ORLANDO, Fla. -- Gov. Charlie Crist has signed Florida's rail legislation bill.

Events were planned Wednesday in Orlando, Tampa and Fort Lauderdale.

A ceremony with Crist was held on Church Street in downtown Orlando at 1 p.m.

"It is truly a magical day in Central Florida. Go Magic! Go SunRail! Let's sign the bill," Crist said.

The bill clears the way for commuter and transit rail systems, which may in turn attract federal stimulus money to also build a high-speed line.

The commuter rail in Orlando, SunRail, will run north to south and will extend 61 miles, eventually going as far north as Deltona and as far south as Poinciana. The first phase of the rail, expected to open in 2011, will run from DeBary to Sand Lake Road in Orlando, with several stops, including downtown Orlando.

Crist's signing of the bill, which recently passed in the state House and Senate, commits the state to the $1.2 billion project.

"I think decades from now when we look back on this day it will be one of the most significant days in Central Florida history," Crist said.

As Crist ceremoniously signed the bill, which he hopes will persuade the federal government to give Florida more than $2 billion for a high-speed rail between Miami, Orlando and Tampa, and another $270 million for SunRail, some protested in the audience.

"I came here to ask Charlie Crist whose taxes he is going to raise, what services he is going to cut in order to fund this project," protester Matt Falconer said.

The anti-rail crowd was small compared to the more than 100 that gathered.

Questions still persist over e-mails that Crist's transportation secretary exchanged with a deputy, which used code words like "pancake" and "French toast" in the subject lines.

Protesters held waffles to draw attention to the e-mails, which were not given to rail opponent Sen. Paula Dockery until after the bill passed in the Senate.

The Department of Transportation said a technical mistake caused them to overlook those e-mails when Dockery requested them, and the subject lines were chosen so the DOT secretary would pay attention to them in her crowded inbox.

Crist said he has asked the inspector general to look into the matter, including the possibility that the DOT used code words in its e-mails to circumvent public records laws.

Dockery has asked for eight months of e-mails about SunRail and CSX and received around 100 total messages. More than 8,000 were eventually found, but given to Dockery after the legislative session was over. Only three of those e-mails contained breakfast items in the subject lines.