August 13, 2024 • 18 mins
Dass is running in the Democrat Primary for the Port of Palm Beach Commission in Group 2.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey, Joel Malcolm Ford w J and O dot com
and my election spotlight this time around is on the
Port of Palm Beach. There are three races on the Port,
but only one primary, So on your August ballots, this
will be the only race unless I'm incorrect, and then
(00:21):
our candidate will tell me. But we are speaking with
the incumbent Port of Palm Beach Group two Commissioner RISA. Das.
Was that all correct?
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Yes? Hello, everyone?
Speaker 1 (00:31):
All right, so I'm batting one thousand today. That's good,
I got that right. Yeah. There are three three Democrats,
including yourself. You have two challengers in the in the primary.
There will in November be a Republican facing whoever wins
the primary, and write in candidate as well for this race.
So for for folks, you know, let's start with this
(00:52):
for folks that are wondering, what is the Port of
Palm Beach?
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Now?
Speaker 1 (00:55):
I see this on the ballot, but I skip it.
I don't know if that's the case, but I'm guessing
some people do, right or they just kind of just go, yeah,
this person looks fine. We want to educate them a
little bit. So what exactly do you do is a
port a Palm Beach commissioner.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
So, people don't realize the economic significance of the port.
The port is one of those things where when it's working,
when it's working, well, no one knows about it. But
if it's ever if there's ever a problem at support,
everyone is going to feel the impact of that. We're
responsible for seven thousand direct and indirect jobs in Palm
Beach County. We help our local businesses and our local
(01:33):
industries like agriculture, asphalt cement, export and import their product
in order to build the community. All cement that we
bring in remains local. The aspalt we bring in remains local.
So it's a key component to It's the first step
in developing our community.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
All right, Well, let's get some background on you. How
long have you been serving and tell us anything else
you want to share.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Sure.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
So I was appointed in December of twenty twenty two
by a majority of the commission I was appointed to
fill the rest of a commissioner's term who was leaving
to She then gotten elected as state rep. So I
was appointed to fill the rest of her term.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
That's a four year Oh sorry, it's a four year term, correct.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Yeah, she was it's a four year term. But I
was appointed at the end of December twenty.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
Twenty two, correct to bill the next two sure, go ahead.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
Yeah, I At that time, I served on two port committees.
I attended all the meetings, so the other commissioners were
confident that, you know, I knew the issues, I knew
where we were going, and that they could appoint me
to fill that spot and hit the ground running.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Okay, So share some more background on you.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
So I'm actually a contact lawyer. That's what I do,
which is, you know, that's beneficial for the port because
hundred percent of our business dealings.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Are contractually governed.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
So me having this experience as a contract lawyer helps
ensure that we don't you know, breach our obligations when
we enter into our business agreements with tenants and other entities.
I served on two poor committees before I was appointed,
and I'm also on the Palm Beach County Planning Commission,
the Business Development Board, and the West Palm Beach Downtown
Development Authority.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
All right, and I understand according to your bio, you
also weren't assistant state attorney and assistant public defender. Was
that here in Palm Beach County.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
I was.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
I was a public defender in Hillsborough, so in Tampa area,
and I was a prosecutor in Panama City. And I
was actually also a general assignment news reporter in Jacksonville.
And Tupelo, Mississippi was my first market, and then I
went to Jacksonville. So it's yeah, so it's the all
of these experiences together, I think, you know, I've always
(03:59):
had a passage for serving the community and for educating
the community. It's really neat because these previous experiences it's
kind of like, you know, they're kind of like following
the law to help make the community better. But now as.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
A legislator, as a port, I get to.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
Help make the law, which is amazing.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Jacksonville Jacksport right there, jack Jacksport up there.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
They do have a port.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
Just like f Y, all of our ports in the
state of Florida, we all kind of compete for businesses
a little, right, you know, Like if there's a cruise
carrier that wants to come in, we're all kind of
competing to try to get in to get.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
As many opportunities as we can for our port.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
So, yes, Dax is a great port. We actually are
looking at a cruise ship up there that I hope
we can get here, So you're trying.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
To Are you trying to steal it from there? Or
maybe that's how he has, you know, expands down here.
