Port Canaveral leaders to deliberate Terminal 7 conflict
The state wants Canaveral Port Authority to hit the brakes on its plans announced in May to build another cruise terminal at North Cargo Berth 8.
A strongly worded letter sent last week from Florida Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue and Florida Commerce Secretary J. Alex Kelly to Port Canaveral commissioners implied that building a cruise terminal on the now-vacant land violates the state's understanding of how that spot would be used. Perdue and Kelly wrote they believed North Cargo Berth 8 would be reserved for commercial spaceflight-related infrastructure.
“Recognizing the positive economic impact of the aerospace sector on Florida’s economy, FDOT invested over $13 million in improvements to [North Cargo Berth 8] to support cargo operations. Now, Port Canaveral has decided to unilaterally repurpose those state-sponsored improvements for alternative purposes. ... That decision must, therefore, be reversed,” the letter read.
