Question for PaulMedik

[fern1226]

Paul,

I just reported him to one person and I got a confirmation # and was told that they would be sending me a letter in few days about the situation. They then give me a number for someone else. I'm waiting on him to call me back. I'll keep you updated on this as you will be there again in a few weeks.

 

Good job, Hurricane Girl. I noticed you are in Morristown. I went to school at ETSU and in-laws live in Greeneville.

[Hurricane Girl]

Good job, Hurricane Girl. I noticed you are in Morristown. I went to school at ETSU and in-laws live in Greeneville.

 

That's not very far from me....I grad. from Tusculum in Dec. (Morristown campus, I went to school on nights and weekends, while working 40-45 hrs. per week, and only missing two days of my DS AAU basketball games. He plays football, basketball, and AAU basketball) Several people that I went to school with are from Greeneville and are very good friends of mine. Where do you live now??

[Jdfireman]

I am not saying who is right or wrong here BUT. IF this went anywhere I think it would be a he said she said battle. I may be wrong but think about it. Look at it like this 10's of thousands go to the port or MIA each year if only a few say anything I think it would be a he said she said. I am just posting my thought..

 

 

 

ALSO I AM REAL PEED OFF I USED THE WORD THUG TO DESCRIBE A GROUP ON A CRUISE LAST YEAR AND I HAD ALL OF MY POSTS REMOVED FROM THE BOARD.. we arer calling a guy here a thug and it is ok not nice cc

[fern1226]

That's not very far from me....I grad. from Tusculum in Dec. (Morristown campus, I went to school on nights and weekends, while working 40-45 hrs. per week, and only missing two days of my DS AAU basketball games. He plays football, basketball, and AAU basketball) Several people that I went to school with are from Greeneville and are very good friends of mine. Where do you live now??

 

We live outside of Columbus OH. Love going down to East TN - it's a nice change from the flatness of OH.

Keep us posted on what happens with the porter. We sail from there in almost 2 weeks and will keep and eye out for him.

[crusinpsychRN]

I'm driving down to Miami tomorrow and will try calling the union offices. Since they were closed on a weekday and no one called me back I doubt anyone will be there on a Saturday.

[Hurricane Girl]

Jdfireman, I know that this is a he said she said situation. My thing is, I want to make them aware of what he is doing. They may already have complaints about him, if so this will add to the count. If this is the first, they may talk to him and then he will be aware that people will turn him in.

 

crusinpsychRN, Thank you, I got a contact yesterday and he did not call me back I'm calling him again today.

[crusinpsychRN]

Unforntunately, CC is such a small percentage of people cruising porter 150 can scam lots of people unless he is stopped.

[Aardvark]

We're getting on the same cruise as PaulMedik on Saturday. I would like to know what the recourse is if "threatened" by 150 or anyone like him. This is definitely not the way I picture starting a vacation. I am more than willing to pay a fair tip for work well done, but it's just not in me to stand by and be a victim of extortion.

[Kurbanfan]

I am not saying who is right or wrong here BUT. IF this went anywhere I think it would be a he said she said battle. I may be wrong but think about it. Look at it like this 10's of thousands go to the port or MIA each year if only a few say anything I think it would be a he said she said. I am just posting my thought..

 

 

 

 

I agree!;)

[Hurricane Girl]

Update: Today I talked to a man at the port...(port operations officer) I told him the situation and I explained that we always tip the porters when they help us. I told him that I was reporting porter 150 because what he is doing to the cruise passengers is wrong. He agreed with me and apologized for the situation. He then stated to me that no porter is to ever ask a passenger for a tip. He said it is not allowed. He told me that the port officials want passengers to have a good experience while at the port of Miami not a bad one. He told me that he would be looking into the situation. He then thanked me for calling and letting them know.

 

I know nothing may not be done to porter 150 but I think that the port officers need to know when porters do this to passengers. If they just mention this complaint to this porter I will be satisfied. At least he would then know that people will complain about him doing this and he will know that the officers are on to him.

