MIAMI-In reuniting its port system with the downtown, the city of Miami is taking several steps to revitalize its commercial real estate assets on a regional and international level. With a slew of investment pouring in from federal, state and private sources toward local infrastructure, industrial sites and office space, speakers at SIOR’s 2012 Spring World Conference said the city is working to transform its underutilized south core and integrate the port into a world-class destination tied to the maritime industry.

In greeting the crowd at the Loews South Beach Hotel, SIOR President Geoff Kreusser said while regulatory uncertainty is "rampant" in Washington and on Wall Street, Miami-Dade County is showing strong inland growth in manufacturing and industrial—and it is continuing on the upswing.

The Port of Miami, a governmental agency that oversees industrial and economic development for county, has introduced its 20-year master plan for the expansion of the city’s 520 acre port, which will involve the deepening of channels to allow post-Panamax ships to pass through, as well as plans to create a new intermodal transportation center and a mega cruise terminal by the year 2035.