On the same day Gov. Rick Scott again turned down $2.4 billion in federal funds for Florida High Speed Rail, he announced plans to expand the Port of Miami to accommodate larger ships.
Scott made the announcement during a visit to the port on Friday saying, “Today I directed the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to amend their work plan to include $77 million so that Florida can take another leap forward in international trade.”
While it is not clear that Scott could unilateral direct FDOT to amend their work plans without the Legislature’s approval, the governor also said the Port of Miami dredge project is “projected to result in 30,000 new jobs for the region in the coming years.”
The expansion plan calls for dredging the existing Miami port to a depth of 50 feet, to allow for larger ships coming through the expanded Panama Canal, which is expected to be completed in 2015.
Unlike the high speed rail project which was ready to roll, the more than 1 million Floridians currently out of work, will have to wait a while longer, if they are lucky, to get those jobs in the “coming years”.
