neroden
Engineer
It's still a sea change to have any substantial contributions from the state governments of Alabama and Mississippi, which looked hopeless until recently. I wonder, if we looked at the numbers: is it possible for the route to be covered by Mississippi, Alabama, and the cities? (Talahassee and Pensacola would probably put in a little; Mobile and Biloxi significantly more, I'd guess.)My speculation is that there will be no Gulf Coast service unless the federal government comes up with some money. The states do not have the stomach to fund it entirely by themselves. They may come up with some local matching funds. As far as any state level support goes, only Alabama and Mississippi may contribute substantially.
If there's really zero interest from Florida and even the cities in Florida won't put in money, I don't see the full route happening.