The Port of Palm Beach, located in Riviera Beach, Florida, serves as a key economic driver and job provider for the South Florida region. Employing more than 3,800 people statewide, the port operates as a full-service landlord facility with numerous tenants.
Among Florida’s 16 seaports, the Port of Palm Beach is ranked as the fourth busiest container port. It functions as a significant distribution center for commodities that are shipped globally, with a particular focus on exports to the Caribbean Basin. The port handles various types of cargo including containerized goods, dry bulk, liquid bulk, break-bulk items, roll-on/roll-off (Ro/Ro), and heavy-lift or project cargoes. Food products represent its primary export commodity.
Nearly 80 percent of all goods moving through the facility are exported. This places the Port of Palm Beach among only 16 ports nationwide designated as “Export Ports.” Each year, it processes over $14 billion in commodities—more than 2.8 million tons of cargo.
The port features three slips, 17 berths and seven Ro/Ro ramps. It can accommodate vessels up to 700 feet long and 100 feet wide. Its location offers direct access to major transportation routes such as I-95 and Florida’s Turnpike. Additionally, the Florida East Coast Railway (FECR) provides twice-daily rail service to the port’s interchange point.
On-dock rail operations are managed by the port itself using its own locomotive and more than six miles of track. These facilities support boxcars, hopper cars and double-stack rail cars around-the-clock. Rail infrastructure can handle up to 20-axle cars with capacities reaching 450 tons.
Vessels at the docks have a short transit time—just fifteen minutes—from open sea to berth.
In addition to its cargo activities, the Port of Palm Beach is homeport for Margaritaville at Sea Paradise cruises offering trips ranging from two to four nights to destinations such as Grand Bahama Island and Nassau.
Governance is provided by five elected commissioners overseeing an independent special taxing district—a subdivision of Florida state government. While authorized by statute to levy ad valorem taxes for funding purposes, no such taxes have been imposed in over four decades.
