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Richards to Chair Port of Palm Beach

[ January 24, 2024   //   ]

New Port of Palm Beach Board Chair Wayne Richards inherits an ambitious project to more than double the amount of rail freight the port can process.

Elected at the Port of Palm Beach Board of Commissioners’ Jan. 18 meeting, Richards expressed appreciation to “lead the port into yet another year of revenue growth through our diverse maritime activities.”

That includes breaking ground in November on the US$20-million-plus project to boost cargo capacity while eliminating a major bottleneck for the Riviera Beach-based port.

The project will:

• Redesign the main gate off Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, and add lanes for trucks to exit and enter more efficiently.

• Install an automated technology system to but truck processing time in half – and reducing emissions in the process.

• Add three new tracks and replace two tracks, to boost freight capacity to nearly 100,000 TEUs annually from 44,000 currently.

• Add a road for non-containerized cargo along the port’s western boundary.

The port is served by Florida East Coast railroad, and trains inbound from North Florida have grown to nearly a mile long, impacting adjacent roadways, effectively splitting the city in two.

The project, which is expected to be completed within 18 months, received a U.S. Maritime Administration US$13.2 million Port Infrastructure Development Program grant.

Established in international trade since the early 1920s, the Port of Palm Beach exports account for about 80 percent of cargo passing through the port, primarily to the islands in the Caribbean.

The port offers cruise and cargo services to more than 30 onsite tenants and users. Palm Beach processing more than US$14 billion in commodities, 2.5 million tons of cargo, and 400,000 cruise passengers annually.

Richards said one of my goals as chair is to “reestablish a cargo service benefiting our Haitian population in Palm Beach County,” Richards said.

In addition to boosting port revenues and cargo tonnage, Richards is also anticipating an increase in the number of cruise passengers traveling through the port in 2024.

“The growth of cruise passengers is a testament to our and our cruise partner Margaritaville at Sea’s commitment to provide exceptional maritime experiences,” he said.

Richards, who replaces Jen L. Enright as chair, has been a commissioner since 2001. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Howard University and a law degree from the University of Michigan.

The port’s Board of Commissioners also elected Deandre Poole as vice chair, and Blair Ciklin as secretary/treasurer.

Wayne Richards, chairman, Port of Palm Beach

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