<PAGE> 1
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FORM 3
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U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
INITIAL STATEMENT OF BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES
Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or Section 30(f)
of the Investment Company Act of 1940
<TABLE>
<S> <C> <C> <C>
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|1. Name and Address of Reporting Person* |2. Date of Event Requiring |4. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol |
| | Statement | |
| HOVIS JOHN M. | (Month/Day/Year) | |
|------------------------------------------| | RAILAMERICA, INC. (NASDAQ: RAIL) |
| (Last) (First) (Middle) | |-----------------------------------------------------------|
| | 2/4/00 |5. Relationship of Reporting | 6. If Amendment, Date |
| 1035 BRADFORD COURT |---------------------------| Person to Issuer | of Original |
|------------------------------------------|3. IRS Identification | (Check all applicable) | (Month/Day/Year) |
| (Street) | Number of Reporting | | |
| | Person, if an Entity |[ ] Director [ ] 10% Owner | |
| | (Voluntary) | | |
| | |[X] Officer [ ] Other (specify| |
| | | (give below) |-------------------------|
| | | title below) | 7. Individual or Joint/ |
| KELLER, TEXAS 76248 | | | Group Filing (Check |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------| SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CHIEF | applicable line) |
| (City) (State) (Zip) | OPERATING OFFICER - NORTH | |
| | AMERICAN RAIL GROUP | [X] Form Filed by |
| | | One Reporting |
| | | Person |
| | | [ ] Form Filed by |
| | | More than One |
| | | Reporting Person |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| TABLE 1 -- NON-DERIVATIVE SECURITIES BENEFICIALLY OWNED |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|1. Title of Security | 2. Amount of Securities | 3. Ownership Form: | 4. Nature of Indirect |
| (Instr. 4) | Beneficially Owned | Direct (D) or | Beneficial |
| | (Instr. 4) | Indirect (I) | Ownership (Instr. 4) |
| | | (Instr. 5) | |
|----------------------------------------|------------------------------|---------------------------|------------------------------|
| COMMON STOCK, $.001 PAR VALUE | 46,617 SHARES | D | |
|----------------------------------------|------------------------------|---------------------------|------------------------------|
| | | | |
|----------------------------------------|------------------------------|---------------------------|------------------------------|
| | | | |
|----------------------------------------|------------------------------|---------------------------|------------------------------|
| | | | |
|----------------------------------------|------------------------------|---------------------------|------------------------------|
| | | | |
|----------------------------------------|------------------------------|---------------------------|------------------------------|
| | | | |
|----------------------------------------|------------------------------|---------------------------|------------------------------|
| | | | |
|----------------------------------------|------------------------------|---------------------------|------------------------------|
| | | | |
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</TABLE>
* If the form is filed by more than one Reporting Person, see Instruction
5(b)(v). Reminder: Report on a separate line for each class of securities
beneficially owned directly or indirectly.
(Print or Type Responses)
<PAGE> 2
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
FORM 3 (CONTINUED) TABLE II -- DERIVATIVE SECURITIES BENEFICIALLY OWNED
(E.G., PUTS, CALLS, WARRANTS, OPTIONS, CONVERTIBLE SECURITIES)
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C> <C>
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| 1. Title of Derivative Security |2. Date |3. Title and Amount of |4. Conver- | 5. Owner- |6. Nature of Indirect|
| (Instr. 4) | Exercisable and | Securities Underlying | sion or | ship | Beneficial Owner- |
| | Expiration Date | Derivative Securities | Exercise | Form of | ship (Instr. 5) |
| | (Month/Day/Year )| (Instr. 4) | Price of | Deriva- | |
| | | | Deriva- | tive | |
| | | | tive | Security:| |
| | | | Security | Direct | |
| |--------------------|--------------------------| | (D) or | |
| | Date | Expira- | | Amount or | | Indirect | |
| | Exercis-| tion | Title | Number of | | (I) | |
| | able | Date | | Shares | | (Instr. | |
| | | | | | | 5) | |
|---------------------------------|----------|---------|--------------|-----------|------------|-------------|---------------------|
| | | | | | | | |
|---------------------------------|----------|---------|--------------|-----------|------------|-------------|---------------------|
| | | | | | | | |
|---------------------------------|----------|---------|--------------|-----------|------------|-------------|---------------------|
| | | | | | | | |
|---------------------------------|----------|---------|--------------|-----------|------------|-------------|---------------------|
| | | | | | | | |
|---------------------------------|----------|---------|--------------|-----------|------------|-------------|---------------------|
| | | | | | | | |
|---------------------------------|----------|---------|--------------|-----------|------------|-------------|---------------------|
| | | | | | | | |
|---------------------------------|----------|---------|--------------|-----------|------------|-------------|---------------------|
| | | | | | | | |
|---------------------------------|----------|---------|--------------|-----------|------------|-------------|---------------------|
| | | | | | | | |
|---------------------------------|----------|---------|--------------|-----------|------------|-------------|---------------------|
| | | | | | | | |
|---------------------------------|----------|---------|--------------|-----------|------------|-------------|---------------------|
| | | | | | | | |
|---------------------------------|----------|---------|--------------|-----------|------------|-------------|---------------------|
| | | | | | | | |
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Explanation of Responses:
- ------------------------- /s/ JOHN M. HOVIS FEBRUARY 10, 2000
** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal --------------------------------- -----------------
Violations. See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a). **Signature of Reporting Person Date
John M. Hovis
Note. File three copies of this form, one of which must be manually signed.
If space provided is insufficient, see Instruction 6 for procedure.
(Print or Type Responses) Page 2
</TABLE>
<PAGE> 3
POWER OF ATTORNEY
FOR EXECUTING FORMS 3, 4 AND 5
Know all by these presents, that the undersigned hereby constitutes and
appoints each of Gary O. Marino and Donald D. Redfearn, signing singly, his/her
true and lawful attorney-in-fact to:
(1) execute for and on behalf of the undersigned Forms 3, 4 and 5
in accordance with Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934 and the rules thereunder;
(2) do and perform any and all acts for and on behalf of the
undersigned which may be necessary or desirable to complete
the execution of any such Forms 3, 4 and 5 and the timely
filing of such form with the United States Securities and
Exchange Commission and any other authority; and
(3) take any other action of any type whatsoever in connection
with the foregoing which, in the opinion of such
attorney-in-fact, may be of benefit to, in the best interest
of, or legally required by, the undersigned, it being
understood that the documents executed by such
attorney-in-fact on behalf of the undersigned pursuant to this
Power of Attorney shall be in such form and shall contain such
terms and conditions as such attorney-in-fact may approve in
his/her discretion.
The undersigned hereby grants to each such attorney-in-fact full power
and authority to do and perform all and every act and thing whatsoever
requisite, necessary and proper to be done in the exercise of any of the rights
and powers herein granted, as fully to all intents and purposes as such
attorney-in-fact might or could do if personally present, with full power of
substitution or revocation, hereby ratifying and confirming all that such
attorney-in-fact, or his/her substitute or substitutes, shall lawfully do or
cause to be done by virtue of this power of attorney and the rights and powers
herein granted. The undersigned acknowledges that the foregoing
attorneys-in-fact, in serving in such capacity at the request of the
undersigned, are not assuming any of the undersigned's responsibilities to
comply with Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has caused this Power of Attorney
to be executed as of this 10th day of February, 2000.
/s/ JOHN M. HOVIS
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Signature
JOHN M. HOVIS
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Print Name
