Press Releases

On Wednesday, September 18^th, 2013, Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson will host a meeting of the Florida Ports Caucus of the United States Congress. Congresswoman Wilson will be joined by other U.S. Representatives, key Florida transportation officials, and port directors from around the state.

Participants will discuss how the upcoming reauthorization of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) in Congress can benefit Florida’s ports. The upcoming expansion of the Panama Canal and related expansion of PortMiami are expected to result in upwards of 33,000 new jobs for South Florida. Other regions of the state are also expected to benefit from port upgrades and the expansion of the global maritime industry. Members of Florida’s Congressional delegation are working, through the WRDA process, to ensure that local port authorities have the federal support they need to succeed in making port upgrades on schedule.

The bipartisan Florida Ports Caucus, which is co-chaired by Congresswoman Wilson (D-FL), Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Congresswoman Corrine Brown (D-FL), and Congressman Bill Posey (R-FL) advocates for federal policy on behalf of Florida’s 15 public seaports, providing members of the Florida Congressional delegation a platform to discuss port-related legislative priorities as well as ongoing and needed port improvements, and focuses on sustaining and creating port-related jobs in Florida.

What: Florida Ports Caucus Meeting with Florida Transportation Leaders

When: Wednesday, September 18, 2013 – 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Where: 234 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, DC

Who: Florida Ports Caucus Founder and Co-Chair Congresswoman Frederica Wilson

Members of Florida’s Congressional delegation (Invited)

Secretary Ananth Prasad – FloridaDepartment of Transportation

Jess Panuccio – Director, Florida Department of Economic Opportunity

Bill Johnson – Florida Ports Council Chairman and PortMiami Director

Ron Howse – Chair, Florida Transportation Commission

Jay Trumbull – Vice Chair, Florida Transportation Commission

Representatives from Port Canaveral, Port Everglades, JaxPort, Port of Palm Beach,
Port Panama City, Port of Pensacola, Port of Tampa

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Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson is a second-term Congresswoman from Florida representing parts of Northern Miami-Dade and Southeast Broward counties. A former state legislator and school principal, she is the founder of the 5000 Role Models for Excellence Project, a mentoring program for young males at risk of dropping out of school. Along with Congressman Bill Posey, Congresswoman Corrine Brown, and Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart, Congresswoman Wilson serves as founding Co-Chair of the Florida Ports Caucus, a bipartisan taskforce that coordinates federal action in support of Florida’s harbors and waterways.