ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County commissioners next week will decide the fate of a special district that would set the stage for a SunRail connection to not just Orlando International Airport, but also International Drive and the attractions area.

What You Need To Know

  • Orange County Commission to hold public meeting next week on Shingle Creek Transit Utility Community Development District

  • The taxing district would be set up to help fund Sunshine Corridor and a train station

  • Sunshine Corridor would connect SunRail to Orlando International Airport, International Drive and near Disney Springs

Commissioners will determine if the Shingle Creek Transit Utility Community Development District should be established to fund the Sunshine Corridor.

“The Sunshine Corridor is going to be a game changer because it will bring SunRail, which is a commuter rail for Orlando to I-Drive, and that’s going to bring employees here, transportation for residents, as well as visitors, so it’s a win-win for everybody,” said Maria Triscari, International Drive Resort Area Chamber of Commerce president and chief executive officer.

The Sunshine Corridor would connect SunRail’s existing tracks to Orlando International Airport, the International Drive (I-Drive) area near the Orange County Convention Center and down near Disney Springs.

Brightline would also use the tracks as part of its next expansion plan from Orlando to Tampa.

The Orange County Commission is holding a public hearing Tuesday, Oct. 10 on the proposed development district that would be created to fund the Sunshine Corridor and the train station that would be located off Destination Parkway.

Nina Peterkin has been working in housekeeping at the Hilton Orlando for nearly 14 years.

She lives in Pine Hills, works next to the Orange County Convention Center, and she doesn’t have a car.

“It’s like a process of waking up, walking to one bus stop, catching the bus stop; usually it would be four (stops), now it’s two (stops),” Peterkin said.

Peterkin has gotten it down to a 90-minute commute to work now. That’s still a lot of time.

“If it’s on a Sunday or a holiday and the bus runs every hour and I just miss one bus, I’m two hours late for work,” she said.

Peterkin is one of the 100,000 people that work in the International Drive corridor.

Universal’s new Epic Universe theme park will add 14,000 more employees to the area in the coming years.

That’s why Triscari, a member of Orlando’s Right Rail coalition, is working with other members of the hospitality industry, including Universal Orlando, to support the Sunshine Corridor.

“It’s really creating a transportation system we need,” Triscari said.

Peterkin said a SunRail station near work would mean she wouldn’t have to rely so much on the bus.

“Especially if I can just come out of my job and catch a SunRail to the Lynx station, that would be perfect,” she said.

The Florida Department of Transportation estimates the capital costs, just from the airport to the convention center, will be more than $2 billion.

Federal funding will be key. Supporters of the Sunshine Corridor said the new taxing district will also be vital.