Sen. LeMieux makes a lot of sense. Give him credit for being consistent on this. Opponents of rail are getting off easy. How about asking some tough questions Herald writers? Marco Rubio, how do we reduce the debt by sending Florida's money to New York? What will traffic be like in 10 or 20 years without rail? What is the alternative, 16 lanes of new highway? Bumper to bumper traffic? Are you also against federal highway spending? If Florida can afford tax cuts why are we taking any money from Washington? What is the local economic impact of transit jobs vs. oil imports? What is the local economic impact of our people spending so much time and money commuting? Rail supporters also need some tough questions. Why do you pour money into road improvements and subsidized parking if you say you want people to use rail?

We have the same problem in St. Pete. The city wants to give a one year lease on a lot in the Kenwood area and the gardeners want a 5 year lease. Each side has different goals while both want to serve the public. Don't give up. Keep looking for underutilized open space while you negotiate with the city. Its out there. Any ground that is planted with hard to maintain landscaping is a prime candidate for a garden. The city may want to help you find another property close by. Public budgets are being cut as tax revenue goes down. This is the time to question why so much public space is used for lawns that only produce grass clippings. These spaces could grow food. When we finally develop mass transit in Florida a lot of wasted space will be freed up for better uses. In Bartlett Park our solution was to form a nonprofit and lease the land with an option to buy. You might want to join our garden and participate in our internet courses. http://www.bartlettpark.net/2010/02/composting-workshop-learn-to-transform.html