Depending on which list you read and when it was published, Florida is either the state most popular with tourists, or at least firmly lodged in the top three.
But in addition to the people who just want to drop by for a vacation, the Sunshine State also has the fastest growing population in the nation.
As a Florida native born and raised in Orlando, I can confirm that there’s a lot to do there, whether you’re visiting or planning on staying put. (We can discuss the political situation there some other time; I’m trying to stay on a positive tip these days.)
My hometown has more theme parks than any other city on earth, and plenty else to recommend it. (Go grab a drink anywhere in the Milk District, you won’t regret it.)
Then ever-glamorous Miami (it’s strange how my invitation to Art Basel gets lost in the mail, year after year) and nearby Fort Lauderdale, which is just as fun but a tad more chill.
Maybe you're a tourist that to see as much of the state as possible during a week or so. Perhaps you live in West Palm Beach but want to take your niece to Universal Studios. Or maybe you’re like me, and when you visit for the holidays you try to see as many family members as possible, including in-laws, during a brief stay.
For years, the main obstacle to doing any of this is that you have to drive, a lot, to get anywhere in this state. The drive from Miami to Orlando is at least four hours, and that’s if you don’t hit traffic, which you probably will.
Even before the pandemic, Florida’s major highways (including but not limited to I-95, I-4 and the Turnpike) had a reputation for being crowded, unpleasant and downright strange. (There are stretches in the state where you only see two kinds of highway billboards: strident anti-abortions messages and ribald advertisements for strip clubs.) Since the pandemic, there’s been multiple reports of increases in reckless, inconsiderate driving, and I can confirm in my experience that these reports are not exaggerated.
But the good news is that now Floridians have a better option, and soon tourists might learn to love it as well.
The Brightline Is Florida’s Best Kept Secret
The private inter-city rail Brightline opened in 2018, it is owned and run by the the real estate company Florida East Coast Industries. (At one point Virgin was going to acquire the company, but that ended up not happening.)
The train originally ran between Miami and West Palm Beach with a stop at Ft. Lauderdale, and last December stops at Boca Raton and Aventura were added.
The Brightline wasn’t the first South Florida train, as the Tri-Rail has been connecting people between Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach since 1989. As a public commuter line, Tri-Rail has both advantage and disadvantage. It has 18 stops in as many cities, which is great if you live in one of those towns, but it also makes for a longer ride.
By contrast, Brightline is more expensive than the Tri-Rail, as a standard ticket between Ft. Lauderdale and Miami can cost between $22 to $42, depending on the time of day, while the Tri-Rail can cost between $3.75 to $5.
Both options offer monthly passes, which is useful for people who commute for work. But Brightline also offers premium service, which can cost between $52 to $79 (again, between Lauderdale and Miami) and comes with perks such as free coffee, free wine, a private quiet cabin and free snacks. (I’m not sure why wine tastes better on a train, but it really does.)
The Brightline opened in May of 2018, and then paused operations in March of 2020 due to the pandemic, and service did not resume until November of 2021.
So basically, 2022 was the first time in three years the company operated for a full year, and it seems like Floridians did not forget.
The company has reported a 22% increase in ridership from three years earlier, as well as an increase in annual revenue of nearly 49% to $32 million in 2022, compared to three years earlier, as reported by Skift. Overall, a record 1.23 million passengers rode Brightline last year.
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Brightline Is Set to Expand
A train that takes people swiftly and smoothly in snack-addled comfort between Miami and Ft. Lauderdale is good news for tourists who love beaches.
But the Brightline experience is set to become even better. After years of construction, and delays, Brightline is planning to open a stop at the fancy new Terminal C at Orlando International Airport. (A big reason for the delay was due to complications stemming from the 129-mile section of track between West Palm Beach and Cocoa.)
The exact date for the opening is as of yet unannounced, but founder and Co-CEO of Brightline Wes Edens promises it will be no later than Christmas 2023, pending a U.S. Federal Railroad Administration-required testing period. Which means that by the end of this year, it will be much easier to visit Miami Beach, Universal Studios (CMCSA) and Disney World (DIS) all in one trip.
Additionally, there are plans to add a Tampa spot as well. While the drive from Tampa to Disney isn’t that long (usually about an hour if traffic is light), a quick train ride could make an impulse trip that much more appealing, which may explain why Universal Orlando recently committed $125 million in funding towards construction of an 11-mile rail corridor in a critical 11-mile segment across Orlando.
$125 isn't cheap, but getting Tampa residents to visit more often is an investment parent company Comcast seems willing to make -- and one that thousands of Florida residents who try to avoid I-4 whenever possible will no doubt appreciate.
