Valentine’s Day flowers highlight floral boom at PortMiami

WTDC Newsletter – February 16, 2021


President’s Corner  
Last week I shared how impressed we are with WTDC’s Interns this spring. I invited my mother, father, and brother to join us last Friday for our team building exercise (literal exercise, we did soccer drills with a trainer!). Photo included above.

WTDC’s Internship Program was my father Ralph’s vision and he now visits the office on Fridays just to sit with the Interns and offer them guidance. I now have the pleasure of working with each of the Interns to see their projects come to fruition in Operations and Customer Service, marketing our new door to door logistics service between Chile & USA, as well as between Brazil & USA, creating videos for social media, and implementing green initiatives for the company. I welcome the opportunity to speak with your company about beginning and maintaining an Internship program. Sending warm wishes to all our friends in cooler places today!

-Sean Gazitua, President & CEO  
Send an email to WTDC President & CEO Sean Gazitua

    Photo: PortMiami Twitter
Valentine’s Day flowers highlight the floral boom at PortMiami  
Miami has been the main hub for flowers entering the US since the 1990s but now PortMiami is seeing a dramatic increase in floral imports, traffic that was previously almost entirely routed through Miami International Airport. PortMiami imported 41.6 million flower stems in 3 weeks pre-Valentine’s Day 2021, a dramatic increase considering the port imported only 8.6 million stems during the same period in 2019 and in 2017 just over 50,000 stems were imported for the entire year. Advances in cold-chain technology, dedicated shipping lanes, and Miami’s abundance of refrigerated warehouses create the infrastructure for flower stems to reach Florida and Georgia overnight and the entire East Coast and Midwest in 3 to 4 business days after arriving at PortMiaimi.  
Floral Daily: PortMiami brings 2021 Valentine’s Day flowers in record numbers PortMiami Twitter: 41.6 million flower stems    

PortMiami staying afloat despite cruise line halt  
Record container volumes and a little belt-tightening are helping PortMiami offset the cruising halt that began in March 2020 and will continue until at least April 2021. By bailing out the cruise ships by waiving their operator guarantees and berthing fees until March 2021, the County is missing out on approximately $7 million in monthly revenue. The port can continue to operate until the end of the fiscal year without dipping into savings thanks to cost-saving efforts such as a hiring freeze, pausing marketing and unnecessary capital projects, and eliminating overtime.   Miami Today: With cruises halted, PortMiami keeps it head above water    

Brexit impact on spirits industry  
The Spirits Business interviewed Miles Beale, chief executive of Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA), to discuss how Brexit has affected the spirits industry including short term challenges such as labeling and long waits to process cargo through two Customs systems.

One of the more interesting topics discussed was the UK’s decision to create new geographical indications (GI) to not only protect established products like Scotch whisky but to create and promote new categories such as Welsh whisky.

Beale discussed how the last minute trade agreement between the UK and EU resolved many trade and tariff issues and that over 50 trade continuity deals were were put into place by the UK government. The UK may consider joining the CPTPP trading bloc which would further reduce or eliminate tariffs for the spirits industry.   The Spirits Business: How Brexit will impact the spirits sector      

JetBlue begins daily flights to and from MIA   On February 11, Miami International Airport welcomed its first JetBlue flights to the airport. Miami-Dade County officials and JetBlue representatives participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the discount airline’s new footprint at MIA. MIA was the busiest passenger airport without JetBlue service prior to last week’s launch. Four cities will now be served from MIA by JetBlue: Boston (up to 4x daily), Los Angeles (up to 2x daily), New York-JFK (up to 4x daily), and Newark (up to 4x daily).  
Miami-Dade County: JetBlue celebrates 21st birthday with first-ever Miami flights    


Team WTDC at the 2020 Live Like Bella Superhero 5k  
Join us March 30 for the virtual Live Like Bella Superhero 5k  
WTDC is a proud sponsor of Live Like Bella Childhood Cancer Foundation and participates annually in their 5k race to call attention to childhood cancer, raise funds for research, and support the families affected by this terrible disease. We invite you to join WTDC by participating in the virtual Live Like Bella Superhero 5k. The following information is from Live Like Bella: Every year, Bella Believers from around the world come together for our Superhero 5k to honor the brave childhood cancer fighters we serve! In 2021 we come together yet again to honor our superheroes but on a different day and in a different way – virtually! To ensure the health and safety of our supporters, our 7th Annual Superhero 5k will take place virtually this year on  Saturday, March 20, 2021. Grab your sneakers, capes (and even your dogs!), and let’s run (or walk) together in solidarity! Register today for our first ever virtual Live Like Bella® Superhero 5k! You can sign up as an individual or create a virtual team. Sponsorship opportunities are available at any level.  
Live Like Bella® Virtual Superhero 5k Run/Walk  
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