[crusinpsychRN]

I have called the Longshorman's Union in Miami several times and every day the voice message says the office is closed! They never are open. I have left messages with at least 5 people and no one has returned my call. I think we have to go another route.

[Hurricane Girl]

I have called the Longshorman's Union in Miami several times and every day the voice message says the office is closed! They never are open. I have left messages with at least 5 people and no one has returned my call. I think we have to go another route.

 

Thank you so much for doing that!!! Read the post that I posted right before yours. I did talk to someone. As many on this thread have stated...the porters do not work for Carnival. I think that they may be wrong..to an extent. I was told by two different Carnival people that some of the porters do indeed work for Carnival but not all of them. I am not sure if this porter does or not. I too was surprised that some of them did work for Carnival.

[Kurbanfan]

How about we get out the message if it happens to someone in the future that they report them to porter management on site. That is what Carnival suggest on their website.

[Hurricane Girl]

How about we get out the message if it happens to someone in the future that they report them to porter management on site. That is what Carnival suggest on their website.

 

Hopefully that will happen.

 

I would have reported him that day but I was soooo stressed out and I didn't do it. (kicking myself now) My DM annonced that morning that she had forgotten her BC. (getting passports for upcoming one) I had spent 2 hrs. making sure that we got her on the ship..I had talked to so many people that morning and I just didn't want to deal with that, decided to forget about it until I got home.

[PaulMedik]

We just checked in and had porter 149. He was very nice. He refused to allow us to help at all. He brought additional tags for our bags and insisted that we use them too even though we had two already on each bag.

 

He also posed with us for pics.

 

I asked him and several others where porter 150 was and the consistent reply was; 'Why? What's wrong?' Kinda odd eh?

 

Porter 149's statement after loading everthing was 'if you see fit to give me something, that's your business.' Totally different type of fellow than 150.

 

Porter 149 got more than the standard $1 per bag.

 

Now if they'd just start boarding.....

[crusinpsychRN]

You lucky duck to be cruising again, AGAIN!!!

[mike91911]

We just checked in and had porter 149. He was very nice. He refused to allow us to help at all. He brought additional tags for our bags and insisted that we use them too even though we had two already on each bag.

 

He also posed with us for pics.

 

I asked him and several others where porter 150 was and the consistent reply was; 'Why? What's wrong?' Kinda odd eh?

 

Porter 149's statement after loading everthing was 'if you see fit to give me something, that's your business.' Totally different type of fellow than 150.

 

Porter 149 got more than the standard $1 per bag.

 

Now if they'd just start boarding.....

 

Good! Maybe word will get back to him that people are asking about him. He'll know for sure that they are not asking for a good reason. Have a great trip!!!!!

[trock]

Wow.. .sounds like Miami needs Giuliani!

 

9 Cruises out of NYC and never have we experienced anything like this... the complete opposite.. The porters have always been 'gentlemen' and well mannered and extremely helpful

 

What 150 is doing is a complete shake down... I dont know if it would work, but perhaps next time he gets his tip and proclaims "thats all" ? Tell him, "I tell you what, 150- If my bags arrive safe and sound I will get you on the way back".. Let him know you know his number and his game...

 

yea yea I know.. silly..

 

Is there a manager on site? Probably someone else with their hand out...:rolleyes:

 

 

Here are some sites I found

 

 

Customer Service

While business development, safety and security will always be the top priorities at the Port of Miami, customer service is not far behind. Customer Service is vital to the success and the future of the Port of Miami and plays a vital role in our local economy. The Seaport Department’s goal is to make the Port of Miami a world-class facility. The key to world-class excellence is being responsive to customer’s needs. The experience of a Port User whether it is a cruise passenger, truck driver, or tenant while using our facilities set the tone for their perceptions of Greater Miami. To that end, the Seaport Department has embarked on several initiatives to provide excellent service.

 

Port of Miami Customer Service Survey

Contact the staff of the Port of Miami

Seaport Customer Service Request System

When port users have a specific need the following request electronic form is used for requests. The customers requests are immediately acknowledged, addressed, and followed up with a courtesy phone call. Please click on the following link (pomservice@miamidade.gov ) to send your request to the Public Affairs Office.

