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Port of Palm Beach (USA) (ID: 12518)
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The Port of Palm Beach District is an independent special taxing district (an autonomous port), a sub-division of the state of Florida. It was established under the provisions of the Laws of Florida, Acts of 1915, Chapter 7081, as amended and supplemented. The Port District is located in Palm Beach County, Florida. It covers a land area of 971 square miles or approximately fifty percent of the County area. The District has statutory authority to levy ad valorem millage tax but has not done so since Fiscal Year 1975. For FY'03, the Commissioners of the Port of Palm Beach District have, for the twenty-eighth consecutive year, voted not to levy any millage to the property owners of the Port District. Operating under Florida Sunshine Laws, all monthly Board meetings are open to the public. The Port District is governed by a Board of five Commissioners elected at large by the voters within the District. Its administration is through an Executive Director and professional staff of 49 full time employees. OPERATING SCOPE: The Port of Palm Beach is located 80 miles north of Miami and 135 miles south of Port Canaveral. Vessel entrance is through an inlet channel 300 feet wide with no aerial obstructions leading into Lake Worth. Berthing is a short 20 minutes from first seabuoy to anchorage with operating drafts of minus 32 feet mean low water (MLW). The largest vessels capable of through putting via the Port's "dog leg" channel are those up to 700 feet length overall. A swing (turning) basin measuring 1,100 feet by 1,400 feet provides a safety margin for cruise and cargo vessels at minus 32 feet MLW draft (salt water). The Port has three slips, four marginal wharves and two ro/ro ramps for a total of 5,200 linear feet of berthing space. The District is authorized to raise funds through General Obligation Bonds. Income is derived through user fees such as wharfage, dockage, leasing, permitting, equipment, labor, special services and sale of potable water. As a landlord port, we maintain all piers, turning basins, docks, dredging, and improvements to District owned properties. All maritime services are performed through privatized, licensed permit holders including agents, stevedores, warehousing and chandlers. Pilot and tug services are also privately owned. The Port is authorized to issue industrial development bonds for building specialized facilities on Port property. These facilities must be marine related. They are subject to long term commitments backed by sound credit standings of individual firms. Operated as an enterprise fund, Port revenues can only be invested on Port owned properties and cannot be diverted into non District owned lands. EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE: The Port of Palm Beach is the fourth busiest container port in Florida and the eighteenth busiest in the continental U.S. In addition to intermodal capacity, the Port is a major nodal point for the shipment of bulk sugar (domestic usages), molasses, cement, utility fuels, water, produce and breakbulk items. The Florida East Coast Railway Company (FEC) services the docks and piers through the Port's industrial rail switching operations. We are the only port facility in South Florida operating a rail system with pier-side box, hopper and intermodal cars operating 24 hours a day. Located on Port property are six miles of trackage for intermodal transfers and handling. All essential federal agencies with oversight for international trade and passenger flow are located in the Maritime Office Complex (MOC). A Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ #135) has been in operations since 1987. It encompasses several Port and private sector sites. There is one privately owned general purpose warehouse in Boca Raton, four privately owned warehouse sites in Martin County (near Stewart International Airport), the Port of Palm Beach Cold storage terminal and one 18,000 sq. ft. warehouse with five adjacent unimproved acres by the Port Executive Plaza (PEP). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Port District views its mission as a proactive endeavor in the regional international trade community. Port users are encouraged to maximize the total infrastructure capabilities of the Port District. The Board of Commissioners and the management team have addressed the marketability as well as the implementation of projects needed to bring the Port into the 21st century of port technology facilitating the export/import of goods from the county, region and state. The material presented in this site is believed to be accurate at the time of its posting, but much of the information here is continually changing and the accuracy of this material cannot be guaranteed. All official documents of the Port of Palm Beach fall under the various public information laws, and the official versions may be obtained through the Office of Administration. Material on this site may be reproduced with attribution, but we recommend you verify the accuracy with the Office of Administration prior to reproduction. All communications with the Port of Palm Beach and its employees become a matter of public record and are subject to the various State and Federal regulations concerning public records. E-mail directed to the Port of Palm Beach or its employees may be retained as part of the public record, and these communications may be available through public information requests. Because of the public information nature of this website, users should have no assumption of privacy of any kind, as any information you or your system may provide can become public information. All graphics, logos, artwork, layout and text contained on this site are Copyright (list years) by the Port of Palm Beach District, Florida. Materials may be used with attribution with the exception of Port logos, seals and emblems. Permission to use these materials may be granted by request to the Executive Director. The Port of Palm Beach in no way endorses any specific company or product mentioned on this site or any other website affiliated with the Port of Palm Beach District. The material presented in this site is believed to be accurate at the time of its posting, but much of the information here is continually changing and the accuracy of this material cannot be guaranteed. All official documents of the Port of Palm Beach fall under the various public information laws, and the official versions may be obtained through the Office of Administration. Material on this site may be reproduced with attribution, but we recommend you verify the accuracy with the Office of Administration prior to reproduction. All communications with the Port of Palm Beach and its employees become a matter of public record and are subject to the various State and Federal regulations concerning public records. E-mail directed to the Port of Palm Beach or its employees may be retained as part of the public record, and these communications may be available through public information requests. Because of the public information nature of this website, users should have no assumption of privacy of any kind, as any information you or your system may provide can become public information. All graphics, logos, artwork, layout and text contained on this site are Copyright (list years) by the Port of Palm Beach District, Florida. Materials may be used with attribution with the exception of Port logos, seals and emblems. Permission to use these materials may be granted by request to the Executive Director. The Port of Palm Beach in no way endorses any specific company or product mentioned on this site or any other website affiliated with the Port of Palm Beach District. The Port of Palm Beach District is an independent special taxing district (an autonomous port), a sub-division of the state of Florida. Port of Palm Beach (USA)