MIAMI – Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday visited PortMiami to tour the tunnel that connects Dodge Island to Watson Island and to talk a tax break for the state's manufacturing sector.
"This elimination of the sales tax is going to help create more jobs because we will have more manufacturing and our manufacturer's export," said Scott.
"My fellow employees work hard and to bring more jobs here is so awesome," said Leasandra Godfrey, a custodial worker at PortMiami.
The port creates about $28 billion annually for the South Florida economy, according to PortMiami Director Bill Johnson.
"The more savings you have in taxes, the more money you have to promote interchange and hire more people," said Miami-Dade County Commission Chairwoman Rebeca Sosa.
Tunnel nears completion
The tunnel has already dug through thousands of feet of rock which will turn into an underground road.
The tunnel is a $1 billion project that once complete will connect the MacArthur Causeway to Dodge Island and make a direct link from seaport to highway. It will allow cargo trucks easy access to ships and avoid driving through downtown Miami.
The entire project is expected to open for traffic in summer 2014.
Drilling of the PortMiami tunnel was completed Monday as a machine bore through to Watson Island as part of a billion dollar project to connect it to Dodge Island.