Speakers at the Boca Raton Community Redevelopment Agency meeting on Nov. 4 warned officials about Brightline—citing a recent feature article and public reporting that question the rail operatorsafety record and finances—and criticized prior city expenditures on station infrastructure.

"A Death Train is haunting South Florida," said John Perlman, referencing an Atlantic article that, he said, reported 41 fatalities on Brightline last year. Perlman also cited published reporting and bond-rating changes, saying Brightline missed a bond payment on $1.2 billion of debt and had been downgraded to BB- by S&P Global.

Perlman criticized city spending on Brightline-related infrastructure, saying taxpayers had approved roughly $8.5 million for a parking garage and that council had approved an additional $7 million for an east platform. "We are banking our taxpayer dollars, our city, and our future on Brightline," Perlman said.

Richard Warner and other residents questioned whether recent downtown development and outreach efforts were being driven by the presence of a Brightline station or by broader growth strategies. Martha Parker asked about communications with Brightline regarding a reported right of first refusal on two parcels adjacent to the downtown library (the parcel speakers called the "Mango Tree Lot"). Parker said she learned of the first direct contact with Brightline only this week and urged more transparency.

Commissioner Singer said the legal question about any right of first refusal was not appropriate for a public forum but invited Ms. Parker and staff to discuss the matter offline. The chair also asked staff to review any communications and to report back to concerned residents.

Why it matters: Brightline is a private passenger railroad whose safety record, ridership and financial stability affect public safety and local planning around downtown transit nodes. Speakers urged the CRA and city to reconcile safety, financial and property-rights concerns before making further infrastructure commitments.

The CRA did not vote on any Brightline-related measure at the Nov. 4 meeting.