News & Updates

President’s Message: May 2023

May 17, 2023

Fresh off record-high cargo levels, Florida seaport leaders gathered in Washington, D.C. early this week to urge Florida’s congressional delegation to continue supporting Florida’s vital seaport industry.

Florida’s reliable and resilient seaports currently support 900,000 direct and indirect jobs, produce $117.6 billion in economic value, or 13.3 percent of Florida’s GDP. While the jobs and economic activity our seaports produce is important to our state and national economy, perhaps the larger story is how important Florida’s seaports have been in helping to right the supply chain ship over the last few years.

While much of the nation was frozen by the supply chain stalemate, Florida’s ports were open and encouraging shipping lines to change lanes and sail to the Sunshine State. We’ve long known that the investments made in our ports had prepared Florida for the day when more cargo and more cargo ships would call on Florida. Now Florida has become a major player among seaports.

With that in mind, we also know that ongoing investments will be the key to helping ensure Florida’s seaports continue to play a leading role in global trade and cruise life transportation. That’s a message we shared this week with members of Florida’s congressional delegation, including Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio, Congressmen Dan Webster, Dr. Neal Dunn, Mario Diaz-Balart, Michael Waltz, Brian Mast, Darren Soto, and Congresswomen Lois Frankel, Laurel Lee, Frederica Wilson.

Special thanks to all the port leaders that traveled to our nation’s capital, including Florida Ports Council Chair and Port Everglades Port Director Jonathan Daniels, Port Panama City Port Director Alex King, JAXPORT CEO Eric Green, PortMiami Port Director and CEO Hydi Webb, Port Canaveral CEO and Port Director Capt. John Murray and executives from Port Tampa Bay and SeaPort Manatee.

Thank you for your continued support.