Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy Announces Over $42 Million in Critical Funding for Rail Safety Improvements in Florida

Biden-Buttigieg promised to enhance safety along Brightline Florida Rail Corridor but failed to deliver funding for
years as part of their unprecedented backlog

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced today that the Department has obligated four grants totaling over $42 million to fund critical rail safety projects along Brightline Florida's rail corridor. The grants, the oldest of which was issued three years ago, are a part of the Biden-Buttigieg grant backlog.

These four rail safety grants support installing safety fencing, grade crossing upgrades, and a trespassing alert system. The Biden-Buttigieg Administration pledged to address safety in the Sunshine state years ago but never moved these essential infrastructure dollars out the door.

"The latest consequence of the unprecedented Biden-Buttigieg backlog? Safety grants sat in limbo for years," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. "Their failure to execute on these rail grants - some of which stretch back years - put Brightline's three million annual passengers and Florida communities in unnecessary danger. Under President Trump's leadership, America is building again. We are delivering critical resources in record time to enhance safety on our railways, roads, and bridges."

This is part of the more than 3,200 unobligated grants the Trump Administration inherited. These grants were announced by the previous administration but never obligated. This unprecedented backlog of unobligated grants delayed critical investments in communities across the country.

Specific to Florida - the Biden-Buttigieg Administration announced several grants to improve Brightline Florida. The oldest of these grants was first unveiled in 2022. After much fanfare, their administration failed to do any of the work to actually process and deliver these funds to Brightline or project sponsors in Florida.
These abandoned grants included $24.9 million for the East Coast Corridor Trespassing and Intrusion Mitigation Project, $15.4 million for a Broward County Sealed Corridor Project, $1.6 million for a Trespassing Identification and Classification System, and $150,000 grant for Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office to support overtime costs for targeted enforcement of pedestrian trespassing at identified hot spots.

Under Secretary Duffy's direction, the Department of Transportation is working diligently to accelerate the distribution of these long-overdue funds and address core infrastructure projects.

Additional Information:

Brightline's Florida rail corridor has numerous exposure points to pedestrian and vehicle traffic along its tracks, which have contributed to a higher rate of collisions.

Details on the grants, size, and project intentions can be found below:

• A grant for $24,934,138 announced in August 2022 to the Florida Department of Transportation for improvements to 330 highway-railroad crossings, along 195 miles of corridor, including fencing, crossing delineators, crisis support signage and other intrusion prevention mitigations.
• A grant for $1,648,000 announced in September 2023 for a Trespassing Identification and Classification System under the CRISI Grant Program for FY22. The project will advance a technology that will provide real-time alerts and aggregate data to generate heat-maps of trespassing and potential collision events on the Florida East Coast Railway right of way from Miami to Cocoa.
• A grant for $15,440,000 announced in June 2023 to increase safety at 21 grade crossings along the Brightline/Florida East Coast Railway corridor with additional crossing gates and delineators.
• A grant for up to $150,000 announced in October 2024 for Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office to support overtime costs for targeted enforcement of pedestrian trespassing at identified hot spots.

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