A variety of agricultural goods in Florida are shipped out via one of the state’s many ports each year. But according to a report released by the Florida Seaport Transportation and Economic Development Council, while cargo trade has rebounded, waterborne trade fell 14.1-billion-dollars at Florida seaports last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic slowing consumer and business demand and supply chain problems.
Florida Rep. Kat Cammack (FL-03), who serves on the U.S. House Agriculture Committee, explains the importance of these ports.
According to a story from the News Service of Florida, port leaders in the state say they have seen cargo trade rebound and cargo operations are expected to be completely recovered by the end of this year. The growth in these operations is attributed to increased demand for construction materials and people returning to traveling on the roads and by air.
The ports council estimates the virus last year caused the loss of about 23 billion dollars in economic activity tied to ports, affecting some 169 thousand port-related jobs.