Under pressure from Florida's state government, the Canaveral Port Authority has nixed a plan to build a new cruise terminal, forcing the port to brainstorm alternative solutions to accommodate expected growth, said port CEO Capt. John Murray.
The new Port Canaveral terminal was to be located at North Cargo Berth 8, but state officials opposed that plan, saying that the state had already invested in the berth to support the aerospace sector's cargo needs.
In a letter to Port Canaveral commissioners earlier this month, Florida Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue and Florida Commerce Secretary J. Alex Kelly threatened to pull funding for Port Canaveral projects if they proceeded with building a cruise terminal at North Cargo Berth 8. The commissioners voted on Aug. 21 to halt the plan.
A Berth 8 cruise terminal was expected to be completed by summer 2026 to accommodate an expected influx of ships, Murray said.
"Miami is full. Everglades is full. If we're full, they're going somewhere else," said Murray. "And we don't want large, brand-new assets moving over to Texas, California, New York. Because once it leaves, it's next to impossible to get it back."
He said his team will "take a hard look and start all over again," Murray said during a press conference Wednesday. "We have to look with a fresh eye."
Murray wouldn't comment on when a new cruise terminal could come to fruition but said it is no longer possible to open a new terminal in two years.
"It's going to compromise some of our businesses. That's all there is to it," he said. "We've already had some business that we've had to turn away."
Port Canaveral is the second-busiest cruise port in the world, trailing only PortMiami.