Port of Palm Beach plan nearing vote

Commissioners for the Port of Palm Beach could vote on a plan to create a massive warehouse and distribution center on rural land near Lake Okeechobee as early as Wednesday. The proposed center, known as an inland port, could create as many as 20,000 jobs in the future, proponents say, but critics question the cost of development. Creating the port based on trucking could prove expensive, and rail would be cheaper, but those lines would need to be built to connect Fort Lauderdale and Miami, South Florida’s two largest seaports. Costs could run to tens of millions of dollars and require government approval. Port Everglades Director Phil Allen said his clients would need direct rail to an inland port, but calls prospects extremely difficult because of funding and permitting hurdles. [Palm Beach Post]