florida Seen & Heard, our annual reporting series where we take a deep dive into an issue that you all — Central Floridians – have told us is important to you. In past years, we’ve taken on immigration and flooding, but this time around, we’re talking about something that impacts absolutely everyone -- transportation.
How we got here
The seed to do a series focusing on transportation was first planted during a listening session we held in Kissimmee last year. People there talked about their frustrations with all the traffic they’re now encountering due to the massive amount of growth. Kissimmee is in Osceola County -- the eighth fastest growing county in the country when looking at percent growth.
The people at that listening session spoke about trips that used to take 20-30 minutes now taking an hour or more depending on the time of day. They wondered why developers weren’t being asked to build more roads – and to do it faster – to keep up with the growth of the area.
Those questions, those comments, those concerns, they stuck with me.
Decades to plan
Those are questions that also resonate with people throughout Central Florida. Including in Four Corners where Lake, Osceola, Orange and Polk counties meet.
Lake is where we met people for this series who live in the rapidly growing city of Clermont who said they were promised a new so-called connector road at least two decades ago. That road would speed up the commute to places like downtown Orlando or Disney.
We spoke with a dad who adjusted his work schedule because that road was not completed. He now spends less time stuck in traffic, but at the cost of seeing their daughter in the morning. The commute is so bad the couple have decided not to have more children.
While toll roads and expensive car insurance hit pocketbooks hard, the cost goes well beyond the financial. Individuals and families are making difficult life decisions around transit.
Is public transit the answer?
The answer to that question remains to be seen. But for public transit in its current form in Central Florida, experts say no. We rode the bus with people who commute three-plus hours one way to get to work in this sprawling region and then have to walk an additional mile or two to get to their final destination.
And when it comes to SunRail, the region's commuter rail system, ridership is low. In fact, according to a 2023 Central Florida Commuter Rail profile, people are taking so few rides that the cost to transport each passenger one mile comes out to $3.93. That’s 236% higher than the national average, according to a National Transit Study and Trends report.
Still, leaders are looking to expand passenger rail through a proposal called the Sunshine Corridor. On Thursday, the Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission approved a $6 million Sunshine Corridor study. It’s being funded by the Florida Department of Transportation and Universal, along with the city of Orlando, and Orange, Volusia, Osceola and Seminole counties. Depending on what that two-year study finds, billions could be spent expanding SunRail to the airport, the convention center and the attractions..
While some community leaders already say the Sunshine Corridor is worth the financial costs, others are unsure.
What is clear is that there is a cost to all of this and that’s what we’re exploring with Central Florida Seen & Heard: Costly Commute.