 

Speaker's Bureau

To promote and increase community awareness, the Port of Miami's Speakers Bureau offers the public the opportunity to have a port representative address organizations on a variety of topics including economic development, cruise business, cargo business, and environmental awareness. For details, please call Dan Cowan at the Port of Miami's Public Affairs Office at 305-347-4979.

 

 

 

Call Center

305-347-5515

E-mail

 

 

 

http://www.co.miami-dade.fl.us/portofmiami/customer_service.asp

[trock]

MORE

 

 

 

 

Contact Us

Port of Miami

1015 N America Way

Miami, Fl 33132

305-347-4800

 

Director's Office

Bill Johnson

Seaport Director

(305) 347- 4844

 

Lisa Ross McMillion

Assistant to the Port Director

 

(305) 347-4844

 

Maritime Services

Juan Kuryla

Assistant Port Director (305) 347- 4910

Andria Muniz

Public Affairs Manager

 

(305) 347- 4962

Frederick Wong, Jr.

Cargo Operations Manager

 

(305) 329-4058

 

Jay Valido

Maintenance Manager

 

(305) 347-5537

 

Hydi Webb

Business Development Manager (305) 347- 4951

Administrative Services

Khalid A. Salahuddin

Assistant Port Director (305) 347- 5301

Mayda Morin

Chief of Human Resources & Community Affairs (305) 347- 4827

Louis Noriega

Chief of Information Technology (305) 347- 4921

Gyselle Saner

Chief of Procurement

 

(305) 347-4833

 

Finance

Miriam Abreu (305) 347-4819

Engineering

Lance Llewelyn

Acting Assistant Director Engineering Development

 

(305) 347-4970

Security

Cristina Calderon

Safety and Security (305)347-4901

Fernando Ruiz

Seaport Safety Specialist (305) 347-5387

1015 Building Front Desk (305) 347- 4800

[trock]

more....

 

 

http://www.fitpev.com/uploads/Port%20Everglades%20steams%20ahead.htm

 

 

Port Everglades steams ahead

 

Good management, location and diversification have given Port Everglades a banner year.

 

Posted on Sun, Feb. 03, 2008

 

By INA PAIVA CORDLE

icordle@MiamiHerald.com

 

 

Port Everglades is coming off one of the most successful years in its history and has big plans, despite facing challenges on economic and environmental fronts.

It's a Friday afternoon at Port Everglades and dockworkers are busy off-loading containers from a huge CCNI cargo ship that has just arrived from South America. Trucks are lined up to deliver and pick up freight. Cruise passengers are toasting on the pool deck of the Regent Seven Seas Navigator before departing for a week-long tour of the Caribbean and Mexico.

The hustle and bustle is palpable, as the growing Broward port leaps ahead to rank as the largest container cargo port in Florida in 2007, and -- it expects -- become the No. 1 cruise port in the world in 2011.

 

'We have basically opened our eyes and said `Why not be the biggest and the best?' '' said Port Director Phillip C. Allen.

 

Port Everglades is coming off one of the most successful years in its history and has big plans, despite facing challenges on economic and environmental fronts.

 

CARGO AND CRUISES

 

In fiscal 2007 the port reported a surge in profit, up 50.5 percent to $14 million, on sharply higher container cargo volume and slightly more cruise passengers.

 

Added bonuses during the year: the Broward County Commission's approval of the port's 20-year master plan and a deal reached with Royal Caribbean Cruises to base its two new Genesis ships -- which will be its largest -- at the port when they are completed in late 2009 and 2010.

 

Although the Port of Miami has not yet released its 2007 figures, Allen claims the Broward port surpassed Miami in cargo container volume for the first time. Increased volume from Florida International Terminal's Hapag-Lloyd, which moved from the Port of Miami last year, and Hamburg Sud, which had relocated in 2006, as well as Florida Transportation Services' Seafreight and Crowley Liner Services contributed most to the growth.

