Miami CBP gearing up for peak flower season
Customs and Border Patrol's Miami Service Port at Miami International Airport on Wednesday began issuing plans for the peak flower importing season centered around Valentine's Day in February.
CBP Miami Service Port director Harold Woodward said CBP will operate a 24-hour 'hot line' for handling calls related to cut flower shipment beginning February 1 and continuing through February 14. All calls will be logged and senior management officials within CBP will monitor the log for appropriate resolution, a CBP bulletin from Woodward said.
Miami International Airport handles 85 percent of all flower shipments into the U.S., and the days before Valentine's Day are the busiest of the year.
CBP is asking all air carriers bringing in flower shipments to provide advance notification to CBP, including flight numbers, estimated time of arrival, and workload estimates of high, medium, or low.
The Cargo Clearance Center will maintain the current hours of operation for cut flowers, which are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays. Perishable flower entries submitted outside of those hours can be submitted at the General Aviation Center, which has its own Customs operations.