Big ideas at Canaveral

The port has previously used credit to fund the purchase of property near Interstate 95 and State Road 524 for cargo and warehousing operations, among other things.

A spokesperson from the port told Port Strategy that some of the development projects already underway at the port include widening and deepening of the harbour, cruise terminal renovations, off-site logistics and warehouses and Surface Transportation Board rail evaluation.

When it comes to cruise, Canaveral is in the top three busiest cruise ports in the world with more than 4 million passengers annually.

But it’s planning four new terminals in the next ten years with two of them budgeted within the next five years. Passenger counts are expected to grow to 5 million this year; 6 million by 2017 and 8 million by mid-2020s.

Away from cruise, the port is also growing cargo hub undergoing major improvements.

“We are increasing capacity, building new facilities for container and general cargo, and improving our channel to establish the deepest, most accessible East Coast port in Central Florida by 2020,” a port spokesperson told PS.

It’s also focusing on direct rail access and is continuing to pursue a rail extension project, for which there are three potential route options currently being evaluated – a route through the Kennedy Space Center, a route paralleling State Road 528 or a route through the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

The federal Surface Transportation Board (STB) is currently putting together a federally mandated Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to detail the potential environmental impacts of alternative routes.

The Port Authority Commission said it will make no final decisions on whether to proceed with a new rail project until the completion of the STB process.