News & Updates

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (May 21, 2015) – The Florida Ports Council released the Florida Seaports: Gaining Momentum – 2015-2019 Five-Year Florida Seaport Mission Plan  providing updated figures on international trade, cargo data and cruise activity at Florida’s seaports and showing increases in both cargo and cruise activity.

“What is exciting about this data is that it shows noteworthy gains in cargo and cruise moving through Florida’s ports, a trend data suggests will continue in 2015 and future years. With many of the investments in infrastructure being completed, global companies are seeing our state as a very competitive option to help make their business succeed,” said Doug Wheeler, president and CEO of the Florida Ports Council. “With the continued commitment by the Governor and Florida Legislature to seaport infrastructure, we expect those numbers to continue to gain momentum and bolster Florida’s economy overall.”

Some highlights of the 2014 data include:

• Florida’s Waterborne International Trade rose to $86.8 billion in 2014, a $900 million increase.
• Florida seaports moved more than 3.3 million TEUs or containers (4 percent increase) and $49.5 billion worth of containerized cargo (6 percent increase) in 2014.
• Florida seaports also served more than 15.6 million cruise passengers in 2014, a 10.5 percent increase from 2013.

We are especially pleased that we can provide this new data during 2015 Florida World Trade Month, which recognizes the significant contributions Florida’s seaports make to the local and state economies.