Florida Ports Council

The union members say they're suspending work as part of a strike along the East Coast and Gulf Coast until they negotiate a contract for higher wages and provisions against automated work.

Cargo and cruise traffic hit record highs last year at Florida seaports. Port Tampa Bay reported more than 35 tons of total cargo coming through in 2023 - the most of any port in the state.

Port Tampa Bay, PortMiami, Port Everglades, Port Canaveral, and Port of Jacksonville collectively recorded 6.1 million cruise passengers in 2021.

While Florida ports have been working since before the pandemic to attract more cargo routes, experts say this latest push may not provide a quick fix to supply chain bottlenecks.

Gov. Ron DeSantis touted incentive packages offered by state ports to try to entice shipping companies to reroute operations.

House Appropriations Chairman Jay Trumbull also wants them to urge their local representatives to push for infrastructure money so Florida doesn’t “lose out” to ports in Alabama and Georgia.

The Florida Ports Council estimates that the coronavirus pandemic has resulted in an economic impact of $22 billion in the state and has affected 170,000 jobs.

Tourism in Florida has taken a big hit due to the coronavirus pandemic. The losses are especially bad in the cruise industry. The Centers for Disease…

Florida’s ports are asking for help from the federal government for heavy losses related to the cornavirus pandemic.Since March, cargo traffic at…

Nearly $3.7 billion is projected to be spent --- through state, local and private dollars --- over the next five years to handle growing international…