At Tampa International Airport, where 18.9 million passengers were served in 2006, improvements are ongoing. [Photo: Tampa International Airport]

With 12,000 miles of state highways, 21 major commercial airports, 14 deepwater seaports and nearly 3,000 miles of rail — not to mention one Spaceport at Cape Canaveral — Florida’s transportation infrastructure is unlike any other in the nation. And people are taking notice. In July 2007, CNBC, America’s Business Channel and CNBC.com published the results of their state-by-state analysis of transportation systems, which considered such parameters as value of goods shipped by air, land and water; availability of air travel; and quality of roads. Florida was ranked number 1.

To further add to the depth of transportation options available here, Cecil Field in Jacksonville is vying to become Florida’s second Spaceport. The Jacksonville Airport Authority, which oversees Cecil Field, has applied to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for a Spaceport license. Considering that Cecil already serves as a backup landing strip for the Space Shuttle, the prospects for this former naval air station becoming a real player in the space industry look good.

Air & Space

» Non-stop scheduled air service is available from Florida to more than 160 domestic and international destinations.

» Florida has more direct flights to Latin American and Caribbean destinations than all other U.S. cities combined.

» Florida is host to nearly a third of all commercial space activity worldwide.

Flying High

Of the 779 general aviation facilities in Florida, 127 are public. Polk County boasts the largest number of public airports (eight), followed by Volusia County with seven.

Among Florida’s 21 major commercial and international airports, Orlando International Airport is the busiest in terms of passengers: Just under 35 million were served in 2006. Miami International Airport (MIA), which served 32.5 million passengers in 2006, is the state’s busiest in terms of operations: Just under 400,000 planes either departed from or arrived at MIA last year.

Upgrades all around

Panama City-Bay County International Airport — Groundbreaking for the first major airport to be built in the nation since the September 11 terrorist attacks is slated for winter 2007. The federal government has committed $72 million to fund the relocation of the existing Panama City-Bay County International Airport to a site in West Bay on land owned by The St. Joe Company. In May 2007, the state of Florida added another $67 million to the $119 million it had already committed to the relocation effort.

Southwest Florida International Airport (Fort Myers) — Two FAA grants totaling more than $5 million are funding improvements at SWFIA. One $3.5-million grant will be targeted for airfield upgrades; the other will go toward improving public use areas at the terminal. Recent developments include runway rehabilitation: lengthening (to 12,000 feet) and widening (to 150 feet) and installation of an in-pavement centerline and touch-down-zone lighting system.

Miami International Airport — A new state-of-the-art $2-million vehicle/employee security checkpoint has opened on the airport’s southeast side. The security checkpoint includes wider booths and additional lanes for vehicle inspection.

Daytona Beach International Airport— AirTran has announced plans to offer year-round service. Initially a seasonal carrier into and out of Volusia County, AirTran quickly found the area to be a successful year-round market for business travelers and commuters.

Key West International Airport — Portable runway illumination signs, a motorized runway sweeper and an aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle are among the $1-million investment in improvements here.

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport — Passenger traffic for May 2007 was up 4.6% from May 2006, with international travel responsible for the majority of the increase.

Gainesville-Alachua County Regional Airport — Work continues on a $7-million terminal renovation begun in summer 2006, including replacement of the HVAC system.

Jacksonville International Airport — An $18-million baggage screening system that will scan luggage in the mezzanine area is being installed just below passenger check-in, and work continues on a $170-million terminal expansion project.

Tampa International Airport — A $33.5- million renovation has resulted in a seven-level, 710-space rental car garage. Adjacent to the new 420,000-square-foot garage are car rental counters and offices relocated from a baggage claim area. The improvements accommodate the ever-increasing number of passengers arriving at and departing from TIA.

SEAPORTS

» 70% of Florida’s international commerce moves by water.

» Every Florida business is within 90 miles of at least one of 14 deepwater seaports.

Steaming Ahead

Florida’s 14 deepwater seaports — all of which ship and receive both domestic and international cargo — are vitally important in a state that is virtually surrounded by water.