Is that what you're more? What you're doing, I'm.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Trying to help our community have more through us than.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
Touch What I was getting at though, by asking about
jackson you worked in TV news there. Did you ever
cover any port stories up there? And is there anything
maybe that you picked up from you know, if so,
spending any time at that port. I'm trying to figure
out which port would be bigger, the port of Palm
Beach or Jacksport.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
Oh, Daksport would definitely be bigger.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
We're actually being the eleventh.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Yeah, we're in the scope of sizing for ports in
the state. I think there's fifteen ports and we're at eleven, so.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
We're very small, but we moved.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
More cargo than a lot of those ports because we're very,
very efficient in how we're run.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Dasport is definitely bigger. I didn't cover I didn't cover
stories on the port in Jacksonville.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
A lot of our stories that were on the water
were related to the Navy base there mayport, right, all right.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
So let's how about you know, you talked about the
economy and you could go on. I know, you know
you wanted to share some more information about things going
on at the port, and we want to get to
that too if you have something to share. But how
about safety? What kind of a position does a commissioner
(06:16):
have when it comes to safety at the port because
we always you know, we think about that as well, correct.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
Yeah, so safety is critical and that was why listen,
I'm a firm believer because we know, we know how
technology has revolutionized the way everything happens.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Now, including crime. Most crime now is going to prove you.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
Know, in terms of hacking government agencies, things like that,
they're going to be done through the Internet and through cybercrime.
So this year is the port we increased our cybersecurity protection,
which is so important to protect us against foreign actors
and bad actors.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
So we did that.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
We also brought in a full time Revie Police Department officer.
We are looking at bringing in another rivera a police
officer to patrol the outside of the port for tourists
and passengers that come on our cruise ship when they're
leaving especially if we do get to bring in more
cruise ships and have additional passenger volume. So to safety
(07:18):
and security is like such a critical part of the
community being being able to enjoy our port. Another thing
that we have, you know, we we definitely try to
make sure that all industrial operations are as safely conducted
as possible. We have a lot of federal guidelines that
our tenant enemies have to comply with. And yeah, it's
(07:43):
just a critical part of infrastructure and things working well
at the port.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
So as the incumbent are you know, the the sitting
port commissioner group too, are there? You know, what are
some things that you may want to tout about your
I guess by the end of this term it'll be
two years right in office.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
Yes, So what I want everyone to know about support
is that we're the only government entity in Palm Beach's
County that pays for itself. We do not levy any taxes,
we don't charge any taxes at all. We are completely
self operating.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
So us having.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
Commissioners who understand our economic models and how to generate
revenue from those models is so critical to you keeping
money in your pocket. This is in my opinion, This
is kind of government in its perfect form, where it
actually pays for itself and doesn't take any money from.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
Its citizens at all.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
But it's so you know this, we just had our
most profitable year in history. It's largely because of the
business decisions of our executive Director and the majority of
the Commission being on.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Board with him and those decisions. We just made a
three million dollar net profit. That was last year. This
year we're all ready at four billion. We're going to
close this year at six.
Speaker 3 (09:02):
Now to contrast that, before I got on the Commission,
we only made a million dollars a year, and now
last year we're at three and this year we're going
to close at six or seven. So it's it's it's
really because of We've had a commission which I make
up part of the majority, that is very pro fiscal
responsibility and maximizing the current opportunities that we have.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
But that could change.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
Not every commissioner is. You know, I'm pro responsible growth.
I want to bring in another cruise ship. I want
us to move towards being more of a cruise port.
We're the closest port to the Caribbean in South Florida.
We should have been a cruise port.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
I want us to have more of those options for
the community, and that kind of requires that.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
I stay on you know, another thing that I that
I did was we created two hundred directs and indirect jobs,
and we do that by bringing in making sure that
when we're voting on which entities get to come in,
that there are local entities that are going to be
stimulating our economy and creating jobs. That's something that's very
important to me. I'm also like a very very community
(10:11):
focused commissioner.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
I am out there. I'm at every Reverer commission meeting.
