Brevard drafts letter to Pete Buttigieg urging federal grant money for Cocoa Brightline station

Tyler Vazquez, Florida Today
·2 min read
23

Brevard County is continuing to push hard to secure funding for a future Brightline station in Cocoa. On Tuesday the Board of County Commissioners voted to draft a letter to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, urging him to grant federal money to the $75 million project.

Cocoa's city council last week approved its application for the grant totaling $49 million. The letter supporting the grant application could be crucial in securing that money locally.

If the money is granted from the federal government, it would be combined with millions in local dollars as well.

The Space Coast Transportation Planning Organization's Governing Board this year designated a total of $15.5 million in federal grant money it is targeted to receive in future years to help cover design and construction work for the proposed station.

Brevard county commissioners also approved another $5 million in funding for the station that would be combined with $5 million directly from the city of Cocoa.

 Brevard County Commission Chair Jason Steele says Brightline envisions that its planned Cocoa station will be similar to its station in Boca Raton, depicted here, and a planned station in Stuart.
Brevard County Commission Chair Jason Steele says Brightline envisions that its planned Cocoa station will be similar to its station in Boca Raton, depicted here, and a planned station in Stuart.

Without the federal funding, the local money won't be enough.

The letter sent to Buttigieg states that the station will "enhance our transportation network, offering residents and businesses enhanced connectivity on this passenger rail spine that connects different modes of transportation. The Project also offers substantial economic benefits including the creation of numerous jobs, stimulating local business, and attracting development into the area. Tourism will also see a large boost from this project by making our area a more attractive destination for riders."

Commission chair Jason Steele said this is just one step in a long process of securing the funds from various different sources to make sure the future Brightline passenger train station comes to fruition.

"We have money coming from all these places, but we still have to get the additional money," Steele said.

Tuesday's formal request to the Department of Transportation seeks money from under the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements federal grant program. CRISI grants are based on various factors, including increasing rail ridership along heavily used corridors, regional rail development and development of multimodal stations such as the one planned for Cocoa.

Since it was announced earlier this year that Brightline would be adding a coveted stop in Brevard County, the city of Cocoa and the county have been working to secure funding to build the station. Steele said this letter to the Secretary of Transportation is one step in a complicated process.

"This grant is partially based on the economic need for the area, specifically Cocoa and what else it would do to help with infrastructure," Steele said. "This is going to have so many different impacts."

Brightline has stops at Orlando International Airport, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Aventura and Miami. Brightline carried 1.62 million passengers in 2023 and has set a goal of 4 million passengers by the end of 2024.

Tyler Vazquez is the Brevard County watchdog reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vazquez at 321-480-0854 or tvazquez@floridatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard drafts letter urging federal funds for Brightline Cocoa station