Johnson named port director for Miami
Bill Johnson, who has been acting director at the Port of Miami since June, was officially named as the director of the port Thursday.
Miami-Dade County Manager George Burgess, who had originally enlisted Johnson to take on the port job, made the selection. Johnson has been with the county for 27 years and used to have indirect oversight of port activities as part of his duties as assistant county manager.
While serving as acting director, Johnson developed an action plan that addressed what he sees as the four critical areas affecting the port: competition, port access, security, and capital development.
He said he is working aggressively with both cargo and cruise shipping companies to grow business at the port, which currently handles just over 1 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containerized cargo a year.
Johnson has also stressed that he is seeking ways to improve efficiencies and reduce the operating costs for port security, which have increased from $4 million in 2001 to $17 million in 2005.
'Johnson is a respected public administrator who has worked on some of the most challenging county projects during his long tenure with Miami-Dade,' Burgess said in announcing the appointment. 'These include such significant capital projects as the Performing Arts Center and the American Airlines Arena. He has also moved forward programs such as the streamlining of the county's development and permitting process. He is an energetic problem solver who is not afraid to tackle tough projects and issues. With his appointment, I look forward to continued improvements at the seaport.'