Tallahassee, Florida - Feb. 7, 2012 -

Two consulting firms hired last year by the Florida Department of Transportation projected that the high speed train that Florida eventually decided not to build would have eventually made money, the Tampa Tribune reported Monday. One firm, Steer, Davis, Gleave, projected that while there would be a $9.1 million deficit in 2016, the first year of operation, by 2026 the high-speed rail would be carrying nearly 5 million passengers a year and generate an annual surplus of $31.1 million. Another firm, Wilbur Smith Associates, estimated 3.6 million riders in 2016, producing a $17.6 million operating surplus. By 2026, it would have carried more than 5 million riders and would produce a $44.8 million surplus, according to its analysis, cited by the Tribune. Gov. Rick Scott rejected federal money for the project largely because he said the opposite would be true - that the studies he looked at showed the train would lose money. The FDOT sent the report to the Federal Railroad Administration in November, according to the Tribune. The governor's office has said Scott was "verbally briefed" on highlights of the study before it was completed, but stands by his decision.