 

''The port as a whole is probably doing things completely different than other ports in terms of customer satisfaction,'' said Jose Diaz, vice president and general manager of Florida International Terminal, the second-largest cargo terminal at the port, after Crowley Liner Services. ``In my opinion that is the key element to why so many people decided to move their operations from Miami up here.''

 

With most of its cargo coming to and from the Caribbean, Central America and South America, Port Everglades says it is the leading port in the United States for Central America.

 

High above the port, the harbormasters, who guide ships from a tower nine stories high, have seen the heightened pace firsthand.

 

''On weekends we have more ships than we do docks and cranes,'' said Shawn McCann, assistant harbormaster at Port Everglades.

 

I-595 AT THE DOOR

 

Port Everglades, Allen said, owes its burgeoning success to a range of factors, including its location, which makes it easy for truckers to get on and off the expressway and for passengers to arrive and depart from nearby Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

 

''I give kudos to whoever designed [interstate] 595 to enter into our front door,'' Allen said.

 

Contrast that with the Port of Miami -- where truckers complain about delays due to congestion, traffic and construction.

 

''Thank goodness the local community has done a much better job with Port Everglades,'' Allen said. ``They have not abused Port Everglades the way the Port of Miami has been abused by the city and by Miami-Dade County. They took an asset and basically built walls around it and now the taxpayers will have to pay $1 billion to overcome that abuse.''

 

Port Everglades' diverse mix -- a combination of container cargo, cruises, petroleum and bulk cargo -- is also a key strength, insiders say.

 

''It offers a significant cushion against an industry being severely impacted by facts outside our control,'' said Carlos Buqueras, director of business development for the port.

 

While bulk cargo like cement, as well as lumber and steel, are down due to the housing slump, for example, container cargo and petroleum -- both gas and jet fuel -- remain strong. In Florida, the only other ports with petroleum terminals are Jacksonville and Tampa.

 

''We don't think that there is a port that can compete with us'' in terms of diversity, Allen said.

 

Another plus for Port Everglades: The stevedoring work force is a combination of the International Association of Longshoremen, Teamsters and nonunion workers, which ''allows shipping lines to have a choice,'' Buqueras said.

 

 

 

SHIPS MEAN JOBS

 

Meanwhile, Port Everglades' growth is translating to more jobs. With more cruise and cargo ships, the International Association of Longshoremen now has 800 workers at Port Everglades -- up 300 in two years, said Mike D. Payne, president of the union's local #1526.

 

''My local is now employing more personnel than we have in the history of the organization,'' he said.

 

At the same time, Port Everglades is poised to boost its passenger count with the arrival of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.'s Genesis ships, which it says will catapult it ahead of the Port of Miami to be the largest cruise capital of the world.

 

The ships, which will dock year-round, also will help the port reach its goal of extending beyond its dominant season of November to April. As part of the deal, the port is spending $37.4 million to expand Terminal 18, with the funding coming from $5.70 in port fees per Royal Caribbean passenger from now until the full amount is reached.

 

The cruise line, whose deal allows for further growth by including preferential berthing rights to two berths seven days a week, chose Port Everglades because it offered the most opportunity, said Juan Trescastro, vice president of port operations for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

 

''Port Everglades has the potential for more growth and came up with a really nice deal for both parties,'' he said.

 

Port Everglades is hoping that Carnival Cruise Lines will base its newest, biggest ship -- the Carnival Dream -- at the port year-round, when it comes into service in late 2009.

 

Carnival is in the midst of ''early-stage'' discussions with both Port Everglades and the Port of Miami to base the ship, which holds up to 4,631 passengers, said Roberto Martinoli, executive vice president of operations for Carnival Cruise Lines.

 

The decision will depend on which port can offer the best facility, equipped with all the necessary features, as well as the best deal financially, he said.

 

''We have three months to make up our minds,'' Martinoli said.

 

Even more vital to the port's continued growth is its master plan, approved by the County Commission in December -- though it will hold a workshop later this month to address environmental concerns.

 

Broward Commissioner Josephus Eggelletion Jr. was a proponent of the port's expansion.