Speaker 3 (10:17):
I'm at the churches, I'm at school, I go to
elementary schools and teach kids about the port. I don't
think that, you know, a lot of commissioners.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Did that stuff before.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
I realized that creating the opportunity is one thing, but
we need to actually get information about that opportunity out
to the community and bridge the gap for what we
do and what our opportunities are. And that's something I've
really been very very conscientious of doing.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
You talk about the cruise ships, and you know, one
of the one of the ones that are there within
the last couple of years at Margaritaville at C and
I know that sadly Jimmy Buffett passed away some months ago.
Has that changed anything? How? How is the margaritabil at
see How how is that business doing at the port?
Speaker 2 (11:06):
It's doing extremely well.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
Our passenger volume I don't I don't recall the exact percentage,
but it increased exponentially recently and that also contributed to
the port's profitability and ability to continue to self operate
without levying taxes.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
The CRUISIP is one of our biggest economic generators. That's
why one of the reasons I want another CRUISIP. And uh,
people don't.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
They don't like, they don't realize we're we're limited because
we can't have deep dredging, so we're limited in the
size of vessel vessels we can bring in. But we
can still bring in moderate sized vessels like Margaritaville and others.
And just because they're moderate sized, I mean they can
also just because their moderate size doesn't mean that they
don't have to be quality. We can try to get
some quality vessels. We're also looking at finalizing the deal
(11:58):
for a luxury vessel happens for that one.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
Are going to start around four grand, So.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
Compare that to Margaritaville, which is which starts at seventy
five dollars. So I want cruise options and moderate sized
vessels for all different socio economic classes at the port
that can all come and enjoy our cruise options.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
So if you have an upscale vessel like that that's
charging the customer four thousand for a cab and does
does the does the port get a cut of that?
Is that how it works.
Speaker 3 (12:27):
We get the parking revenue that they generate and some
dockage costs, and there are some other ways that we
get part of that just from them being located at
the port and having to onload and offload their passengers
from our location.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
But having an upscale kind of then you'll get a
different clientele and then people that will yeah, I think
I know where you're where you're going with that, So
I didn't And the thing about the Jimmy Buffett passing,
I didn't know. I think there are some people that
might have wondered when he died if that would affect
the Margueritaville businesses between the you know, the hotels, resorts,
(13:06):
and then of course the cruise ships. So I wasn't sure.
It doesn't sound I'm sure that he didn't have a
completely hands on you know, he had a corporation that
kind handled a lot of that, but you know, it
sounds like that didn't affect anything as far as business.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
No, No, from my understanding, Margueritaville, that name it actually
it's actually a company that leases out the name. So okay,
and I'm sure that I'm sure that mister Buffett, maybe
he his family potentially gets like a.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Percentage of that.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
But there's a company that actually owns that name and
leases it out to different entities. So I believe that
Rivera is going to be constructing a like a marina
there or a shopping closet that's going to have the
name Margueritaville. And there's a Margeritaville in Orlando. So the
company just leases out that name to different entities.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
Yeah, I know that he he took part in stuff that.
I think he went on the on the ship one time,
maybe early on, and they made a big deal about that.
So all right, Well, anything else before we wrap up?
I was gonna I have one more question for you,
but if you have any anything before that?
Speaker 3 (14:16):
Yeah, I was just really really enjoyed serving. But there's
so many more things that we can do. You know,
there's we're limited. We're only one hundred and sixty five acres.
We are a tiny port. That means we need to
be incredibly builded about which entities we're bringing in, how
many jobs they're going to create, and how we store,
(14:40):
how we store our cargo to.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Try to maximize our cargo output.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
One of the things that I really want that we
need to do is there's federal funding that I'm trying
to secure that we're trying to secure that's going to
put airport grade cement. So airport grade cement it can
handle more tonnage because it's designed to handle the weight
of airplanes. So our containers right now we can only
stack about two or three on top of each other.
(15:04):
If we get that airport grade cement and we get
the grant for it, we can now stack about five
or six containers and significantly increase our output, generating more
revenue for the port and creating even more job because
we'll need more people to process that cargo. So there's
just like little it's a very technical, plate nuanced kind
(15:25):
of area of governing that you know that I've really
kind of acquired the skill set to continue doing and
making sure that we're on the right track. So I
just want to stay to be given that opportunity, all right,
And one.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
Final question three candidates in this race, including yourself, Why ultimately,
in a nutshells should folks choose Verisados for a full term?
