Under the terms of the LOI, the parties will undertake an alliance of cooperation that will include sharing data and technological capabilities as well as coordinating joint marketing and public relations activities. The relationship is expected to benefit not only the seaport and logistics center but also Florida’s economy, as the capacity for state-of-the-art, multi-modal logistics provides a competitive advantage that will increase the flow of goods to and through the State, resulting in job growth over time.
“We believe that Florida can emerge as a major gateway for containerized merchandise trade,” said Bill Johnson, Port Director, Port of Miami. “The development of rail-served inland logistics center is a key element to capturing the full economic benefit of trade for Florida. To this end, we support the alliance of cooperation aimed at facilitating the exchange of intermodal-supportive planning to the development of Florida Inland Port and other inland sites throughout the region.”
“The Florida Inland Port has the potential to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs in Florida as shippers realize they can get their goods to market more quickly and less costly than current alternatives offer,” said John Carver, head of the Ports Airports and Global Infrastructure team at Jones Lang LaSalle, the exclusive real estate and development advisor for Florida Inland Port.
“This strategic collaboration fits into our development strategy and solidifies our relationship with the Port of Miami and the other container seaports in Florida,” said Preston Perrone of the Florida Inland Port. “Our objective is to improve the efficiency in the Florida shipping system, and working with the state’s major seaports we can help Florida truly emerge as a national center for distribution and logistics.”
