August 4, 2014 Paul J. Nicoletti, City Manager City of Stuart 121 SW Flagler Ave Stuart, FL 34994 Dear Mr. Nicoletti: Thank you for your letter dated July 30, 2014. All Aboard Florida has enjoyed a cooperative relationship with the City of Stuart and its staff and we appreciate the opportunity to clarify the concerns raised in your letter. First, I must explain that the track designs for the portion of the Florida East Coast Railway (FECR) corridor within the limits of the City of Stuart, which will include roadway, signal, and maintenance of traffic plans, are in production and will be shared with the city at the 90% stage this fall. Until then, the final track alignment and grade crossing layouts are not fully established, but I can provide you with an outlook based on current design plans. Downtown Parking All Aboard Florida anticipates installing a second mainline track without affecting the portion of the railroad right of way currently leased by the City of Stuart for public parking. Grade Crossing Closures All Aboard Florida and Florida East Coast Railway are not initiating the closure of any highway-rail grade crossings in the City of Stuart. Both companies strongly support the initiatives of cities interested in consolidating grade crossings, recognizing the significant safety benefits of eliminating crossings and the immediate cost savings realized by the cities. The final decision to close any crossings will be solely at the discretion of the Stuart City Commission. Colorado Avenue Left Turn The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) conducted a highway-rail grade crossing diagnostic review of the Florida East Coast Railway corridor in the spring of 2014 following the methodology described in the FDOT Rail Handbook, with participation from All Aboard Florida, Florida East Coast Railway, Federal Railroad Administration, and the various crossing agreement-holders along the corridor. City of Stuart Public Works Director Samuel Amerson participated in the diagnostic process for those crossings within the city limits. During this field review, the Diagnostic Team identified Colorado Avenue as a particularly complex crossing and made several recommendations to improve the safety of motorists at the crossing. The most significant of these recommendations was the removal of the northbound left hand turn lane from S. Colorado Avenue onto S.W. Dixie Highway and the installation of a median separator. All Aboard Florida will adhere to all applicable FDOT and

FRA guidelines and regulations, including satisfying the safety recommendations of the Diagnostic Team. As the design plans for the grade crossings in Stuart are refined this fall, representatives from All Aboard Florida will meet with your staff to solicit their input and jointly establish the safest and most appropriate application of the Diagnostic Team’s recommendations for the crossing at S. Colorado Ave. It is important for your city and the public to understand that FDOT is mandating that All Aboard Florida meet the highest standards of safety, therefore our company will gladly adhere to the specific recommendations of the Diagnostics Team as safety is our number one priority as well. I know that you and the Mayor share the belief that safety is the first priority so we expect no disagreement between the city and our company on this issue. Transition from Double to Single Track Approaching the St. Lucie River Bridge At this time, the single track span across the St. Lucie River Bridge is planned to extend from approximately 1,000’ south of the bridge to approximately 1,800’ north of the bridge. The track design currently shows that Fern Street remains a single track crossing. Freight Access to Local Businesses FECR continues to operate freight service along its corridor in order to serve the many Florida businesses that move their products by rail. All Aboard Florida is committed to preserving the quality of that local freight service by constructing or extending siding tracks to shift small, local freight trains off the mainline tracks and allow for the unimpeded movement of passenger trains. One such siding track is planned for construction at Monterey Road, but from a motorist’s perspective, freight train operations will remain the same. Landscaping Schedule We are aware of the pending FDOT-funded beautification and sidewalks project and recognize its importance to the City. Still, we feel that a proper analysis of potential conflicts with the All Aboard Florida infrastructure improvements cannot be completed until the final alignment of the track is established. When those plans are further developed, All Aboard Florida would be glad to facilitate the exchange of design files and arrange a review session. A similar coordination has occurred with cities in several areas in the southern portion of the corridor, which will constitute Phase I of the All Aboard Florida project. In the meantime, All Aboard Florida will continue to work with the City and FDOT to seek an extension of the grant. Please also note that the landscaping impacts will not only be affected by the final track design, but also the construction methodology used by our contractor. This latter impact will not be known until final bids are received for this portion of track construction and the chosen contractor has decided what construction methodology it will need to employ.

We appreciate the thoughtful consideration you have given to our project and look forward to working together to achieve the safest and most appropriate resolutions to the concerns you have raised. Best regards,

Vinay Mudholkar Senior Vice President for Infrastructure All Aboard Florida