Rival’s ad suggests Murphy backs All Aboard Florida project
Opponents of high-speed rail say he opposes plan; Murphy camp calls Domino’s attack ‘shameless.’
Republican congressional hopeful Carl Domino’s newest campaign mailer slams freshman Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Jupiter, without men- tioning Obamacare or Nancy Pelosi or other reliable Republican rage generators.
Instead, the Domino mailer claims Murphy supports All Aboard Florida, the planned Miami-to-Orlando private passenger train opposed by a growing number of constituents in Murphy’s Palm Beach-Treasure Coast district.
Murphy opposes the project, his office says. And leading foes of All Aboard Florida say Murphy was in their corner months before Domino discovered the issue.
Domino’s attack is based on an October letter signed by Murphy and 15 other Florida U.S. House members to U.S.
Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, lauding All Aboard Florida’s “potential to modernize and upgrade a busy transportation corridor, which would boost Florida’s economy and also improve travel for visitors.”
The letter asked DOT and the Federal Railroad Administration “to work proactively and expeditiously to make sure that All Aboard Florida can meet their deadlines for this project.”
Since signing that letter, however, Murphy has been vocal in raising safety and traffic concerns about the project, which would run along existing Florida East Coast Railway tracks. Murphy and Rep. Lois Frankel, D-West Palm Beach, sent a letter to Foxx in April expressing “serious concerns with the potential detrimental impacts on existing businesses and the quality of life of residents in South Florida and the Treasure Coast.”
Murphy and Frankel said DOT should not approve a $1.5 billion Federal Railroad Administration loan for the project until eight safety and financial feasibility concerns are addressed.
In May, Murphy spoke at a rally of the group Florida Not All Aboard, which wants the project moved west and opposes the federal loan. In a TV interview at the time, Murphy said he wanted All Aboard Florida to find “some way that they can move that rail west.”
Florida Not All Aboard leader K.C. Traylor said Murphy has been an ally since her group formed in February. Although he signed the October letter that was positive toward All Aboard Florida, “we appreciate that he took another look. ... He definitely is opposing it. Congressman Murphy has been working very closely with my group from the start.”
Tequesta Mayor Abby Brennan, one of the earliest critics of All Aboard Florida, said Murphy “has encouraged them to look at alternatives. I would say that Patrick is most definitely as concerned as … we are and I support his efforts on our behalf.”
Domino defends his characterization of Murphy as an All Aboard Florida supporter because the Murphy-Frankel letter from April cited “our constituents’ concerns” rather than specifically saying Murphy was opposed.
“He’s never come out and explicitly said he’s against All Aboard Florida as a whole unit. He’s talked about piecemeal things,” Domino said.
“Patrick Murphy has been a leading voice in opposing All Aboard Florida,” countered Murphy chief of staff and political consultant Eric Johnson. “This attack from one of our opponents is completely false and a shameless way for Mr. Domino to begin his campaign.”
■ Meanwhile, Domino’s credentials as an All Aboard Florida opponent are under attack from one of his GOP primary rivals. Beverly Hires says Domino can’t be trusted because of his “history of supporting government-backed passenger train projects” — specifically, a 2009 vote as a state House member for a Central Florida rail project.
“I was the first to come out hard against All Aboard Florida because of its impact on our communities,” Hires said Friday at a League of Women Voters forum in Port St. Lucie. “Unlike other candidates who either are weak about what we can do about it or have a history — for instance, Carl Domino in 2009 voted for the Sunrail project, 1.2 billion taxpayer dollars, government involvement in that failed Sunrail project.”
■ After the June 12 launch of her campaign to unseat Democratic state Sen. Maria Sachs, former Republican Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff raised $38,675 in her first three weeks as a candidate. Sachs has collected $212,335 since January 2013.
■ Another late entrant, no-party Palm Beach County Commission hopeful Michelle Santamaria, tapped family connections to raise $9,350 in her first three weeks as a candidate for her term-limited father’s western District 6 seat. Commissioner Jess Santamaria and wife, Victoria Santamaria, gave the maximum $1,000 apiece to their daughter and seven Santamaria businesses chipped in $1,000 each.
■ Port of Palm Beach Commissioner Ed Oppel dropped his bid for re-election last month, leaving Peyton McArthur as the Democratic nominee to face Republi- can Kesnel Theus Jr. But Oppel’s withdrawal came too late to get a refund on his $570 qualifying fee, the elections office said.