ORLANDO, Fla. — The Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission Governing Board had their first meeting of the year on Thursday afternoon. 

What You Need To Know

  • The Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission Governing Board had its first meeting of the year on Thursday afternoon

  • At the meeting, board members said the three main goals for the year are: increase ridership, continue to grow the CFCRC into a full-fledged organization, and expand its footprint with the Sunshine Corridor

  • The board voted unanimously to award the SunRail attorney services agreement to Kaplan Kirsch LLP

With the new year, new goals are on the horizon for SunRail. 

The SunRail system currently operates over 61 miles, with 17 stations through Volusia, Seminole, Orange, and Osceola counties.

And as of Jan. 1, local governments have started funding its operations. 

“I think the transition is going well," Volusia County Chair Jeff Brower said. "We’ll work through some of it today. We are hiring an attorney. There’s still a lot of work to do, but it’s interesting that all the partners are really everybody is getting along well.” 

At the meeting, members of the board said there are three main goals for this year. The first is to grow SunRail ridership.

 In 2024, SunRail saw more than 1.2 million riders, a 12% increase from the previous year.

“I’m really pleased so far with, you know, we just opened the DeLand station and we’re getting really good ridership there," Brower said. "But we do need to have some special days, keep marketing and advertising to get people to ride it."

Members listened to a presentation by Mark Calvert with Evolve, where he discussed ridership and growth strategies, with a goal to reach 1.4 million riders in 2025. 

The second goal is to continue to grow the Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission into a full-fledged organization that can manage SunRail into the future. 

“Long term, I know that we need additional revenue to be able to expand a commuter rail system within our community," Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings said. "And I look forward to having those conversations.” 

The third goal is to grow SunRail’s footprint, which includes the Sunshine Corridor — an east-west expansion that would connect the Orlando International Airport to the Orange County Convention Center, International Drive and Disney Springs. To do that, a $6 million environmental study, known as PD&E, is needed. 

“No doubt will support the PD&E study for the Sunshine Corridor," Demings said. "But the private sector has also got to support that as well. We can’t solve these types of issues without public-private partnerships within our community."

As far as funding that environmental study, they will need to meet as a board to vote on in the future.

On Thursday, the board also voted unanimously to award the SunRail attorney services agreement to Kaplan Kirsch LLP. 

The last action item on the agenda was the election of officers. Moving forward, Seminole County Commissioner Amy Lockhart will serve as the chair of the CFCRC board. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer will serve as the vice chair and Demings will serve as secretary. 

The next SunRail board meeting is scheduled for Feb. 27.