Senator Thad Altman (R) represents Florida’s District 24

By DONNA BALANCIA, TFLJ Publisher

TALLAHASSEE — Florida’s Sen. Thad Altman (R-Rockledge) typically doesn’t hold a grudge.  But in the case of the high-speed rail, he will make an exception.

Elected to the Florida Senate in 2008, Altman has worked to help Florida’s military families, he promotes space exploration, and he is an avid supporter of the restaurant and tourism industries.

His one regret? He couldn’t do more to keep in Florida a high-speed rail, a project that could have employed 50,000 people — many of them displaced aerospace workers.

Altman says Gov. Rick Scott wanted to sabotage President Barack Obama’s plan for the high-speed rail — as well as all the jobs and the $2.4 billion that went with it.

“Gov. Scott is a pick-pocket,” Altman said. “Gov. Scott pick-pocketed the people of Florida.”

In an exclusive interview with The Florida Law Journal’s Publisher, Donna Balancia, Altman opens up about his hopes, fears, disappointments and his vision of the future in Florida.

DB: Thad, what really happened to the high-speed rail, which was at one point, a top initiative here in Florida?