TALLAHASSEE — Florida port officials will head to California this month to push for more cargo ships to come to Florida to help ease global supply-chain issues.
Members of the Florida Ports Council said they have already seen the state’s ports take in more business since they increased efforts in October to capitalize on congestion at the ports in Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif. They said a trip to California during the last week of February to a major shipping conference known as TPM22 will be used to further “beat that drum.”
“We’re going to put ourselves front and center into the battleground,” said Jonathan Daniels, chief executive and port director at Port Everglades and chairman of the Florida Ports Council, said during a “State of Seaports” address last week at the Capitol.
Michael Rubin, president and CEO of the Florida Ports Council, said the TPM conference is a chance to further “take advantage of a national discussion” and build on years of investments Florida has made in its port system.
The conference will come after the industry publication Logistics Management reported last week that experts estimate the pressure on global supply chains will continue until “the second half of the year at the earliest.”
“Above all, the consensus is that the pressure on the ocean freight market will continue in 2022, and freight rates are unlikely to fall back to pre-COVID levels,” Logistics Management reported. “Capacity problems and congestion in the ports will continue to combine with strong global demand in the consumer goods sector.
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