LAKE MARY, Fla. — The end of the year means a bigger responsibility for those counties and cities with SunRail stops.

The Florida Department of Transportation will stop footing the bill after Dec. 31, and then it will be up to the local government partners to pay up.

For fiscal year 2024-2025, that will mean a shortfall of more than $65 million that counties and cities with SunRail stops will have to make up.

What You Need To Know

  • Starting in 2025, the Florida Department of Transportation will no longer fund SunRail

  • The move will create a budget shortfall of more than $65 million that counties and cities with SunRail stops will have to make up

  • A study is being conducted to see if riders should pay more to ride SunRail

“We want to find the sweet spot of supplementing from local government and riders paying fares,” said Seminole County Commissioner Amy Lockhart, who is also a member of the Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission.

Lockhart said a fare study is being conducted to see if riders should be paying more to use SunRail.

“We want to make sure that it's fair — fares are fair, that we have the people who are riding it share enough of the cost," she said. "Not too much that it's prohibitive and no longer useful, but we don't want people who aren't riding it to unnecessarily subsidize it to the point that it's too much of a burden on those who don't benefit."

Lockhart suggested implementing variable pricing, increasing fares depending on the day and location.

Those taking SunRail for work would pay less than those using SunRail for leisure, she said.

“We certainly don't want people who rely on (SunRail) to get to their job or for child care to price them out,” Lockhart said. “That is not the goal at all. We want to make sure that it is still affordable for the people who need it most."

Lockhart said she is also looking to pilot a program with service on weekends for special events, like Seminole County did for the Lake Mary Little League parade back in August.

“I think it would be fine, a small increase,” said SunRail Rider Denise Lipscomb. “It's definitely worth it to me.”

The following is an estimation of how much each city and county will have to pay to fund SunRail in fiscal year 2024-2025:

  • Volusia County: $5,479,779
  • Seminole County: $12,098,668
  • Osceola County: $12,215,300
  • Orange County: $9,433,404
  • Orlando: $20,208,199
  • Maitland: $1,562,831
  • Winter Park: $4,346,159