The Florida Ports Council has praised Governor Rick Scott, after signing a transportation bill which plans to allocate additional funding from US$15 million to $25 million for the Florida Seaport Transportation and Economic Development program (FSTED).
The program is administered by the Florida Ports Council is responsible for accomplishing the state’s seaport development mission of implementing capital improvement projects at the local level.
The FSTED Program is a state and local financing program of priority port transportation projects.
Individual seaports partner with the state to identify priority infrastructure projects that “will improve the movement and intermodal transportation of cargo or passengers in commerce and trade and support the interests, purposes, and requirements of all ports.”
Projects selected by the Council for funding are financed on a 50-50 matching basis using local funds and FSTED Program funds.
The programme is administered by the FSTED Council which is charged with accomplishing the state’s seaport development mission of implementing capital improvement projects at the local level.
Doug Wheeler, President and CEO of Florida Ports Council, said: “Governor Scott and the Florida Department of Transportation continue to demonstrate their commitment to further positioning Florida as a global competitor by prioritising investment in critical freight assets.
“The historic funding of seaport infrastructure during Governor Scott’s tenure has already contributed to the incredible growth that we are experiencing in the trade across the state, and we look forward to continuing that success.”
Fact File: The FSTED Council is comprised of the port directors for Florida’s 15 public seaports, and representatives from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and the Department of Economic Opportunity.
