PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. – A special delivery to fuel the Central Florida economy, including the daily commute.
On Monday, Port Canaveral received a $20 million US Department of Transportation grant to expand capacity at two of its busiest docks that take in hundreds of millions of dollars a year in refined petroleum.
Rep. Mike Haridopolos, R-Melbourne, presented the check to port leadership.
“We wanna make sure we provide the energy necessary to grow the Florida economy,” Rep. Haridopolos said.
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The grant makes up more than half of the port’s $37 million project to increase the amount of fuel that can be imported.
Those fuels powering cars, ships, and planes already make up more than half of Port Canaveral’s annual cargo, so your Cape Canaveral Community Correspondent James Sparvero asked the port’s CEO, Captain John Murray, more about what receiving this grant will mean.
“This is gonna add another 30 years of life to this particular facility so we can keep fuel moving through the state of Florida,” Murray said.
[WATCH: Marina closing this year to make way for new cruise terminal at Port Canaveral]
Reporters at the press conference also asked Rep. Haridopolos when he thinks gas prices could possibly come down.
He mentioned the war in Iran but didn’t connect the fuel capacity expansion to any potential drop in prices.
“I think we’re gonna see a little more relief, of course, once we conclude our efforts in Iran, but as you and I both know, this is not a new problem,” Haridopolos said, referring to decades of tense U.S.-Iranian relations.