Speaker 3 (15:52):
Because I know our port inside and out. Don't take
a gamble on people on someone who's people individuals who
are still trying to figure out what we do and
how we how we increase our port success. So it's
and you know, I think one thing that two things
that distinguished me from everyone else in this race is
I actually took the time to learn a lot about
(16:14):
the port before before I got on the commission. I
sat on two port committees. I attended all the meetings.
I took the time to learn about what we do
and where we're going. And I really wish that before
people run for office they take the time to serve
on a board or something like that that's actually relevant
to the area that the field that you're going to
(16:34):
be running in. Because our port is saying that I'm
won a lot of different port seats. You know for
development and city boards. The city of.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
Development is very different from port development. So having that
specialized kind of knowledge before I got on the Port Commission,
I think has.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
Benefited the Port and the ability in the in the
way that we were able to hit the ground running
and generate three million, you know, triple our annual net
profit the first year that I was in it. It's
important to have a commission that's very pro responsible growth
like that, or all supporter is just going to continue
to stay stagnant the way it's been sagnant for decades.
(17:11):
And another thing that distinguishes me is I'm the only
attorney in this race, and one hundred percent of our
business feelings are contractually governed. I've actually heard one of
my opponents picks an idea that he I don't think
he understood one of the least terms, and that would
have then put us in potential brief So all of
that profit that we made that could potentially go out
the window with lawsuits Like competence and knowing our obligations
(17:34):
is a critical part of governing effectively, and I hope
that the public takes that into consideration and they vote
to keep me.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
All right, Well, We appreciate you speaking to the voters.
Will once again say this, this is open. That's the
port upon each group two. It's open to all Democrats
in this primary, no primary for Republicans, and that'll happen
in November, and will have a Republican candidate along with
winner of this race, which may be Varissa das Commissioner
(18:03):
and candidate for Porta Palm. Each group too, we appreciate it,
Thank you so much
Hey, Joel Malcolm Ford w J and O dot com
and my election spotlight this time around is on the
Port of Palm Beach. There are three races on the Port,
but only one primary, So on your August ballots, this
will be the only race unless I'm incorrect, and then
(00:21):
our candidate will tell me. But we are speaking with
the incumbent Port of Palm Beach Group two Commissioner RISA. Das.
Was that all correct?
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Yes? Hello, everyone?
Speaker 1 (00:31):
All right, so I'm batting one thousand today. That's good,
I got that right. Yeah. There are three three Democrats,
including yourself. You have two challengers in the in the primary.
There will in November be a Republican facing whoever wins
the primary, and write in candidate as well for this race.
So for for folks, you know, let's start with this
(00:52):
for folks that are wondering, what is the Port of
Palm Beach?
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Now?
Speaker 1 (00:55):
I see this on the ballot, but I skip it.
I don't know if that's the case, but I'm guessing
some people do, right or they just kind of just go, yeah,
this person looks fine. We want to educate them a
little bit. So what exactly do you do is a
port a Palm Beach commissioner.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
So, people don't realize the economic significance of the port.
The port is one of those things where when it's working,
when it's working, well, no one knows about it. But
if it's ever if there's ever a problem at support,
everyone is going to feel the impact of that. We're
responsible for seven thousand direct and indirect jobs in Palm
Beach County. We help our local businesses and our local
(01:33):
industries like agriculture, asphalt cement, export and import their product
in order to build the community. All cement that we
bring in remains local. The aspalt we bring in remains local.
So it's a key component to It's the first step
in developing our community.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
All right, Well, let's get some background on you. How
long have you been serving and tell us anything else
you want to share.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
Sure.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
So I was appointed in December of twenty twenty two
by a majority of the commission I was appointed to
fill the rest of a commissioner's term who was leaving
to She then gotten elected as state rep. So I
was appointed to fill the rest of her term.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
That's a four year Oh sorry, it's a four year term, correct.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Yeah, she was it's a four year term. But I
was appointed at the end of December twenty.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
Twenty two, correct to bill the next two sure, go ahead.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
Yeah, I At that time, I served on two port committees.