 

''It doesn't make any sense for goods being produced in Central America or South America or in Dominican Republic factories owned by U.S. companies to bypass Port Everglades to go to the Port of Savannah or Charleston and be trucked down to us,'' he said. ``The port equals jobs.''

 

PLAN FOR GROWTH

 

The $2 billion plan provides capacity to meet projected demand, with more and bigger berths, expanded cruise terminals to handle larger vessels, additional cranes, and a deepened harbor from 44 feet to 49 feet. It also will add parking garages, a facility for imported aggregate rock, a dockside railroad, roads and other enhancements. Funding will come from port revenue, private investment and bond debt, as well as grants.

 

''The key to operating a port is efficiency,'' Allen said, ``to have the capacity to berth the ships, the cranes to get containers off vessels and the equipment for yards to move the containers to get on the trucks to get to roads.''

 

GOOD MANAGEMENT

 

Port tenants also point to Allen's management as key to the port's success. Since being named to the position in February 2006, he has spearheaded the port's growth and plans for its future.

 

''He has done an excellent job at keeping the port community apprised of all that is going on at the port, and a masterful job at keeping us updated and involving us in the master planning process, more than I have ever seen before,'' said Mike Hopkins, vice president of operations for Crowley Liner Services -- Latin America.

 

With a background in city and county government, including spending 20 years working for Broward County, Allen also knows how to translate the port's needs to the County Commission, port users said.

 

''He has skills that everybody trusts,'' said Margaret Kempel, executive director of Port Everglades Association, a trade association of businesses based at the port. ``And that made a difference going into this master plan.''

 

Allen developed a love for the waterfront when he was a child in Ohio, summering at his family's cottage on a lake. He was a lifeguard in college and spent a couple of years in the Navy. He owns a 30-foot Cruiser that he takes out every weekend ``to get away.''

 

Allen said he considers himself a hands-off manager, though those who work with him say he is hands-on, but not a micromanager.

 

THE ENVIRONMENT

 

Part of his job is dealing with the port's continuing challenges: competition, market and trade balance shifts, a potential recession, as well as challenges raised by environmentalists and special interest groups.

 

The Marine Industries Association of South Florida, for example, wants more space for megayachts. Currently, the port accommodates some larger megayachts, requiring deeper water, for short-term dockage and fueling. And the master plan allows for a five-acre parcel for a recreational marine facility on the Dania cut-off.

 

''Our position is very consistent,'' said Frank Herhold, executive director of the 800-member association. ``The economic benefits of megayachts justify making some accommodations within the port.''

 

Meanwhile, environmentalists are concerned about the impact of the port's expansion on manatee habitats and mangrove wetlands.

 

Part of the port's plan is to widen and deepen the turning notch -- the space where ships turn around, which is an area that is a conservation easement. The easement was set up in the 1980s to protect lands from further damage from port expansion, and the area is in a protected manatee habitat, said Lisa Baumbach-Reardon, conservation chair, Broward County Audubon Society.

 

The destruction of mangrove wetlands and coral reefs due to dredging is also deeply worrisome, she said.

 

''In Broward County, we have lost probably 80 percent of our mangrove habitat over the past 20 years due to development,'' Baumbach-Reardon said. ``So at some point we have to draw a line in the sand and say we cannot let this continue.''

 

GROWING COSTS

 

Security also continues to pose a challenge for Port Everglades, as it does at every port. Port Everglades, which spent about $4 million a year before 9/11, now spends $20 million a year. But while the Port of Miami has had to pay a great deal of police overtime, Allen said Port Everglades hasn't had that issue.

 

Still, competition remains tough, as Port Everglades competes with other ports not just in Florida, but along the East Coast, as well as Freeport, Bahamas. Though the Port of Miami is high on that list of competitors, both Allen and Miami's Port Director Bill Johnson refer to the other's port as ``friendly competitors.''

 

Both directors travel extensively, meeting with shipping line executives to try to boost cargo business. Last year, Allen went to Chile and Brazil, and China the previous year.

 

''If they surpassed the Port of Miami last year, I'm going to surpass them this year,'' the Port of Miami's Johnson said in response to the port's cargo claim. ``My job is to grow the business, and we are hard at work at that.''

