Port Canaveral

Cargo traffic at Florida’s 16 seaports is slightly ahead of pre-pandemic numbers, while the cruise industry is expected to return to pre-pandemic passenger counts this year.

Cruise ship delays are expected to increase as the space industry hopes to double and triple the number of launches from the cape.

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

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.

It's part of a $250 million package Gov. Ron DeSantis announced will go to Florida's ports.

But the recovery is expected to take longer for the multibillion-dollar passenger cruise industry.

Cruise ships that have been stuck in port since the pandemic struck are starting to trickle back into Florida. But Tampa Bay won't see any cruise lines return until the fall.

Authorities say a cruise ship has been cleared to enter port after being held off Florida's east coast while awaiting testing of two crew members for the…