After enduring Gov. Rick Scott's suspension of contracts and consequent year-long delay to the start of construction, local, state and federal officials celebrated the survival of their prized $1.3-billion SunRail project with a project kickoff in late January. Actual construction of the commuter rail system won't be far behind, with initial sitework set to start in early February, says April Heller, public information officer with the Florida Dept. of Transportation

Florida Secretary of Transportation Ananth Prasad credited local support for the project's survival, saying, "Your grass-roots support for this critical project has made SunRail a reality."