Buchanan-led Fla. delegation offers Biden a solution to backed-up West Coast ports

Florida’s 15 deepwater ports are available to help alleviate the ongoing supply chain delays at West Coast seaports, according to U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) and a bipartisan contingent of Sunshine State lawmakers.

“As the holidays approach, American businesses and families are feeling the effects firsthand of the continued supply chain bottlenecks,” Rep. Buchanan said. “Given Florida’s unique geographic location, our 15 deepwater seaports can handle increased freight traffic and meet holiday demands for consumers around the country, and they are ready to get to work.”

A back-up of almost 90 cargo ships waiting to enter either the Port of Long Beach or the Port of Los Angeles extended south almost to San Diego, forcing cargo ships to wait an average of almost 17 days to off-load their containers, according to a Dec. 13 letter sent to President Joe Biden by Rep. Buchanan and 17 members of the Florida congressional delegation. 

“We believe that our seaports are underutilized assets that can help reduce, if not eliminate, the delays plaguing our domestic supply chain and are asking you to work with us to help make this a reality,” the members wrote. “In Florida, there are currently no delays at our ports in large part because many of them have been operating 24 hours-a-day for quite some time, while other ports around the country are just now announcing around-the-clock operations.”

Since 2019, the State of Florida has invested nearly $1 billion in capacity-building projects for its ports and plans to spend $200 million over the next few years to further enhance its inland freight-handling capacity, according to the lawmakers’ letter.

Additionally, Florida ports have matched these investments and have committed to using additional resources to expand their services to meet demand, they wrote.

At the same time, the state’s transportation infrastructure is capable of handling increased freight traffic, wrote Rep. Buchanan and his colleagues, who included U.S. Reps. Brian Mast (R-FL) and Stephanie Murphy (D-FL).

“Today, our ports stand ready to help alleviate current systemic freight backlogs all over the country and are well-equipped to handle additional capacity. In short, Florida is open for business,” they wrote.