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The Palm Beach Post All Aboard Florida encouraging exploration of more stops Updated: 4:36 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015 1 Posted: 1:5o p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015 By Kimberly Miller - Palm Beach Post Staff Writer All Aboard Florida is signaling its willingness to build additional stations between West Palm Beach and Orlando, offering to initiate ridership and environmental studies for communities that identify possible locations. The move is markedly opposite statements made as recently as October when the company's president and chief development officer told the Northern Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce that no new stops would be considered until the first phase of the express passenger rail project is completed in 2017. But Russell Roberts, vice president of government affairs for All Aboard Florida, spoke Saturday during a special meeting of the Stuart City Commission, telling board members the Treasure Coast should consider a site analysis for a stop. "This was contradictory to everything they've said in the past," said Stuart City Commissioner Troy McDonald, who spoke often with All Aboard Florida in his former position as mayor. "It is my belief at this time that we are not interested in negotiating a station, and I don't think the residents want us to do that." In a statement released by the company Wednesday, Roberts said All Aboard Florida remains "open to future expansion opportunities." He pointed to the Space Coast Transportation Planning Organization, which voted this month to work with the Canaveral Port Authority to find locations best suited for an All Aboard Florida stop in Brevard County. "We support that vision and encourage the Treasure Coast to focus their resources on a similar process," Roberts said. "All Aboard Florida will work with communities that identify station locations by initiating a pre -development process, which will include analyzing ridership data and any necessary environmental studies." An All Aboard Florida opposition group says the offer was made in reaction to last week s votes in Martin and Indian River Counties to pledge a combined S4.1 million to fight All Aboard Florida's plan to run 32 trains per day on the Florida East Coast Railway tracks. While the project has received a mostly favorable response from areas in Miami -Dade and Broward counties, there is opposition in northern Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast, where trains will run at speeds up to 110 mph. "The counties have now made a very big stand that they are opposed to All Aboard Florida and I think it wants to divide and conquer," said KC Traylor, a Palm City resident and founder of Florida Not All Aboard. "They want to cause a fracture, but at this point it would be committing political suicide to advocate for a station." Mark Brechbill, a board member with the group Stuart Main Street, said All Aboard Florida could be devastating to downtown if the city doesn't get a stop, so he's open to hearing options