The Port of Palm Beach has entered into a lease agreement with Thalle Construction Company and SAB Solutions, aimed at increasing the port’s inbound cargo activity. The companies will lease two acres on the port’s southwest perimeter to facilitate granite aggregate imports from Canada.
Port Executive Director Michael Meekins said, “This is a tremendous opportunity for the port and the entire region. This new business will help supply critical materials for large-scale construction and environmental restoration projects across Florida.”
The imported granite will be used in an Everglades ecosystem restoration project designed to improve water storage, treatment, and movement south of Lake Okeechobee. Saverio Anastasio, owner of SAB Solutions, explained the necessity of these shipments: “There is no granite produced in the state of Florida. Yet many major construction and restoration efforts in the state require it.”
Annual imports are expected to reach 300,000 tons of granite, totaling over three million tons throughout the 10-year lease period. Traditionally, about 80 percent of cargo handled by the Port of Palm Beach has been outbound. With these new import operations—alongside more than 200,000 tons of cement brought in each year—the ratio is projected to change to roughly 60 percent exports and 40 percent imports by 2031.
Port Commission Chair Blair Ciklin commented on the significance of this development: “This contract will build a more sustainable and prosperous future for the Port of Palm Beach.”