I attended all the meetings, so the other commissioners were
confident that, you know, I knew the issues, I knew
where we were going, and that they could appoint me
to fill that spot and hit the ground running.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Okay, So share some more background on you.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
So I'm actually a contact lawyer. That's what I do,
which is, you know, that's beneficial for the port because
hundred percent of our business dealings.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Are contractually governed.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
So me having this experience as a contract lawyer helps
ensure that we don't you know, breach our obligations when
we enter into our business agreements with tenants and other entities.
I served on two poor committees before I was appointed,
and I'm also on the Palm Beach County Planning Commission,
the Business Development Board, and the West Palm Beach Downtown
Development Authority.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
All right, and I understand according to your bio, you
also weren't assistant state attorney and assistant public defender. Was
that here in Palm Beach County.
Speaker 2 (03:36):
I was.
Speaker 3 (03:37):
I was a public defender in Hillsborough, so in Tampa area,
and I was a prosecutor in Panama City. And I
was actually also a general assignment news reporter in Jacksonville.
And Tupelo, Mississippi was my first market, and then I
went to Jacksonville. So it's yeah, so it's the all
of these experiences together, I think, you know, I've always
(03:59):
had a passage for serving the community and for educating
the community. It's really neat because these previous experiences it's
kind of like, you know, they're kind of like following
the law to help make the community better. But now as.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
A legislator, as a port, I get to.
Speaker 3 (04:15):
Help make the law, which is amazing.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Jacksonville Jacksport right there, jack Jacksport up there.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
They do have a port.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
Just like f Y, all of our ports in the
state of Florida, we all kind of compete for businesses
a little, right, you know, Like if there's a cruise
carrier that wants to come in, we're all kind of
competing to try to get in to get.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
As many opportunities as we can for our port.
Speaker 3 (04:40):
So, yes, Dax is a great port. We actually are
looking at a cruise ship up there that I hope
we can get here, So you're trying.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
To Are you trying to steal it from there? Or
maybe that's how he has, you know, expands down here.
Is that what you're more? What you're doing, I'm.
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Trying to help our community have more through us than.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
Touch What I was getting at though, by asking about
jackson you worked in TV news there. Did you ever
cover any port stories up there? And is there anything
maybe that you picked up from you know, if so,
spending any time at that port. I'm trying to figure
out which port would be bigger, the port of Palm
Beach or Jacksport.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
Oh, Daksport would definitely be bigger.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
We're actually being the eleventh.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Yeah, we're in the scope of sizing for ports in
the state. I think there's fifteen ports and we're at eleven, so.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
We're very small, but we moved.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
More cargo than a lot of those ports because we're very,
very efficient in how we're run.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Dasport is definitely bigger. I didn't cover I didn't cover
stories on the port in Jacksonville.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
A lot of our stories that were on the water
were related to the Navy base there mayport, right, all right.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
So let's how about you know, you talked about the
economy and you could go on. I know, you know
you wanted to share some more information about things going
on at the port, and we want to get to
that too if you have something to share. But how
about safety? What kind of a position does a commissioner
(06:16):
have when it comes to safety at the port because
we always you know, we think about that as well, correct.
Speaker 3 (06:24):
Yeah, so safety is critical and that was why listen,
I'm a firm believer because we know, we know how
technology has revolutionized the way everything happens.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Now, including crime. Most crime now is going to prove you.
Speaker 3 (06:40):
Know, in terms of hacking government agencies, things like that,
they're going to be done through the Internet and through cybercrime.
So this year is the port we increased our cybersecurity protection,
which is so important to protect us against foreign actors
and bad actors.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
So we did that.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
We also brought in a full time Revie Police Department officer.
We are looking at bringing in another rivera a police
officer to patrol the outside of the port for tourists
and passengers that come on our cruise ship when they're
leaving especially if we do get to bring in more
cruise ships and have additional passenger volume. So to safety
(07:18):
and security is like such a critical part of the
community being being able to enjoy our port. Another thing
that we have, you know, we we definitely try to
make sure that all industrial operations are as safely conducted
as possible. We have a lot of federal guidelines that
our tenant enemies have to comply with. And yeah, it's
(07:43):
just a critical part of infrastructure and things working well
at the port.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
So as the incumbent are you know, the the sitting
port commissioner group too, are there? You know, what are
some things that you may want to tout about your
I guess by the end of this term it'll be
two years right in office.
