Florida Seaport System Plan - SeaCIP

Florida Seaport System Plan
• Responding to these opportunities, and effectively confronting competitive
challenges, requires a more systemwide approach to seaport planning, one
addressing economic and transportation issues in a comprehensive,
statewide manner, consistent with local government comprehensive plans.
While the individual ports bear responsibility for ongoing port operations
and development, the State has responsibility to ensure the multimodal
transportation system as a whole can respond to changing needs and
dynamics, and that state investments in the transportation system are made
in a way that provides the most benefits to the State.
• Over the past two decades, there have been tremendous changes with
respect to global and intermodal freight logistics, trading partners and
services, trade volumes and cargo handling types, vessel design and
deployment, marine infrastructure development and ownership, and inland
transportation systems. While the recent economic downturn has led to
reduced port volumes and a yet undefined recovery period, the long-term
prospect for growth is still strong.
• Florida’s ports are losing cargo market share to key competitors. Partly,
this is due to geographic and market factors beyond their control, and
partly, this is due to more aggressive investment by competitors. South
Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama have state port authorities and a limited
number of facilities. In addition, these states have identified logistics as a
targeted industry. This helps them focus their investments in seaport
development for maximum effect. In Florida, port investments are not
focused through a specific state economic development policy, but are
dispersed among many different competing facilities.
• Despite current economic conditions, Florida’s ports have identified over
$2.73 billion for capital improvement projects for the period of FY
2009/2010 to FY 2013/2014 for cargo, cruise, and intermodal facilities.
The four largest seaports (Everglades, Jacksonville, Miami, and Tampa)
represent nearly 81 percent of the total capital improvement program.
• Finally, state resources to help meet port needs are increasingly constrained.
While overall state funding for ports has increased over the last 20 years,
overall revenue for the State’s transportation program has decreased,
resulting in an almost $10 billion reduction in project commitments in
FDOT’s work program over the last 5 years. With the majority of state
transportation funding going to maintain and preserve the existing system,
capacity projects face more and more competition.
In order to preserve our current system and maximize future growth
opportunities, significant investment is needed. Increasing the overall amount of
funding that can be provided to Florida’s ports, through whatever local, regional,
state, and Federal resources may be available, is highly desirable; using whatever
funding is available in a strategic, focused manner to maximize benefits to the
State of Florida as a whole, is essential. This Seaport System Plan will guide the
State’s involvement and investment in the statewide seaport system.
Florida Department of Transportation 1-5
December 2010