Port of Tampa — Expansion of the container terminal at Hooker’s Point, including the extension of Berth 213, continues. Over the next several years, Tampa Port Authority plans to quadruple the terminal’s size to keep up with its thriving container business.

Port Manatee — With the completion of its new 1,300-foot ship turning basin and expansion of Berths 4 and 5 — now open with 1,200 linear feet of deep-draft berthing — Port Manatee can accommodate Panamax-sized vessels. Dredging will soon begin on a new South Channel, extending Berth 12 from 1,000 to 1,584 feet. With the completion of the 174,000-square-foot Warehouse 11, Port Manatee will have more than 1 million square feet of new office and warehouse space.

Port Canaveral — $1.8 million has been targeted for a new radio communications network. Also in the works, a new Emergency Operations Center.

Cargo moving through Port Manatee [Photo: Manatee Port Authority]

Port of Palm Beach — A $1.5-million grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will be used to secure surveillance detection equipment and access control technology.

Port Panama City — Construction on a $9-million warehouse that will be used by Green Circle Bio Energy Inc. to export upwards of 300,000 tons of compressed wood pellets to Europe will be completed by the end of 2007. The port also has completed a $2.4-million renovation project involving a rework of roads and rails.

Port of Jacksonville — Asian carrier Mitsui O.S.K. Limited (MOL) is expected to complete its $225-million container terminal at Dames Point by December 2008. The 158-acre state-of-the-art terminal will be the “most efficient on the East Coast,” says JAXPORT Executive Director Rick Ferrin. He adds that the port has a “good shot” at getting dredged to 45 feet by 2012, which will enable JAXPORT to accommodate Panamax-sized ships.

Port of Pensacola — Long-term lessee CEMEX has installed new equipment to increase unloading efficiency and allow more products to move through the facility. In all, CEMEX invested about $9 million for the “unloader” as well as a warehouse retrofit. Martin Marietta, another long-term tenant, has maintained strong imports of a Bahamian aggregate that supplies the local construction industry.

ROADS

» 41,000 lane miles of state highways

» 6,381 bridges

Driving Forward

Florida is spending $7.5 billion on road transportation projects in 2007-2008: constructing 174 new lane miles, reconstructing and rehabilitating 2,568 existing lane miles, replacing 15 bridges and investing $2.1 billion in road building contracts.

Replacement of the U.S. 1 bridge over the Sebastian River in Brevard County

Construction of the Lakeland Intown Bypass from State Road 600 to State Road 35 in Polk County

Construction of a new interchange on the Palmetto Expressway (State Road 826) from north of Sunset Drive to SW 32nd Street in Miami-Dade County

Construction of an additional lane on I-95 from PGA Boulevard to Indiantown Road (State Road 706) in Palm Beach County

Construction of additional lanes on I-95 from south of Malabar Road (State Road 514) to south of Fiske Boulevard (State Road 519) in Brevard County

RAIL

» 25 major rail terminals

» 14 line-haul railroads

» 4 terminal or switching companies

» 17 bulk transfer facilities

Rolling Along

Some 2,707 miles of rail criss-cross the state to keep Florida’s economy, people and products on the move.

CSX Corporation is targeting $1.6 billion in 2008 and 2009 and $1.7 billion in 2010 for additional track, equipment, technology and facilities to help meet customer needs and an expected increase in demand for U.S. freight transportation. Among specific improvements is a 318-acre integrated rail-to-truck distribution container shipping center in Winter Haven.

Florida East Coast Railway continues to serve UPS, its largest domestic intermodal customer. In summer 2007, FECR set a record by handling 62,000+ intermodal loads over 700 days without error.

The South Florida Regional Transportation Authority has enhanced its Tri-Rail Schedule, increasing by 10 the number of available daily commuter trains between Palm Beach and Miami-Dade.

The state of Florida will purchase the right of way along 61 miles of track between DeLand and Poinciana for the purpose of developing a Central Florida commuter rail line. The first leg of the line, expected to be completed by early 2010, will run from DeBary in Volusia County to the existing Amtrak station near Orlando Regional Hospital in downtown Orlando.