Joseph Morris, CEO & Port Director, Port Everglades

May 2026 — Port Everglades is experiencing record performance across its three major business lines — energy, cargo, and cruise. In an interview with Invest:, CEO and Port Director Joseph Morris says the momentum reflects both the market’s strength and the region’s deep culture of collaboration. “We balance short-term wins with long-term responsibility, and partnerships are central to achieving both,” said Morris.

What major shifts in trade, tourism or energy are shaping operations at Port Everglades today?

Energy has been the most stable of our big three. About 93% of the energy products moving through Port Everglades come from the Gulf states, mainly Texas and Louisiana. We’ve seen a few larger tankers from foreign origins, but nothing that significantly changes the overall profile. What matters most is that all three sectors — energy, cargo and cruise — broke records this year. We are moving more volume through the port than ever.
On the cargo side, we’re focused on densifying landside assets now that we’ve made improvements on the waterside. Our north-south trade lanes remain strong despite uncertainty around tariffs throughout 2025. Marine terminal operators continue to invest alongside us, especially in reducing emissions and increasing capacity.

Cruise is experiencing extremely strong global growth. With new ships entering the market, we’re proud that three of the most exciting vessels in the global fleet will homeport at Port Everglades for the 2025–2026 season. That selection reflects our relationships with cruise lines and the overall appeal of Greater Fort Lauderdale as a destination.

As the port continues to evolve, what stands out about how your team adapts to change?

Real conversations with our partners are essential. We talk openly about opportunities, pain points and areas where improvement is needed. Inside the organization, we emphasize a mindset of continuous improvement. Even small changes matter if they enhance service levels or simplify the experience for port users and visitors. Sometimes the improvements are major and sometimes they’re incremental, but the momentum builds on itself. That approach helps us stay responsive and aligned with our partners’ needs.

How are energy demands and distribution patterns shifting, and what role is the port playing in meeting those needs?

The energy moving through Port Everglades serves 12 counties in Southeast Florida and five international airports. We handled a record 131.8 million barrels (5.5 billion gallons) last year — from gasoline and ethanol to jet fuel — and demand remains extremely strong.

We’re also preparing for significant energy needs tied to our shore power project with Florida Power & Light. The vessels we’ll connect are essentially floating cities, and plugging them in during berthing eliminates emissions while they’re in port. We’re fortunate to have FPL as a partner providing clean energy as we move that initiative forward over the next few years.

What major infrastructure projects are underway to support the port’s growth?

One of the key projects in our five-year Master Vision Plan is the Slip 1 expansion, approved by the Broward County Board of Commissioners in November. It’s a classic “addition by subtraction” project where we remove about 150 feet of land to widen the slip and accommodate larger petroleum vessels. That work pairs with private-sector investments that will allow more efficient offloading of incoming products. We expect ground to break in 2028.

How can public infrastructure investment best support long-term competitiveness?

Port infrastructure is rarely inexpensive or simple, so planning is critical. With thoughtful design, strong vendor partnerships and the master vision plan guiding us, we can ensure investments serve long-term operational needs. History shows that ports generate strong economic returns. Our FY24 numbers reflect a $28.1 billion economic impact. Data shows that for every dollar invested in port infrastructure in Florida, there is a return of at least $6.50. That impact extends well beyond our boundaries. Our most recent one-pager shows 12,300 direct jobs and about 204,000 indirect jobs connected to Port Everglades, and record performance suggests that impact will continue rising.

How are you approaching workforce development as the port supports more than 200,000 jobs statewide?

While Port Everglades itself has 268 employees, the real job impact comes from our users — terminal operators, service providers, cargo lines and cruise lines. With our level of diversity across energy, containers and cruise, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of career paths connected to what we do.

We’re actively strengthening workforce pipelines through partnerships with the county and its workforce ecosystem. We also work closely with schools, including a maritime magnet program in Broward County, and organizations like Junior Achievement of South Florida. Disney Cruise Line recently announced a partnership on its “Discover Your Destiny” program, which is inspiring us to explore new ways to get involved as well. We regularly host tours for students from elementary through high school to build awareness at a young age. Workforce development is an area where we expect to make real progress in the years ahead.

How do you see the cruise sector growing?

Port Everglades ranked No. 3 in the world for cruise guests. From FY23 to FY24, we saw a 39% increase in passengers, and FY24 to FY25 added another 16% on top of that. Global cruise capacity is expanding quickly, with about 42% tied to Caribbean destinations. Our location — combined with Greater Fort Lauderdale’s tourism appeal and the close proximity of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport — makes this an ideal launching point. All these factors work together to create a strong value proposition for cruise lines and their guests, and we don’t see the momentum slowing.

What partnerships are you looking to strengthen in the years ahead?

Our relationships with elected officials at the state and federal levels remain essential, especially as we move closer to launching the deepening and widening project after nearly 29 years of effort. Beyond government, our ongoing conversations with partners reveal opportunities across innovation, operational efficiency and real estate development. We balance short-term wins with long-term responsibility, and partnerships are central to achieving both.

Where do you see the greatest opportunity to align economic growth with resilience and sustainability?

With more than $3.8 billion in capital projects underway, our license to operate depends on doing the work sustainably. Environmental considerations are built into every project — landside or waterside. Recent initiatives include planting more than 16 acres of mangroves and deeding land for environmental preservation as part of mitigation efforts. A mitigation project called Westlake Park opened recently and early reports show it is supporting far more wildlife than originally expected. These efforts demonstrate that when we say we support the environment, we follow through.

How is the port thinking about technology, innovation and AI?

As a landlord port, we focus on enabling our users’ technology needs. That includes optical character recognition systems and appointment tools that cargo terminals use to manage truck flow. Even during a record-performing year, we saw a significant reduction in truck congestion thanks to these systems.
We’re also exploring how AI can support decision-making and forecasting. Traffic flow, planning and predictive modeling are areas where technology can help simplify operations and reduce variability. Our goal is to use technology to make processes smoother, more reliable and more predictable. When everything runs smoothly, it means the planning and collaboration paid off.