Florida Logistics and Supply Chain Report

Re-Linking the Supply Chain

Freight moving in at new levels through any of Florida’s 14 deepwater seaports must be connected to its destination by road, rail or air. And as states across the Sun Belt and nations across the ocean prepare to compete in a new generation of logistics and supply chain, intermodal connectivity may be the edge that moves Florida forward.

The word “intermodal,” according to the dictionary, has only existed since 1960. In the next 10 years almost everyone will know that intermodal refers to transportation movement via more than one mode or platform — rail, air, sea, road and even space.

In fact, Florida has been leading the way in intermodal infrastructure for years. Cambridge Systematics Principal John Kaliski says that Florida’s approach to intermodal strategy is “viewed as a national model.” Cambridge Systematics has consulted for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) on critical transit initiatives and for mega-region efforts beyond our state’s borders.

Kaliski says it takes proficient workers to make intermodal work, and that’s where the next generation of talent comes in. After that, it takes vision from government and business leaders to put the right kind of training in motion.

FDOT launched the Strategic Intermodal System (SIS) in 2003 as a public-private venture. Florida’s SIS serves as a network of high-priority transportation facilities resources that bolster the movement of freight and people across Florida’s regions and among other states and nations.

Ron Barton, executive director of the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission, considers the Jacksonville area a competitive leader in the state, largely for reasons of intermodal virtuosity. “The intermodal framework is indigenous to our area,” Barton says.
Jacksonville boasts strong proximity to three major interstates: I-10, I-75 and I-95. There is also access to air cargo, three major rail lines and a deepwater seaport, which has earned recognition from international shipping organizations.

Barton believes the Panama Canal expansion will open up out-of-state markets. “Florida is shifting beyond just serving a booming in-state consumer market. Jacksonville, with its multi-modal spokes,” Barton says, “is preparing to serve in a new generation as an international gateway to the Southeast United States, as ports along the West Coast reach capacity.”

“Clearly we have to look at intermodal,” says Joel Hass, CEO of the American Red Cross of Central Florida. “We don’t have the room to build lots of new roads like Texas,” he notes, pointing to plans for a new NAFTA Trans American super freight highway.

Hass has seen how initial obstacles can help build strength. Limited geography and major tropical storm activity have provided unique challenges for Florida, but those challenges taught some useful lessons. “From a disaster perspective,” says Hass, “I don’t know another state that has a better distribution system.”