Gov. DeSantis: Florida's ports have the ability to deliver goods on time throughout holiday season
During a news conference in Jacksonville Tuesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Florida is stepping up to help with the national supply chain issues.
He said some of the state's ports are inviting businesses to send their ships here to unload their cargo.
"We're able to accommodate these ships without backups. Our seaports are used to operating around the clock. They're used to moving cargo,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis claims over the past few weeks at least three overseas companies have already re-routed their cargo ships to Florida's ports.
What could it mean for Central Florida? The CEO of Port Canaveral says probably, not much.
Capt. John Murray, the CEO of Port Canaveral said, "We're not a big container port and what people don't understand about containers is the money that a container shipping company spends on land is generally more than it is on the water so you always want to get that container as close to its destination as possible."
Captain Murray says only 20% of Port Canaveral's business is cargo and it's primarily raw materials like salt and petroleum, not finished goods like the ones stuck on dozens of containers ships off the California coast.
Murray says while Port Canaveral may not attract container ships. He does think other Florida ports, primarily Jacksonville, may be a good alternative for some shipping companies.
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