Port Everglades is one of Broward County’s largest economic drivers, having an impact of more than $26 billion.
Now it has a new director: Joseph Morris took over in July after 25 years in the port industry. Most recently he was the director of the Massachusetts Port Authority.
He says that Port Everglades' blend of industries is what makes the port so economically successful.
“Our big three, which is the cruise sector, the cargo sector and the energy sector, that's a unique and really beneficial aspect of what this port does on a day to day basis,” he said. “It's a remarkable mix of three very diverse and different business lines that allows the port to weather any storm in any one sector.”
The cruise industry at Port Everglades has an economic impact of $1.29 billion and moves 4.4 million guests per year through the port. But Morris says the industry also brings in jobs.
“Everybody loves to hear the dollars impact, but the [impact of] jobs,” he said. “Specifically for the cruise industry, it's about 4,000 direct local jobs that support that business.
READ MORE: Port workers on strike in South Florida demand higher wages, better benefits from cargo companies
The energy industry at the port, which includes gas and petroleum products for 13 Florida counties, ships nearly 10 million gallons of gas through the port per day.
“I was sort of shocked to learn the scope of the fuel impact that Port Everglades has,” said Morris. “It's indeed all of South Florida, including all the area airports.“
Port Everglades is also unique in its geographic location. As South Florida is often seen as the cultural gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean, the port acts as the economic gateway between the regions.
“One thing I remember learning in my marketing classes was location, location, location and we have that, " said Morris. “With the very diverse community here in Broward County, it's important to maintain that — that lifeblood of connectivity for guests, for passengers on the ferry service, for the cargo that's moving to and from the various Caribbean islands.“
The recent International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) strike that affected 36 ports along the eastern seaboard and Gulf of Mexico did impact the cargo sector of Port Everglades.
While cruise and energy sectors were unaffected, 41% of the cargo the port processes would have suffered had the strike not been halted after three days.
The strike resulted from a disagreement between the ILA and United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), not between the workers and Port Everglades.
The union representing 45,000 striking U.S. dockworkers at East and Gulf coast ports, including Port Everglades, reached a deal last week to suspend a three-day strike until Jan. 15 to provide time to negotiate a new contract.
