FLORIDA RISING
business taxes low, Wilson says. He cites that mindset, along with a growing economy and zero personal state income tax, for making the state one of the best places anywhere to do business. A GROWING POPULATI O N With $1.29 trillion GDP, Florida ranks number 4 in state GDP and number 1 for business startups. The state’s top-quality education, budding infrastructure, scal stability, and great quality of life combine to explain why Florida—which already is home to 22 million people—gains approximately 1,000 new residents every day. “We expect approximately 3.5 million new residents and 50 million more annual visitors by 2030, which represents a huge market potential for consumers and the workforce,” Wilson says, adding that more than half of all U.S. growth through 2030 is anticipated to occur in the country’s southern regions. “Florida offers ef cient connections to many of these domestic markets with available freight capacity on its roads, railroads, seaports, and airports,” he says. In addition, Florida is a gateway to emerging markets in the Americas and for international trade moving through the Panama Canal. The state’s ports are some of the nation’s closest to ports in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa, positioning Florida to be competitive in meeting the demand of the rapid economic growth expected for these regions. Port Tampa Bay Factoring prominently in Florida’s strategic advantages as an ideal launch pad to reach export customers and receive imported goods is the Port of Tampa, otherwise known as Port Tampa Bay. “The Tampa Bay region is seeing signi cant activity from companies that are choosing to set up their manufacturing or distribution activities here and bene t from the logistics cost savings of our location at the intersection of the major east-west and north-south trade lanes,” explains Raul Alfonso, Port
Port Tampa Bay has emerged as Florida’s new supply chain solution for container cargo. Port Tampa Bay has recently added capacity, with more expansion underway.
Alfonso says, adding that Port Tampa Bay’s container volume has increased by nearly 30% over the past year. “Our port has easily accommodated this growth by staying ahead of the curve thanks to our terminal build-out program and working closely with our terminal operator partner Ports America,” he says. RAPIDLY EXPANDING CAPACITY To stay ahead of the curve and avoid congestion and delays, Port Tampa Bay has been aggressively expanding capacity in partnership with Ports America, recently adding more paved storage and beginning construction of the new gate complex. Alfonso says additional container gantry cranes are expected later in 2022, both of which will be operational by early 2023. Port Tampa Bay’s breakbulk volume is up 131% for the rst six months of the scal year. This includes a 110% increase in steel, and a 180% increase in lumber. Port Logistics Refrigerated Services (PLRS) provides terminal and stevedoring for refrigerated cargo in a new state-of-the-art 135,000-square-foot cold storage warehouse, 148 reefer plugs, and fumigation services, as well as an adjacent berth served by two dedicated mobile harbor cranes. Since Port Tampa
Tampa Bay’s executive vice president and chief commercial of cer. Alfonso says companies seeking out the region for their operations include expanded global container services serving trade with Asia via the expanded Panama Canal, as well as Latin America and Mexico. “Port Tampa Bay and the Central Florida region have abundant land available to support this expansion,” he says. “Companies can also enjoy the bene ts of operating under the Foreign Trade Zone managed by the port, as well as savings from the lack of state income tax.” The Tampa/Orlando I-4 Corridor is home to the largest concentration of distribution centers in Florida, which allows for multiple round-trip deliveries per day from Port Tampa Bay, compared to the traditional routes via congested out-of-state ports. Alfonso says attractive northbound backhaul trucking rates extend the port’s reach to customers beyond Florida throughout the Southeast. Expansion now underway includes adding more storage and berth capacity, additional cranes, a new gate complex, and transloading facilities. “Port Tampa Bay stands ready to welcome new business and serve as a supply chain alternative and solution,”
64 Inbound Logistics • August 2022
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