Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told shipping companies to avoid bottlenecks at west coast ports and come to Florida.
At a news conference in Jacksonville on Tuesday morning De Santis said there is no waiting to unload at Florida's ports. Some ships have been waiting weeks off the coast of California to off-load cargo at Los Angeles and Long Beach. DeSantis said Florida can help relieve the supply chain slowdown. “We have to make sure people can go Christmas shopping as normal. We have to make sure that all the necessities are there,” DeSantis said. “And if it’s because ships are sitting off the coast somewhere else, and they can be rerouted here, and we can get all those shelves stocked, then we want to be a part of that solution.”
Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki pointed to progress in dealing with the supply chain issues. She cited further partnerships between labor and port leaders, noting the Union Pacific Railroad is joining the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in going to 24-hour operations, while the amount of cargo sitting on docks for 13 days or longer has been cut in half.