JACKSONVILLE, FL -- It's a simple choice in the eyes of adoptive mom Melisa Page: the future of commerce in our city versus the future of children in our city.

Page is worried other moms won't get to feel the joy she's gotten from adopting kids because millions of dollars in state programs that helped her adopt are on the chopping block.

"How can you even consider taking the money away from our most vulnerable citizens?" Page said.

The Florida legislature's proposed budget cuts also target programs that help care for vulnerable children in foster care, waiting to be adopted.

Altogether, planned cuts to adoption and foster care programs statewide total around $50 million, according to the Florida Coalition for Children.

"When we first heard about the cuts... we were horrified," said Cindy Graves, with the Florida Federation of Republican Women.

Her group has come out against the proposed cuts. Their Democratic counterparts are also opposed.

Graves says she can't understand why the state's considering a deal to give CSX around $640 million to buy rail lines near Orlando and improve privately owned tracks in Jacksonville -- while, at the same time, cutting services to kids.

In return for that $640 million investment, the state would own rail lines in Central Florida that would be used for a commuter rail system there.

CSX also said on Monday that it intends to use some of that money to make $40 million in improvements to the rail network that serves JAXPORT on Jacksonville's Northside.

The decision on whether to complete the deal between CSX and the state now rests with lawmakers in the Florida legislature, who are expected to finalize the budget before May 2.

For Page, the adoptive mother, it's a simple choice for our elected leaders in Tallahassee: choose to support commerce, or choose to support children.

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