Daily Record: Coalition aims to strengthen state’s ports
From Daily Record:
Several of the state’s top port directors met in Jacksonville Wednesday for the purpose of forming a coalition that will allow the ports as a group to lobby the Legislature for funding and continue to be one of the state’s top economic engines. The Florida Maritime Leadership Coalition is a virtual entity headed by executive director Martha Harbin, who is based in Tallahassee. Locally, the organization is represented by John Finotti of Access PR. Harbin called the state’s ports the “unsung heroes of Florida’s economy” and the numbers back up that claim. Despite getting only $15 million from the Florida Department of Transportation — or 2 percent of the FDOT budget — last year, the state’s 14 deepwater ports provided more than 350,000 jobs and contributed more than $74 billion to the state’s economy.
-
Michael Melaniphy, President and CEO of the American Public Transportation Association, March 30, 2012 Get The Facts
“Public transportation is a vital component of the nation’s total transportation infrastructure picture, and with ridership expected to grow, dependable public transportation systems will be vital to the transportation needs of millions of Americans.”
