A show of hands, please … Who thinks the Vero Beach area needs to continue growing, perhaps at an accelerated rate, all in the name of an imposter masquerading as progress?
Who is eager to see our picturesque, coastal community engulfed by the South Florida sprawl that already has turned West Palm Beach into a one of Florida’s major cities, swallowed up the once-enchanting towns of Jupiter, Stuart and Jensen Beach, and spread north into the soulless expanse of Port St. Lucie?
Who wants to allow our Rockwellian, small-town charm to be destroyed by the epidemic of crime, congestion and corruption that infects so much of Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties?
Anyone?
That’s what I thought.
And that’s just why nobody here should be pushing for All Aboard Florida to add a stop in Vero Beach under the ridiculous premise that, “If we can’t stop this train wreck, let’s at least try to get something out of it.”
Nothing good can come of this unwanted intrusion into our tranquil quality of life, even if the train stops here – especially if the train stops here.
So while it’s both infuriating and frustrating that we lack the political clout necessary to derail All Aboard Florida’s $1.5 billion-plus scheme to connect Orlando and Miami with high-speed passenger rail service – simply put, we’re outnumbered and we’re being outspent – we can take some solace in knowing there are no plans to put a stop in Vero Beach.
The trains, which are on track to begin rolling before the calendar strikes 2016, will make stops in Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. They will not stop anywhere along the Treasure Coast, though All Aboard Florida’s brass says future stations could be added.
Not that I’d count on seeing stops added any time soon, if ever: The allure of this service will be its ability to get travelers from Orlando to Miami, and vice versa, in three hours. Additional stops would add time to the trip.
If stops are eventually added, however, look for Fort Pierce and Stuart to be likely candidates. Same goes for Melbourne, since the trains will run along the Florida East Coast Railway route from Miami to Cocoa before veering west in Brevard County to a hub at Orlando International Airport.
But any talk of adding a stop in Vero Beach is nothing more than a deceitful attempt to get us on board. And that’s OK. Let them talk.
Better they talk than act.
Being forced to endure 900-foot-long passenger trains hurtling through Indian River County at 110 mph 32 times between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. each day will be bad enough, considering that eight FEC freight trains also chug through our community during those hours.
Having the passenger trains stopping here would be worse – and for reasons that go beyond the increased delays at road crossings caused by the stoppages and the cost of building, maintaining and securing a station.
And for what?
What would be the benefits?
All Aboard Florida is targeting tourists and business commuters, so I’ll start with outgoing traffic:
— How many local business commuters would opt for the rails, build their work days around a train schedule and rely on public transportation when they arrive at their stations in South Florida or Orlando, rather than travel at their convenience in their own automobiles?
— How many local vacationers traveling by air would be willing to haul their luggage to the Vero Beach station, carry it onto the train, lug it through their destination station and, if using one of the South Florida airports, load it onto a taxi or bus before checking in at the airport?
— How many local day-trippers, or those heading out for a weekend getaway, would forgo the freedom of their cars and, instead, take the trains and rely on the public transportation available at their arrival station?
Not many, I’m guessing. Not enough to generate a significant profit for All Aboard Florida. Not nearly enough to justify the risks that would accompany the opening of a station here.
Which brings me to the incoming traffic:
— How many of the travelers riding these trains would actually stop here to shop in our stores, dine in our restaurants and stay in our hotels?
— How many of these visitors would rent cars and venture beyond the area surrounding the train station, perhaps drive over to our beautiful barrier island and walk our pristine beaches?
— How many passengers would be coming to Vero Beach for reasons All Aboard Florida doesn’t want us to think about?
Don’t roll your eyes.
There might be a few South Florida millionaires who consider Vero Beach their version of The Hamptons, but I assure you: They’re coming here by private jet, by limousine, even by car. They’re NOT going to take the train.
But you know who would?
Yes, there will be business commuters who need to get to and from Miami and Orlando. There will be tourists headed for Disney World and South Beach and the famed Fort Lauderdale strip.
But there will be thugs, too – especially headed north from Dade and Broward counties.
It would be naive to think drug dealers, gang members and other verminous sorts from South Florida’s criminal playground wouldn’t jump on a train and slither into our seaside version of Mayberry in search of unsuspecting older, more-affluent victims. Put a station here, and these punks would consider it a welcome mat.
Would the negligible economic impact we might get from the trains stopping here be worth such a risk?
But while the threat of rail-riding reprobates would be a huge concern, it’s not the only reason to oppose All Aboard Florida and, in particular, any move to add a stop in Vero Beach.
This is a special patch of ground, one on which people continue to embrace a sense of community and still cling to the quaint, honorable, small-town values of yesteryear. Personal integrity matters. So does consideration of others, compassion for the less fortunate and being there for a neighbor in need.
We take pride in such things, even celebrate them, which distinguishes Vero Beach from so many other places in today’s America, including most of the megalopolis that stretches from Miami to West Palm Beach and has tentacles that reach deep into St. Lucie County.
Other than coastline and climate, we have almost nothing in common with South Florida. We’re not a part of it and don’t want to be. We shouldn’t want to be connected to it in any way – not by the wrong-headed, politically motivated Seven50 regionalization plan, and not by the railways of All Aboard Florida.
Simply put: If we wanted to live in South Florida, we would’ve moved there.
But we don’t.
And we didn’t.
We chose to make our homes in Vero Beach, and one of the more compelling reasons we did so was because it WASN’T anything like South Florida. Now it’s up to us to make sure it stays that way.
If, someday, All Aboard Florida wants to add a station on the Treasure Coast, let them put it in Port St. Lucie, the last stop on the way out of South Florida.