News & Updates

President’s Message: July 2022

Mike Rubin
President & CEO

Florida’s seaports have been flexing their muscle, and the record growth in cargo proves our Open For Business strategy is working. The latest Seaport Mission Plan shows that cargo handled through our ports was up at least 75 percent in 2021.

While that’s great news for Florida’s economy, the even better news is that we’re just getting started. We’re committed to seizing on this success to secure even more seaport trade and economic activity, and those efforts are already underway.

While more direct from Asia to Florida seaports trade is calling on Sunshine State ports, we’re also strengthening relationships with key trading partners.

In just the last few weeks, Florida port leaders participated in a trade mission to Mexico to continue building on our multi-year Florida-Mexico Work Group effort to further cement our strategic business partnership leveraging the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Strengthening the significant commercial relationship between these two economies is particularly important given that Mexico is a top trading partner.

Within Florida, we’re building momentum with stakeholders invested in seaport economic success. Florida Ports Council Chair and Port Everglades Port Director Jonathan Daniels recently spoke at the Floridians for Better Transportation’s (FBT) Summer Camp, outlining how strategic investments in supply chain solutions is helping Florida secure more trade.

Since 2019, more than $873 million has been dedicated to more than 70 seaport projects – a fact that Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Secretary Jared Perdue highlighted at the FBT conference.

Secretary Perdue and FDOT Northwest Florida Secretary Phillip Gainer recently toured Port Panama City, and had the opportunity to see first-hand how the port is playing a leading role in growing Florida’s global trade. Perdue and Gainer joined Port Director Alex King in a tour of this Gulf Coast seaport.

As we look toward the future, I am reassured that Florida seaports have the right leaders at the right time to guide our state into the next level of global trade and maritime commerce.

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