Jacksonville Business Journal Opinion: Florida’s ports need legislators’ support
- By John FinottiDuring a recent visit to Jacksonville, Gov. Charlie Crist held a news conference at the Jacksonville Port Authority's Blount Island Marine Terminal to unveil a plan for boosting international trade.
After announcing that international trade in 2008 was among Florida's bright spots, reaching $130.5 billion, of which $82.5 billion passed through the state's seaports, Crist said he was pushing a program to provide small and medium-sized businesses with money to attend trade shows and missions. Trade missions have their place, but in the face of enormous state budget cuts to essential services, one has to question whether underwriting trips abroad and staff training is the right approach or enough to jump-start our economy.
Crist missed a golden opportunity to advocate for investing in Florida's deepwater seaports - the vital link to international commerce, jobs and the state's economic well-being.
Attracting trade is about moving goods to consumers in the most cost-effective and cost-efficient way possible. Almost everything Floridians wear, eat or use in their daily lives - from gasoline and coffee to blue jeans and cell phones - moves over our docks.
A recent study released by the Florida Maritime Leadership Coalition and the Florida Ports Council showed that cargo activity at Florida's seaports in 2008 generated more than 550,000 good-paying direct and indirect jobs, $66 billion in total economic value and $1.7 billion in state and local taxes. The cruise industry in Florida generates an additional 126,500 jobs and $5.2 billion in wages.
Florida seaports are a proven public investment. Port infrastructure improvements yield a $6.90 return in economic activity for each dollar of state investment. The Florida Legislature in 2007 appropriated $50 million in nonrecurring state funds matched by Florida ports for specific priority projects. These projects now under way are providing more than 3,000 construction jobs today. When completed, these projects will produce a further $56.5 million annually in state and local taxes.
Neighboring states, jealous of Florida's vibrant international trade, are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in their ports. By comparison, less than 2 percent of Florida's transportation dollars go to port projects.
In the budget now being crafted in Tallahassee, Crist and the Florida Legislature have the opportunity to truly stimulate economic growth by directing some federal stimulus dollars or a portion of economic development funds to seaport infrastructure improvement projects.
Now is precisely the time for Florida to be investing in its seaports. The cost of building has dropped significantly. Port infrastructure projects will provide immediate employment for thousands of construction workers and create jobs in the engineering, design and architecture professions. When completed, these projects will yield sustainable jobs and will ensure that Florida remains competitive in the global marketplace.
We need to invest in our seaports because they are the economic engines that produce good-paying jobs, state and local tax revenues and will provide for our children's future. Let's not waste such a golden opportunity.
John Finotti is president of Jacksonville-based Access Public Relations and a spokesman for the Florida Maritime Leadership Coalition.
0 COMMENTS:
Submit a comment:
You must be logged in to add comments to an article.
Please login above, or click here to create an account.
Your comments are appreciated, and greatly contribute to the flow of information. Please note that all comments are moderated and need to be approved by the site administrator before they are posted on the site.