The most important face lift in Florida?

"Ambitious" might be an understatement when describing the folks at Port Miami. With a $2 billion master plan now underway, the Port is positioning itself as a long-term player along the eastern seaboard.

From the construction of a new tunnel, a deep dredge that will allow megaships to dock, and a critical link to a class 1 railway, the Port seems to be doing all the right things.

Following these major upgrades, it will be interesting to see whether ports in Tampa and Fort Lauderdale make moves to up the ante. Another dynamic to watch: how these changes affect Miami's blossoming urban core, which is quickly coming alive as one of the country's residential, commercial and cultural hotspots.

One of the first changes will be the elimination of port-bound delivery trucks from surface-level streets. From there, we hope to see more corporations taking office space in downtown/Brickell, followed by a spike in tourist visits and hotel occupancy.

Port Strategy has the full story here.