News & Updates
President’s Message: September 2025
Florida’s port directors recently gathered in Longboat Key for two important annual meetings, and focused attention on securing the economic competitive edge of Florida’s 16 deepwater seaports.
Both the Florida Ports Council and the Florida Seaport Transportation and Economic Development Council (FSTED Council) Boards of Directors met to discuss the latest maritime economic-related activity happening at each port, and to make important economic-based investments to ensure Florida is where cargo and cruise ships continue to call.
Each board elected a new slate of officers to serve as the leadership team for 2025-2027.
Elected to serve the Florida Ports Council Board of Directors were:
- Chair: Michael Meekins, Port of Palm Beach Executive Director
- Vice-Chair: Hydi Webb, PortMiami Port Director and CEO
- Secretary/Treasurer: David Wirth, Enterprise Facilities Planning Manager at Port St. Pete
The new slate of FSTED Council board leaders elected include:
- Chair: Joshua Revord, P.E., Port of Fort Pierce Port Director
- Vice-Chair: Joseph Morris, Port Everglades CEO and Port Director
- Secretary: Lance Scott, Port of Pensacola Port Director
As we continue our mission to ensure that Florida’s seaports continue growing their competitive edge in the global trade and leisure cruise industries, this week we’re continuing to foster our international relationship with Italy. Many of you will recall that earlier this year, Florida and Italian seaports signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between these two unique peninsulas that share a rich maritime heritage and serve as gateways for global commerce. This MOU is representative of our bilateral relationship.
This week I will join SelectFlorida as they lead an International Trade and Business Development Leadership Mission to Italy to strengthen Florida’s maritime, trade and international investment relationship with one of Europe’s most dynamic economies. While there, the Florida Ports MOU Working Group will meet, conduct a port tour, and further build on this MOU working relationship.
Later this month, many of Florida’s port leaders will attend the Breakbulk America’s conference to meet with maritime professionals who are solely focused on importing large, non-containerized bulk. This is the largest conference of its type, and the right location to market Florida’s 10 breakbulk seaports – highlighting their capabilities in meeting the needs of this large, specialized cargo making its way to the United States.
Ensuring that we’re demonstrating the strengths that each of Florida’s 16 seaports has to offer is our top priority. It’s what’s good for our state’s economic strength, what’s good for the families we employ, and the Floridians we serve with critical commodities like food, fuel and healthcare supplies.
Thank you for your continued support as we engage globally and across the United States, to build on the strength that each of Florida’s seaports offer in the trade and cruise leisure space.