Published on: September 28, 2009

Port Canaveral will receive nearly $5 million from the Department of Homeland Security with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (AARA) funding for its new police department and purchase of a fireboat. Of the $54 million in Group 2 funds from the Port Security Grant Program, Port Canaveral received the largest single award and more than notable ports such as Jacksonville ($910,320), Port Everglades ($190,000), Savannah ($499,855) and Boston ($1,896,000) in the same category. Canaveral’s grant was second only to Group 1 recipients Long Beach ($7.8 million), Los Angeles ($6 million) and the Port of Oakland ($7.6 million). The Canaveral Port Authority Board of Commissioners established the police department in late 2008 as the culmination of a four-year initiative to enhance public safety at the world’s second-busiest cruise port. It is the first seaport police department in Florida. The grant fully will fund current plans for staffing, a public safety complex, and a new fireboat. For more information, visit www.portcanaveral.org.