Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced Wednesday that he's rejecting federal funding for high-speed rail that would connect Tampa, Lakeland and Orlando.

"I'm not comfortable this is a project we should be doing," Scott said at a hastily called news conference in Tallahassee after a phone conversation with U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. Scott said he was not sure high-speed rail would bring taxpayers a return on their investment and he felt money would be better spent on state highway and seaport improvements.

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., was called by Scott in the morning, and offered "vigorous" argument against the governor's decision. "This is eating our seed corn," Nelson said after the call. "It's turning down 24,000 jobs, when we badly need them."

Read the full story at miami.com.