Port Canaveral Scraps Plans for New Terminal

Photo credit: Wesley Spear/Wirestock Creators/Adobe

Port Canaveral has reversed its plans to build a new cruise terminal at what is Florida’s second-largest cruise port and one of the busiest in the world, citing pressure from the state government, which said the new terminal would hamper the growth of the space industry. 

The Port Canaveral Board of Commissioners voted 4-1 on Wednesday, August 21 to halt the redesign of North Cargo Berth 8, as reported by local news station FOX35 Orlando. The terminal was expected to open in 2026.

The pushback has been present since early August, when Florida’s Department of Commerce Secretary J. Alex Kelly and the state’s Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue co-wrote a letter to the port about how the new terminal could lead to the space industry’s lack of growth, and how, should the new terminal be built, the port could lose future investment opportunities. 

“Florida’s cruise tourism and commercial space launch sectors are both vitally important,” Kelly and Perdue wrote. “Port Canaveral bears the responsibility of housing and supporting both. We will help you do both. But in this case, the port has announced its intention to support one sector to the direct detriment of the other. That decision must, therefore, be reversed.”

Port Canaveral has an interesting balance to uphold: it’s not simply a cruise, cargo and commercial fishing port. It’s also a spaceport. 

But the biggest issue? Lack of space. 

The space industry’s continual growth will double the area it currently has at the port by 2033, according to the state’s aerospace agency, Space Florida. 

“It’s tough to keep everybody happy all the time, but we do our best,” explained Canaveral Port Authority CEO John Murray. “Miami’s full. Everglades is full. If we’re full, we don’t want large brand-new assets moving over to Texas, California, or New York. We want to keep that business here in Florida.”

The state governmental officials and the port authorities will work together to find new solutions to the space problem at Port Canaveral. 

This article originally appeared in TravelPulse.