The Indian River Neighborhood Association Board of Directors approved a resolution on February 8, 2019, supporting the recent decision of the Indian River County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) to pursue the County’s meritorious lawsuit against Defendants Brightline and the United States Department of Transportation (US DOT) in its appeal of a US District Court’s ruling against the County.
Other local governments and nonprofits have given up, but the IRC BCC continues to fight for what they think is right. We applaud the county commissioners for continuing to stand up to this project which will negatively impact our quality of life on the Treasure Coast.
The purpose of the appeal is to stop the AAF/Brightline/Virgin Trains USA project from being extended from West Palm Beach to Orlando.
The grounds for the appeal are
The US DOT allocation of tax-exempt private activity bonds to help finance the project was not authorized under the applicable provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, and
Brightline has failed to comply with the applicable provisions of the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) relating to the project.
The County Board appropriated $400,000 to cover the legal costs of the appeal.
Again, the County Commissioners have our thanks for pursing this
course of action.