Florida Seaport System Plan - SeaCIP

Florida Seaport System Plan
1.4 Elements of the Seaport System Plan
This Seaport System Plan includes the following:
• Components that are shared and generally agreed upon by the State, the
individual ports, and other stakeholders and partners. These include:
− A vision for Florida’s Seaport System;
− A description of current system conditions; and
− A general set of future performance objectives for the system by region.
• Components directly reflecting the planning of individual ports. These
include: market projections; on-port needs; and off-port needs.
• Components reflecting the roles, responsibilities, objectives, and actions of
the State of Florida with respect to seaports. These focus on FDOT, but
also address other state agencies and local/regional governments.
In this form, the Seaport System Plan recognizes that while Florida’s ports will
continue to be operated as individual businesses, there is the need for continued
and increased partnership between the State and the ports to ensure the system
as a whole functions at the highest possible level – increasing benefits to the
State through increased jobs and tax base; increasing benefits to the
transportation system and Florida residents and visitors by ensuring the best
possible multimodal system is planned and constructed; increasing benefits to
residents and visitors by access to needed goods and to markets; increasing
benefits to visitors through recreational opportunities and increasing revenues
to the ports themselves. The articulation of a shared vision and future
performance targets for the system as a whole provides the ports with useful
guideposts as they fulfill their mission, as well as helping them better align with
larger statewide strategic system objectives.
The Seaport System Plan ensures that the State of Florida’s actions with respect
to its seaports are guided by strategic, systemwide thinking. The State as a
whole will benefit from a strategic statewide approach to investments in on-port
and off-port infrastructure and facilities. This includes, but is not limited to,
active participation in master planning activities, establishing investment
priorities for state funds, planning for a multimodal transportation system by
developing the SIS (which includes 11 of the 14 seaports), and helping to
promote the importance of Florida’s seaports.
Finally, the Seaport System Plan clearly demonstrates the State’s seaport
resources will be used effectively to the maximum effect and benefit. This will
be critical as responsible decision-makers consider how to prioritize limited
state funds, and as they seek to maximize the availability of funding from any
and all potentially available sources.
1-8 Florida Department of Transportation
December 2010