Florida Maritime Leaders Form New Group To Advocate and Advance Industry Interests
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.-(Business Wire)-January 28, 2009 - Florida maritime leaders today announced the creation of a new state-wide organization to advocate for the Florida’s vital maritime transportation industry, which provides more than 350,000 good-paying jobs and contributes more than $74 billion a year to the state’s economy.
The Florida Maritime Leadership Coalition’s membership includes the state’s public deepwater seaports, cargo and cruise lines, trucking companies and organized labor.
“FMLC’s mission is to represent the maritime industry at the state level on issues impacting the competitiveness of Florida’s maritime industry,” said J. Stanley Payne, FMLC Chairman and Port Canaveral Chief Executive Officer. “These issues include those that impact the cost of doing business in Florida, such as duplicative security costs, the amount of state funds dedicated to port infrastructure funding and other issues that put our state on an uneven playing field as we seek to preserve and grow our maritime industry.
“At a time when our state and our nation are looking for ways to stimulate our ailing economies, we believe part of the solution is making investments in our seaports,” Payne added.
An economic study conducted for the Florida Department of Transportation found that every $1 invested in port infrastructure improvements yields nearly $7 in economic benefit. However, while 70 percent of goods consumed in Florida arrive via our seaports, less than 2 percent of transportation funds are spent on expanding and improving our ports.
FMLC advocacy efforts will be enhanced through its communications portal www.floridamaritmeleaders.com. The site will provide a steady stream of news and updates relevant to Florida’s maritime transportation industry and those businesses that provide services to the industry.
FMLC’s Web portal also will be delivering important messages, including proposed legislation and regulatory changes, to those who subscribe to the site. Coalition members also may sign-up to receive important “first-alert” e-mail notices of port news and updates providing valuable insights into new business opportunities.
The launch of the Florida Maritime Leadership Coalition and its new Web site was made in Jacksonville to coincide with the quarterly meetings of the Florida Seaport Transportation and Economic Development (FSTED) Council and the Florida Ports Council. FSTED is a public entity created by statute and charged with implementing the state's economic development mission by facilitating the implementation of seaport capital improvement projects at the local level. The Florida Ports Council is a nonprofit association based in Tallahassee that represents the state’s 14 public deepwater seaports.
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