Port Canaveral names design/build firm for $70M auto facility

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Jim Carchidi

Port Canaveral's new 270-foot-tall cargo cranes dwarf pretty much everything else in sight. That fisherman looks pretty small by comparison.

Richard Bilbao

Reporter- Orlando Business Journal

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Port Canaveral chose Merritt Island-based Ivey Construction Inc. to build its future $70 million auto terminal— with a caveat.

During its Oct. 29 meeting, Canaveral Port Authority's commission agreed to the decision on the basis that the project will wait to see how discussions pan out with an unnamed automaker that would utilize the 60,000-square-foot processing facility.

The facility will include a 6-story storage garage that can hold 7,500 cars. If built, it will create between 180-220 jobs and generate millions in new economic impact for the region.

Port Canaveral CEO John Walsh said there's a 90 percent likelihood the port will win the bid over other ports, including Jacksonville. "Right now the devil is in the details and the terms. You want their business as much as they want to be here," he told commissioners, noting the port will try to agree to a long-term agreement of up to 10 years or more.

A decision from the unnamed auto maker can come as soon as early December, Walsh said. That means as of now the port will continue discussions to see if the project will become a reality.

Port Canaveral is expanding its business with a $500 million-plus cruise and cargo project that will rake in billions of dollars in new economic impact and 15,000 jobs in Central Florida.

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