 

This year, Port Everglades hopes to add more container business with the addition of Antillean Marine Services, which recently moved much of its operations from the Miami River; MSC's transshipment to the Bahamas; and expansion of other lines. The port's goal is to reach 1 million TEUs -- 20-foot equivalent units, a common measurement in the industry -- up from 948,680 in fiscal 2007.

 

And it is looking to lease an unused tank farm owned by the port, offering incentives for alternative fueling like ethanol or biodiesel.

 

A group from the Brazilian company Equipav toured the port recently, considering making a proposal.

 

''They are looking at it as a potential port for the importation of ethanol,'' said Craig Ash, general manager of CEPEMAR Environmental Services in Boca Raton, which is helping Equipav explore options.

 

OPERATOR LEAVES

 

But Port Everglades also is losing one of its 10 terminal operators, since Universal Maritime Service -- a subsidiary of Maersk -- has opted to consolidate its shipping at the Port of Miami.

 

In 2007, the company contributed $4.3 million in port revenue, which included $674,529 for a land lease, $1,179,744 for Maersk cargo revenue and $2,458,018 in third-party cargo revenue. The company must still pay its lease and minimum guarantee, totaling $2.6 million for each of three years.

 

Port spokeswoman Ellen Kennedy said the port expects some of the third-party service to be absorbed by other lines, by a new service or by existing operators expanding their terminals.

 

''It's an opportunity to relocate existing operators and attract new business,'' Allen said, ``to accelerate our master plan.''

 

He sees a need to continue to improve and build on the port's success.

 

''The port in the past has not done an adequate job of planning its future. We didn't know what our demand would be in 20 years,'' Allen said. ``Now we have a plan.''

[patrice1]

Wow.. .sounds like Miami needs Giuliani!...

Goodness gracious, NO! We have enough problems down here as it is!

Good information, tho.

[trock]

Goodness gracious, NO! We have enough problems down here as it is!

Good information, tho.

 

Regardless of what you think of him, he took on the unions and the fishmarket unions and rid the city of that portion of corruption;)

[corinnv]

Regardless of what you think of him, he took on the unions and the fishmarket unions and rid the city of that portion of corruption;)

And no more dreadful window cleaners by the tunnel!

[Mikel1733]

Don't let this guy be a spokesman for all union workers.

 

Well thats a good statement, and thats what his superiors should be telling him and his coworkers. One bad apple casts a shadow on all the workers and give unions in general a bad image.

[Mikel1733]

MORE

 

 

 

 

Contact Us

Port of Miami

1015 N America Way

Miami, Fl 33132

305-347-4800

 

Director's Office

Bill Johnson

Seaport Director

(305) 347- 4844

 

Lisa Ross McMillion

Assistant to the Port Director

 

(305) 347-4844

 

Maritime Services

Juan Kuryla

Assistant Port Director (305) 347- 4910

Andria Muniz

Public Affairs Manager

 

(305) 347- 4962

Frederick Wong, Jr.

Cargo Operations Manager

 

(305) 329-4058

 

Jay Valido

Maintenance Manager

 

(305) 347-5537

 

Hydi Webb

Business Development Manager (305) 347- 4951

Administrative Services

Khalid A. Salahuddin

Assistant Port Director (305) 347- 5301

Mayda Morin

Chief of Human Resources & Community Affairs (305) 347- 4827

Louis Noriega

Chief of Information Technology (305) 347- 4921

Gyselle Saner

Chief of Procurement

 

(305) 347-4833

 

Finance

Miriam Abreu (305) 347-4819

Engineering

Lance Llewelyn

Acting Assistant Director Engineering Development

 

(305) 347-4970

Security

Cristina Calderon

Safety and Security (305)347-4901

Fernando Ruiz

Seaport Safety Specialist (305) 347-5387

1015 Building Front Desk (305) 347- 4800

 

If I run into #150 and he gives me the same treatment I will call everyone of these numbers. Somedays I have nothing better to do. :D