Florida Ports Council taps leaders
3 S. Florida seaport chiefs selected
The heads of South Florida’s three seaports — Port Everglades, PortMiami and Port of Palm Beach — now hold top leadership roles at the Florida Ports Council, a Tallahassee-based trade association for the state’s public ports.
On Wednesday, Steven Cernak, chief executive of Port Everglades, was elected board chairman for the trade group, and Juan Kuryla, director and CEO of Port Miami, as vice chairman. Manny Almira, executive director of Port of Palm Beach, was named secretary and treasurer.
All three leaders terms.
In a statement Wednesday, Doug Wheeler, president and CEO will serve oneyear of Florida Ports Council, touted Cernak as an invaluable member of the organization.
“His extensive experience at numerous ports around the nation is a great asset to capitalize on the strengths of Florida’s diverse seaport system,” Wheeler said. “We look forward to working with Steven and port partners to continue to move Florida forward as a key player in the global marketplace.”
Cernak joined Port Everglades in March 2012 after serving in a similar capacity at the Port of Galveston in Texas.
Almira, who has more than 35 years of experience in the maritime industry, joined the Riviera Beach seaport in 2008. Kuryla, who has held a variety of high-level positions in Miami-Dade County, became PortMiami’s director in 2014.
In addition to advocacy, the council provides guidance and research on seaport-related issues that go before state and federal governments.
“Florida is in an enviable position because we have 15 dynamic seaports that specialize in diverse business sectors ranging from cruise to cargo to petroleum and even to military and shipbuilding,” Cernak said.
Florida ports support nearly 900,000 jobs statewide and contribute $117.6 billion to the state’s economy annually, the council said.