PortMiami Director and CEO Juan Kuryla was elected chairman of the Florida Ports Council at its annual board meeting in St Petersburg last week.
Kuryla replaces Steve Cernak, the Port Everglades chief executive and port director. Manuel Almira, Port of Palm Beach executive director, was elected as vice chairman, and Wayne Stubbs, Port Panama city executive director, was elected secretary/treasurer. All positions serve one-year terms.
The Florida Ports Council is the professional association of Florida’s 14 public seaports.
Kuryla has held numerous leadership positions at PortMiami over the past 20 years, serving as port director and CEO since 2014.
“Florida has 14 dynamic seaports that specialize in diverse business sectors from cargo to cruise. These ports, with their access to the third-largest population in the U.S., serve as vital economic engines creating thousands of new jobs over the past five years,” Kuryla said. “I look forward to continuing the work of my predecessors in growing jobs and commerce for the great state of Florida.”