Speaker 3 (08:06):
Yes, So what I want everyone to know about support
is that we're the only government entity in Palm Beach's
County that pays for itself. We do not levy any taxes,
we don't charge any taxes at all. We are completely
self operating.
Speaker 2 (08:22):
So us having.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
Commissioners who understand our economic models and how to generate
revenue from those models is so critical to you keeping
money in your pocket. This is in my opinion, This
is kind of government in its perfect form, where it
actually pays for itself and doesn't take any money from.
Speaker 2 (08:41):
Its citizens at all.
Speaker 3 (08:42):
But it's so you know this, we just had our
most profitable year in history. It's largely because of the
business decisions of our executive Director and the majority of
the Commission being on.
Speaker 2 (08:53):
Board with him and those decisions. We just made a
three million dollar net profit. That was last year. This
year we're all ready at four billion. We're going to
close this year at six.
Speaker 3 (09:02):
Now to contrast that, before I got on the Commission,
we only made a million dollars a year, and now
last year we're at three and this year we're going
to close at six or seven. So it's it's it's
really because of We've had a commission which I make
up part of the majority, that is very pro fiscal
responsibility and maximizing the current opportunities that we have.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
But that could change.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
Not every commissioner is. You know, I'm pro responsible growth.
I want to bring in another cruise ship. I want
us to move towards being more of a cruise port.
We're the closest port to the Caribbean in South Florida.
We should have been a cruise port.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
I want us to have more of those options for
the community, and that kind of requires that.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
I stay on you know, another thing that I that
I did was we created two hundred directs and indirect jobs,
and we do that by bringing in making sure that
when we're voting on which entities get to come in,
that there are local entities that are going to be
stimulating our economy and creating jobs. That's something that's very
important to me. I'm also like a very very community
(10:11):
focused commissioner.
Speaker 2 (10:14):
I am out there. I'm at every Reverer commission meeting.
Speaker 3 (10:17):
I'm at the churches, I'm at school, I go to
elementary schools and teach kids about the port. I don't
think that, you know, a lot of commissioners.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Did that stuff before.
Speaker 3 (10:24):
I realized that creating the opportunity is one thing, but
we need to actually get information about that opportunity out
to the community and bridge the gap for what we
do and what our opportunities are. And that's something I've
really been very very conscientious of doing.
Speaker 1 (10:41):
You talk about the cruise ships, and you know, one
of the one of the ones that are there within
the last couple of years at Margaritaville at C and
I know that sadly Jimmy Buffett passed away some months ago.
Has that changed anything? How? How is the margaritabil at
see How how is that business doing at the port?
Speaker 2 (11:06):
It's doing extremely well.
Speaker 3 (11:08):
Our passenger volume I don't I don't recall the exact percentage,
but it increased exponentially recently and that also contributed to
the port's profitability and ability to continue to self operate
without levying taxes.
Speaker 2 (11:20):
The CRUISIP is one of our biggest economic generators. That's
why one of the reasons I want another CRUISIP. And uh,
people don't.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
They don't like, they don't realize we're we're limited because
we can't have deep dredging, so we're limited in the
size of vessel vessels we can bring in. But we
can still bring in moderate sized vessels like Margaritaville and others.
And just because they're moderate sized, I mean they can
also just because their moderate size doesn't mean that they
don't have to be quality. We can try to get
some quality vessels. We're also looking at finalizing the deal
(11:58):
for a luxury vessel happens for that one.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
Are going to start around four grand, So.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
Compare that to Margaritaville, which is which starts at seventy
five dollars. So I want cruise options and moderate sized
vessels for all different socio economic classes at the port
that can all come and enjoy our cruise options.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
So if you have an upscale vessel like that that's
charging the customer four thousand for a cab and does
does the does the port get a cut of that?
Is that how it works.
Speaker 3 (12:27):
We get the parking revenue that they generate and some
dockage costs, and there are some other ways that we
get part of that just from them being located at
the port and having to onload and offload their passengers
from our location.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
But having an upscale kind of then you'll get a
different clientele and then people that will yeah, I think
I know where you're where you're going with that, So
I didn't And the thing about the Jimmy Buffett passing,
I didn't know. I think there are some people that
might have wondered when he died if that would affect
the Margueritaville businesses between the you know, the hotels, resorts,
(13:06):
and then of course the cruise ships. So I wasn't sure.
