How many people make vacation decisions based upon sales tax? None. Room taxes almost everywhere I go are over 10% and easily 14%.
Yep we need light rail now for the future.

How many people use that infrastructure? Just about everyone who goes from one place to another in a car, bus, truck, motorcycle, motorized trolley and anything else on wheels. That is what? 99.99% of the population? And much of those "heavy" subsidies are direct taxes on vehicles and fuel.

So we have a large % of the populaution paying for infrastructure that the same large % actually use. You are advocating that EVERYONE pay taxes to support a point-to-point light rail that very few will actually ride - the typical ridership on all light rail systems in the US is less than 5% of the population, yet 100% are forced to support it in some way (yes, even our tax dollars are supporting those trains).

Remember, ALL capital costs are paid by local, state and federal taxpayers - that is just about everyone. Then they still don't have enough, so they ask for a "measly" 1% local sales tax increase, which is 14% more sales tax than we currently pay. And where does it go? From downtown St. Pete to downtown Clearwater. Can we try buses on the same route, same schedule and see how many people ride?

If we get a significant number, say 100,000 per day (10% of Pinellas population), then consider ways to raise money to build a train. If we don't, the buses can be deployed to other, more useful routes.

Once a track is laid, it cannot be moved. That is a huge bet with lousy odds (using our $2 BILLION). That is four baseball stadiums!

From your referred link:
“But today, for the first time, we have data showing how much failing to invest in our surface transportation system can negatively impact job growth and family budgets.”

We have about 300 Million vehicles on our roads today; that number is growing every day. We have cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles and yes, even bicycles on those roads, taking kids to soccer games, goods to consumers, people to work.

That infrastructure is "bloated" only because people who (for some reason) hate cars opine that it is so. Not true, it is what it is because people consciously decide what mode of transportation they are going to use. Trucks and buses are with us forever and they need roads. Trains don't go to grocery stores and soccer fields. Bicycles cannot deliver goods. Even electric cars need roads.

Do you really believe a 1% sales tax on 100% of the people in Pinellas county will encourage more than 3% of the people to use public transportation? Do you really believe that spending $2 BILLION will propel Pinellas county into the 21st century?

We have some of the least expensive fuel in the world. In some countries the cost of gasoline has been $10/gal for years - and they still drive cars and trucks and even buses. Govt detrmines the price of fuel much more than any corporation.

"Everyone, whether they drive or not, pays for our bloated highway infrastructure. And once a road is built, how can IT be moved?"
True, and please tell me what % of the population does not use surface transportation.

We also know that EVERYONE pays for public transportation, whether they use it or not. Less than 5% of the people actually use it.

Is that really fair?
Why do you hate cars?
Why do 95% of the people depend on cars? (because they can)

Bumblehead Obama energy policies have everything to do with the price of gasoline.

Wall Street speculators manipulate the price. The POTUS has little to do with it. Save the Fox noise talking points, Cisco.

Speculators around the world manipulate the price, but are not the largest reason for oil prices. So no the president has little say, the Congress and local governments actually has move say on the price of gas through the taxation.
The consumer is the largest reason for high oil prices, the demand is outgrowing the production supply. Now it is true that the company decide how much they are going to pump, which does effect price. But with so many oil needy products, it is the consumer that is raising prices.

The Charlotte area has 1.8M population. 15,000/day ride the Lynx (7,500 actual people taking round trips), which means approximately 0.05% ride while 99.95% pay. The actual cost per ride is about $7.00 (capital and operating expenses) and riders pay $1.75 or 25% of true cost. That means the other 75% is paid for by taxpayers.

By the way...."I can attest after having had drive from St Pete, to Clearwater, to Largo, to Tyrone area this past weekend...."
There will never be a super advanced light rail from Largo to Tyrone.

Charlotte buses provide 65,000 rides/day (32,500 people) or about 2% of the population. A little less than Pinellas ridership.

Traffic congestion has not decreased to any noticeable degree. So tell me again why100% of Pinellas residents should pay an extra $130,000,000 per year in sales tax so a very small number of people can ride a train from St. Pete to Clearwater.

Babak......agree about mass transit options expanding...yet totally disagree on a light rail to Clearwater......the real urgency we have in Tampa Bay is to get back and forth from Pinellas and Hillsborough.......the traffic in Pinellas is light compared to major cities and their regions......even cities with a rail line or two have substantially more traffic. US 19 is deplorable? Oh, please.....it is a pleasure to drive it compared to most thoroughfares in any major city........now, the traffic jams on the bridges....THAT is horrendous.........sorry, putting a train to Clearwater will not keep the Rays in Pinellas.......

Ignorant applies to Clay Bradley with a reply not on point.