SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
FLORIDA TRADE AND LOGISTICS
counties in Florida and five international airports.
“ Projections indicate that this growth trajectory will continue throughout the fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30,” Morris said.“ In all key measurements, the port’ s operational performance has climbed significantly, based on the most recent Container Port Performance Index analysis. Port Everglades is in the top 16 % of ports worldwide for 2023. We’ re No. 65, up from No. 89 in 2022 and No. 116 in 2021.”
Port Everglades’ investments have improved its crane operations and berth availability, allowing cargo terminal customers to boost their efficiency and turnaround times.
“ Additionally, the port has had increases in new services as we’ re added to key rotations, which speaks to our strategic position in regional and global trade networks,” Morris said.
Port Everglades welcomed CMA CGM’ s CEIBA Express service and ONE’ s FLX service. CEIBA Express began weekly direct service to Port Everglades from Latin America in January 2024, transporting a large amount of produce and dry goods. FLX is another new northsouth service transporting refrigerated fruits, vegetables and seafood from South America to the United States.
“ Strategic partnerships have cemented us as the No. 1 port for perishable goods in Florida and the No. 8 port in that category in the US,” Morris said.
To support the efficient loading and offloading operations required for perishable goods, Port Everglades and its private cargo terminal operators have made capital investments to increase productivity and reduce waiting times. This includes the addition of six superpost-Panamax container gantry cranes, introduction of appointment systems by the terminal operators and upgrades to
post-Panamax container gantry cranes.
“ We’ re upgrading our existing seven post-Panamax rail-mounted container gantry cranes in the Southport Container Complex to handle heavier loads,” Morris said.
Additionally, the port is evaluating a public-private partnership for a new coldstorage warehouse.
“ We’ re continuously looking for ways to improve our offerings for our top reefer
[ refrigerated cargo ] trading partners, which include the Bahamas, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama,” Morris said.
Port Everglades’ shared logistics center private-public partnership, the Port Everglades International Logistics Center( PEILC), is a prime example of its futurefocused development.
“ It’ s equipped for cross-docking, cold storage and Customs inspection all within the port’ s secured footprint,” Morris said.
“ Florida offers shippers quick access to a growing consumer base with the infrastructure needed to quickly move freight throughout the Southeast and beyond.”
“ This level of integration and proximity reduces transit time and costs.”
Tampa Bay has also foreseen the region’ s explosive growth and has been steadily expanding its facilities, highlighting its multiyear container terminal expansion.
“ Port Tampa Bay continues to invest in the infrastructure necessary to meet the growing demand of our market,” Lovelace said.“ We have good terminal operating
Gateway to Florida’ s fastest-growing market
Delivering significant supply chain efficiencies and cost savings, Port Tampa Bay supports importers and exporters tapping into Florida’ s booming economy. Strategically located at the crossroads of the I-4 and I-75 corridors, the port provides direct access to the state’ s largest concentration of distribution centers including over 550 million square feet in Central Florida alone.
Recent service expansions, including Maersk’ s new Cartagena – Tampa‘ America Shuttle 2,’ have strengthened the port’ s connections to Asia and Latin America, fueling double-digit growth in containerized cargo. With nearly half of Florida’ s 23 million residents and most of its 142.9 million annual visitors based in the Central Florida region, demand continues to surge, making it one of the nation’ s hottest logistics and industrial markets.
Drayage efficiencies allow truckers to complete up to four round trips daily between the port and nearby DCs, while favorable backhaul rates extend reach across the Southeast. In partnership with Ports America, Port Tampa Bay is scaling infrastructure with expanded gates, 100 acres of storage, new STS cranes and a berth expansion to support ongoing growth.
44 Journal of Commerce | June 2, 2025 www. joc. com