Heidi Eddins would like to say that's only the beginning.

Eddins, executive vice president and general counsel for Florida East Coast Industries, was named to the Florida High Speed Rail Authority by Gov. Jeb Bush this week. St. Augustine-based Florida East Coast runs FEC Railway, a regional freight railroad with 351 miles of track between Jacksonville and Miami.

Eddins becomes the second St. Augustine resident named to a statewide board within a month: Dr. William Proctor, president of Flagler College, was appointed by Gov. Bush to the newly created Board of Education.

Like Proctor, Eddins is highly qualified for the honor.

She's worked with railroads since 1983 and been through the high-speed rail issue before. The Providence and Worcester Railroad Company, her previous employer, provides freight service from Boston to New York, and Eddins ensured that the company's freight trains, which go 50 mph, were able to use the same tracks as the high-speed passenger trains, which go 150 mph.

''We were successful through all the scheduling changes, track improvements and signaling system upgrades,'' she said. ''So a number of people asked me to consider (the high-speed rail authority).''

She also got recommendations from all across the political spectrum.

Rep. Doug Wiles, a St. Augustine Democrat, recommended Eddins to the governor in a glowing letter.

''She is one of the state's foremost experts on the development of the rail industry,'' Wiles said. ''As we work on determining how we are going to address this multi-billion dollar issue, I firmly believe that (Florida) will be well-served by having Heidi's experience on the authority.''

So far, the only proposed high-speed rail line will connect St. Petersburg and Orlando. State lawmakers created the authority this spring and face a November 2003 deadline to begin construction. But, at the present, only $4.5 million has been appropriated.

However, Eddins said, federal money may be available.

The nine-member authority held its first meeting Monday at the Department of Transportation headquarters in Tallahassee. It plans to meet monthly and get together again Aug. 6, with a January deadline for recommendations.

Eddins, however, is probably the only member with rail experience.

The other eight members are Orlando attorney Skip Fowler; developer Lee Chira of Orlando; Palatka businessman John Browning; Norman Mansour, a former real estate executive from Anna Maria Island; C.C. Dockery, a Lakeland man who got the measure on the ballot; engineering firm owner William Dunn of Miami; Leila Nodarse, owner of an Orlando engineering firm; and Fred Dudley, a Tallahassee attorney and former state lawmaker.

Many questions need to be answered: Will the project use existing rail lines or lay new ones? Where will new lines be built? (One suggestion was the median of Interstate 4.) Should tracks cross roads? Where will terminals go? What will be the final cost and who will pay it?

''I thought I could add value to the debate,'' she said. ''The Northeast Corridor uses the same tracks as the other trains. I'm not taking a position on that. We're in a learning mode. About the cost, no one knows. It's always more than estimated.''

Her life is already busy with her job and her three kids, ages 10, 11 and 13. She belongs to several railroad and legal associations and this week was appointed to one of Flagler Hospital's boards.

''I also pretend to play golf,'' she said. ''But as I read about the high-speed line, I realized that the experience and knowledge I gained working on the Northeast Corridor would be valuable. I bring to the table a heavy dose of reality.''

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