BARTOW For the first time, a local government in the Bay area is formally objecting to the fast-track approval process of the massive CSX rail hub and distribution center planned for south of Winter Haven.

That hub is the backbone of a half-billion deal put together last year by former Gov. Jeb Bush’s administration that would reorganize freight rail traffic throughout the state and bring commuter rail to the Orlando area. The Port of Tampa has also expressed interest in tapping into the hub and the burgeoning central Florida distribution industry, generally.

Advocates of the proposed Heartland Parkway have cited the CSX hub as a reason to build the highway, which would tie into the new facility.

But the Polk County Commission now thinks the state should rethink its decision to waive a time-consuming regional review for the first phase of the 1,250-acre project. That would greatly slow the development’s progress.

Commissioners voted 3-2 Wednesday to ask the state Department of Community Affairs to “consider requiring the CSX project to undergo a full [development of regional impact] review.”

The question now is how the state will react to the request and whether the commission will take further political and legal steps to push for the review if the state ignores its wishes. Polk’s planning director Merle Bishop said that his calls to the DCA have not been returned. DCA has also not returned calls the Tribune.

Despite the vote, there was little indication Wednesday that the machinery of county government has any interest in fighting for the regional review.

Bishop, the county manager, and a county commissioner all said there’s essentially nothing the county can do about the project, which is being developed within the Winter Haven city limits. And, the county’s economic development director, like the city of Winter Haven, has been a staunch supporter of the plan, even without the review.

County Manager Mike Herr described the CSX project as “grand and joyous thing,” from the point-of-view of economic development.

But Commissioner Randy Wilkinson, who put the letter together, said: “If we don’t squeak a little bit, nothing’s going to happen.”

The CSX hub, which is known formally as an “integrated logistics center,” will serve as a sort of inland port for freight deliveries from real ports throughout the country. It will be CSX’s prime distribution center for the Florida market, taking shipping containers from trains and transferring them onto hundreds of trucks for delivery.

The Winter Haven City Commission approved the project last summer without performing any detailed traffic studies. But CSX projects 1,150 truck trips onto State Road 60 from just the initial phase of the project, according to Winter Haven city documents.

Train traffic through cities in east central Florida, including Lakeland, is expected to increase significantly.

A project as large and intense as the CSX hub would normally be subjected to a development of regional impact review, which would require agencies other than just the city of Winter Haven to look at its impacts. The DRI acreage threshold in question is 320 acres.

CSX and Winter Haven have thus far avoided that process by splitting the project in two. The first and most vital part, which is the rail hub facility, is 318 acres. The second part is about 900 acres, which CSX expects to fill with warehouses and ancillary businesses.

CSX hopes to have the hub constructed by 2009 or 2010.

Commissioners Wilkinson, Sam Johnson and Jean Reed voted to send the letter. Commissioners Jack Myers and Bob English voted not to.

For much deeper background on this story, see this link to our special report on the CSX hub.

And for those of you, like me, who are fascinated by the convergence of politics, money and dealmaking associated with this story, you might enjoy this post.

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