The Florida Ports Council called on shipping companies to look to the Sunshine State for solutions as ports across the nation, especially in California, are seeing record backlogs.
In recent days, more than 60 cargo ships have been stuck in limbo, waiting to unload containers in California ports.
Michael Rubin, the president and CEO of the Florida Ports Council, said, with the holiday shopping season about to start, shipping companies have other options, including the more than a dozen ports across the Sunshine State.
“Florida is where your success comes in, and our seaports are the solution to ensure the cargo shipping logjam doesn’t become the Grinch that stole Christmas,” Rubin said on Wednesday. “With inflation growing, shipping and manufacturing industries can save time and money by calling on Florida ports. Why pay to moor off the coast of California, when Florida shipping lanes are open and serving as the gateway for getting goods to America’s market?”
“Clearly, California is no longer the most efficient way to move consumer goods to either the East Coast or even the Midwest. Florida has the capacity to be the more efficient way to connect commerce to those locations,” the Florida Ports Council noted. “Global suppliers of sneakers, furniture, toilet paper, sporting goods, toys, artificial Christmas trees and more, are literally stuck off the coast of California, waiting days and weeks to offload their cargo. As a result, many store shelves are bare, prices are on the rise, the federal government is lowering economic growth expectations for the fourth quarter, and many Americans fear they soon won’t have access to essential products, or Christmas gifts for loved ones.”
Rubin pointed to recent investments in Florida’s ports, including $250 million in relief authorized by Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this year.
“This stimulus is in addition to other port infrastructure and connectivity investments made in Florida to increase our capacity and ability to move cargo and passengers around the world – Florida continues to invest in the infrastructure to become the pier to the world,” the Florida Ports Council noted.
“Florida is open for business, and we are the solution to help resolve the global supply chain crisis,” Rubin said. “Instead of waiting off the coast of California, cargo vessels can offload and move their product to Florida and other discretionary markets in the same time it takes to find space in an increasingly congested California.”
