The port leaders of Florida share the House panel of the necessary improvements to support supply chains

Florida port leaders have continued to refer to problems with the supply chain in recent years, as they prompt the legislators to increase the financing of the transport infrastructure.

A panel of harbor officials who appeared on Thursday before the house under Committee for Wirtschaftsinfrastructure pointed out the need for improvements as protection against future pension logjams and the compensation of the competition by other States Atlantic and Gulf Coast.

“With our continued growth, the more efficient supply chains that we can create, it is cheaper that we can bring the products to our region, it will go to our communities,” said Raul Alfonso, President of Port Tampa Bay Executivevice.

To attract more freight companies, the officials say that it is not just about deeper channels for larger ships and improved operations of the dock. Other needs are more drying rock space and improvements for rails and roads to bring objects to markets across the state.

“We grow. We are making a mission, but we just started scratching the surface, ”said Alfonso. “The potential we have is enormous. We have to offer efficiency. But we have it with other countries who have a direct management for the (your) port authority that you only write a check for the provision of incentives for these companies. “

The concerns regarding potential holdups in the movement of goods have been a sales argument for the transport managers of Florida since the end of 2021, since the global supply chain problems were emphasized by images of cargo ships that have been led outside of California.

Last year, the Florida Ports Council outlined a five-year capital improvement plan for the 15 ports of the state, which exceeded $ 5 billion. The planned projects are intended for freight and cruise.

“We build based on needs and based on obligations. We really don't build: “If we build it, you will come.” We know that you are coming when we build, ”said Hydi Webb, Portmiami Port Director. “And we were very lucky that our partners invested in our infrastructure both on the cruise and on the freight together with state and federal partners. It is a real partnership. “

The five-year working program of the state transport approved for the current financial year award the ports of less than $ 80 million, with a further $ 35 million being earned for debt payments.

The legislators will begin the legislative period 2025 on March 4. An essential part of the session will be to negotiate a state budget for the financial year that begins on July 1.

Rep. Chip Lamarca, a Republican of Lighthouse Point, who heads the chair of the subcommittee for the business infrastructure, expressed the port industry.

“At $ 109.6 million of (a) $ 15 billion plus (budget), the seaports are less than 1 percent,” said Lamarca. “I just put my opinion in the recording that we have to pronounce our support for these ports.”

MP Kim Berfield, a Clearwater Republican who works in the subcommittee, added: “In my modest opinion, I can see that our state start to think more strategically about how we create a very robust and comprehensive supply chain.”

As part of his proposed budget of $ 115.6 billion for the 2025-26 financial year, Governor Ron Desantis included $ 120.7 million for the seaport infrastructure, “to ensure that Floridas ports continue to have capacity, during the rest of the nation The backups of the supply chain fight for seaports. “

The governor's proposal also recommended 25 million US dollars, innovations of the supply chain with “vertical starting and landing frugals, vertiports, airports, inland ports, seaports, freight railways, intermodal logistics centers and fuel cables.”

Desantis's proposal is a first step in the legislator's budget process.

The Florida Ports Council estimates that the freight and cruise industry is responsible for 1.2 million jobs in the state, the economic activity of 196 billion US dollars and $ 7.4 billion in state and local taxes.

A decade ago as a state under then GOV. Rick Scott made the ports a major part of the transport network, which estimated Ports Council that freight and cruise activities supported almost 900,000 jobs in the entire state, provided economic effects of almost 117.6 billion dollars and more than 4.2 billion US -Dollar generated in state and local taxes.

“Although there are currently some trading problems internationally, we expect them to continue growing (numbers),” said Michael Rubin, President of Port Council.