It doesn't sound I'm sure that he didn't have a
completely hands on you know, he had a corporation that
kind handled a lot of that, but you know, it
sounds like that didn't affect anything as far as business.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
No, No, from my understanding, Margueritaville, that name it actually
it's actually a company that leases out the name. So okay,
and I'm sure that I'm sure that mister Buffett, maybe
he his family potentially gets like a.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
Percentage of that.
Speaker 3 (13:36):
But there's a company that actually owns that name and
leases it out to different entities. So I believe that
Rivera is going to be constructing a like a marina
there or a shopping closet that's going to have the
name Margueritaville. And there's a Margeritaville in Orlando. So the
company just leases out that name to different entities.
Speaker 1 (13:58):
Yeah, I know that he he took part in stuff that.
I think he went on the on the ship one time,
maybe early on, and they made a big deal about that.
So all right, Well, anything else before we wrap up?
I was gonna I have one more question for you,
but if you have any anything before that?
Speaker 3 (14:16):
Yeah, I was just really really enjoyed serving. But there's
so many more things that we can do. You know,
there's we're limited. We're only one hundred and sixty five acres.
We are a tiny port. That means we need to
be incredibly builded about which entities we're bringing in, how
many jobs they're going to create, and how we store,
(14:40):
how we store our cargo to.
Speaker 2 (14:42):
Try to maximize our cargo output.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
One of the things that I really want that we
need to do is there's federal funding that I'm trying
to secure that we're trying to secure that's going to
put airport grade cement. So airport grade cement it can
handle more tonnage because it's designed to handle the weight
of airplanes. So our containers right now we can only
stack about two or three on top of each other.
(15:04):
If we get that airport grade cement and we get
the grant for it, we can now stack about five
or six containers and significantly increase our output, generating more
revenue for the port and creating even more job because
we'll need more people to process that cargo. So there's
just like little it's a very technical, plate nuanced kind
(15:25):
of area of governing that you know that I've really
kind of acquired the skill set to continue doing and
making sure that we're on the right track. So I
just want to stay to be given that opportunity, all right,
And one.
Speaker 1 (15:40):
Final question three candidates in this race, including yourself, Why ultimately,
in a nutshells should folks choose Verisados for a full term?
Speaker 3 (15:52):
Because I know our port inside and out. Don't take
a gamble on people on someone who's people individuals who
are still trying to figure out what we do and
how we how we increase our port success. So it's
and you know, I think one thing that two things
that distinguished me from everyone else in this race is
I actually took the time to learn a lot about
(16:14):
the port before before I got on the commission. I
sat on two port committees. I attended all the meetings.
I took the time to learn about what we do
and where we're going. And I really wish that before
people run for office they take the time to serve
on a board or something like that that's actually relevant
to the area that the field that you're going to
(16:34):
be running in. Because our port is saying that I'm
won a lot of different port seats. You know for
development and city boards. The city of.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
Development is very different from port development. So having that
specialized kind of knowledge before I got on the Port Commission,
I think has.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
Benefited the Port and the ability in the in the
way that we were able to hit the ground running
and generate three million, you know, triple our annual net
profit the first year that I was in it. It's
important to have a commission that's very pro responsible growth
like that, or all supporter is just going to continue
to stay stagnant the way it's been sagnant for decades.
(17:11):
And another thing that distinguishes me is I'm the only
attorney in this race, and one hundred percent of our
business feelings are contractually governed. I've actually heard one of
my opponents picks an idea that he I don't think
he understood one of the least terms, and that would
have then put us in potential brief So all of
that profit that we made that could potentially go out
the window with lawsuits Like competence and knowing our obligations
(17:34):
is a critical part of governing effectively, and I hope
that the public takes that into consideration and they vote
to keep me.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
All right, Well, We appreciate you speaking to the voters.
Will once again say this, this is open. That's the
port upon each group two. It's open to all Democrats
in this primary, no primary for Republicans, and that'll happen
in November, and will have a Republican candidate along with
winner of this race, which may be Varissa das Commissioner
(18:03):
and candidate for Porta Palm. Each group too, we appreciate it,
Thank you so much
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