In the News

Industry stakeholders ask for help to keep ports growing

By Arlene Satchell, Sun Sentinel

Officials at South Florida airports and seaports are seeking federal government assistance to ensure pertinent infrastructure is in place to keep growing and serving travelers to the region.

On top of the wish list is the need for more U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers to process travelers faster through immigration and customs.

A group of airline and cruise line representatives and other industry stakeholders made their case Wednesday to Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, who was in South Florida touring customs and security operations at Port Everglades and Miami International Airport.

In addition to needing more CBP officers, the Broward County Aviation Department, which operates Hollywood International Airport, also wants the agency to extend its operations there.

"Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is looking to get 24/7 customs operations at the airport — that's our most urgent need," airport spokesman Greg Meyer said.

Meyer noted that there's currently a five-hour window daily when there aren't any CBP operations, which hinders the airport's capacity to attract more international flights.

With its existing roster of airlines, the Fort Lauderdale airport is poised to see 15 to 20 percent growth in international travelers in the near future, airport officials said. That percentage growth could be higher if it were able to process travelers arriving on international flights around the clock, as is the case at Miami and Orlando international airports.

Napolitano, accompanied by Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and other local and state representatives, toured the immigration and customs processing area at Terminal 26 to see some of the challenges facing the port and its cruise line partners.

"I got a lot of good information to take back to Washington," Napolitano said after the tour, noting there would be both short and long-term goals to address.

Some possible solutions to the staffing challenges could include automated passport processing and an expanded Global Entry, Napolitano said. Global Entry is an agency program that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States and is available at select airports.

Others agreed that insufficient CBP staffing is also a sore point at Port Everglades and Miami International Airport.

"Our CBP agents are working diligently to protect us from any security threats, illegal substances, and invasive pests and diseases entering the United States, but the lack of staffing is creating long and disorganized lines for travelers, and discouraging travelers from visiting and using South Florida's ports,"

Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart said after the tour. "Tourism is the backbone of Florida's economy, and DHS must do more to adequately staff our ports.''

In the last four years Port Everglades has spent more than $129 million to renovate and expand five of nine cruise terminals to accommodate growing cruise traffic and meet federal security mandates, port officials said.

The port is also spending millions to update cargo capacity for international trade. But more work is still needed.

"Additional federal resources will help leverage the massive federal, state and local infrastructure investments that have already been made here," Chief Executive and Port Director Steven Cernak said in a statement.

U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, who also toured the port, said the case for more CBP officers and 24/7 operations needs to be made as an "economic argument."

"If we can perform better, more efficiently, [and] get better technology, it's going to more than pay for itself and improve our economic climate," Frankel said.

"That's the argument to move forward."

Still, the road ahead could be challenging because of the looming sequester of automatic federal budget cuts that could kick in March 1 and further hinder

Napolitano's agency from making improvements.

If allowed by Congress, the budget cuts are likely to result in reduced hours for border patrol agents and cutbacks in air traffic control and airport security, leading to more delays at airports across the country, among other problems, President Barack Obama said in a speech Tuesday from the White House.