ORLANDO, Fla. — Orange County commissioners agreed to keep moving forward with the STAR plan, a public transit proposal aimed at addressing high-traffic corridors with rapid transit options.
More than 90 people signed up for public comment at the meeting. Commissioners heard from more than 30 speakers in support of the proposal, with several citing freedom, access, dignity and safety as reasons Orange County needs rapid transit.
“I question my ability to stay in Orlando as a bus rider,” one public speaker said.
Mayor Jerry Demings said the county has work to do on public transportation.
“Quite frankly, we have fallen behind,” Demings said. “I am encouraged by what I am hearing today. Stay engaged, stay encouraged about the future and what the greater Orlando area can truly become.”
The next step is a feasibility study to determine whether the eight identified corridors are the best areas to focus on, what type of rapid transit would work best, how much it would cost and how it could be funded.
“I think the results will show the obvious: Orlando needs a rapid transit network,” said Giancarlo Rodriguez, who has worked with Commissioner Kelly Martinez Semrad for two years on data and research for the proposal.
Semrad said public support matters as the county considers its next steps.
“When you have a community that actually says, ‘I am willing to try with you,’ we have to try,” Semrad said.
Commissioners expressed support for moving forward, but also raised concerns about how much a feasibility study could cost amid a tight county budget.
“Every penny that we have at the county is accounted for in a budget,” Semrad said. “This would require a budget amendment, but when you have people coming to you saying, ‘Hey, I am having to make budget amendments every day of my life because I can’t afford to live here anymore and I am considering leaving,’ we have to do something.”
The STAR plan was inspired by the SMART plan in Miami-Dade County. According to the presentation, Miami-Dade’s completed bus rapid transit corridor has seen ridership increase 150% since opening and has saved riders an average of 30 minutes each way.
Rodriguez said he hopes to one day see success with rapid transit in Orange County.
“I am feeling really excited, really inspired, and I am so happy that the entire commission voted to move forward the STAR plan,” Rodriguez said.
The feasibility study is expected to guide the plan and potential funding if the proposal continues to advance.