PortMiami’s new boss jumps ship before the real storm hits Miami-Dade

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Or, “Nobody Wants to Be Captain of the Titanic”

Well, that didn’t take long. Less than a week after Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava tapped Frederick Wong to serve as interim director of PortMiami, he announced he was retiring.

Retiring. Just like that. After four years at the port and mere days after finally getting the top job, Wong decided now was the perfect time to ride off into the sunset.

Sure.

And Joe Carollo is taking anger management classes.

Officially, Wong’s departure is being described as a personal decision. The mayor says she wanted him to stay. Wong says he’s proud of his service and grateful for the opportunity.

But around the cafecito machine, people are asking a different question: Who in their right mind would want to inherit this mess?

Because Ladra keeps hearing the same thing from different corners of the maritime and political worlds: The fuel depot fiasco is just the beginning.

Read related: Miami-Dade’s $400 million ‘oops’ — Fisher Island fuel depot fight explodes

The public got a glimpse of the dysfunction when Levine Cava forced out Port Director Hydi Webb and longtime Chief Operating Officer Jimmy Morales — literally her right hand man — after the administration somehow found itself scrambling to buy back the fuel facility that powers the port after private investors had already snapped it up. At more than twice the price.

La Alcaldesa has rejected that deal and opted to start eminent domain proceedings, where a government can take private land that is crucial to the public welfare and a court tells them how much the property is really worth.

That embarrassment alone would be enough to make any administrator nervous.

But insiders say PortMiami’s problems run much deeper than a botched fuel-yard deal.

The port’s aging cranes are becoming a growing concern. And Miami-Dade leaders do not want to go back to the same Chinese manufacturer — who dominated the global market — for parts or new cranes, even though Port Everglades made close to a $500 million purchase just a few years ago. They would rather pay tens of millions more for non-Chinese cranes.

The seawall infrastructure requires significant investment. Major capital needs have been piling up while county leaders spent years touting cargo records and cruise passenger milestones and shore-to-ship power that was a feel-good environmental fix to a non-existing issue.

These are the kinds of problems that don’t generate headlines until something breaks. And when something breaks, somebody gets blamed.

Just ask Hydi Webb.

The former director became the sacrificial offering after the fuel depot debacle exploded into public view. But many observers believe the underlying issues at the port developed over years and under multiple administrations.

Read related: Jimmy Morales, PortMiami director quit over Fisher Island fuel depot fiasco

Which brings us back to Wong, who left the county’s employ once before. Wong was the assistant port director for almost six years before he was hired to be the Chief Operating Officer at JaxPort in Jacksonville. He worked there for four years and came back to PortMiami as deputy port director in 2022, but sources say he was going back “home” to Jacksonville every weekend, leaving early on Friday.

Maybe his retirement really was about family. Maybe he had been planning it for months. Maybe he simply decided that after a long public career, he was done. Maybe JaxPort wants him back.

All possible.

But it is also possible that a veteran port executive looked around, saw storm clouds gathering, and decided he didn’t want to be standing on the bridge when lightning struck.

Because right now PortMiami looks less like the economic jewel county leaders love to brag about and more like a ticking political time bomb.

The fuel depot controversy exposed one vulnerability.

What happens when the next one surfaces? What happens if the eminent domain strategy falls apart? What happens if another expensive infrastructure issue emerges? What happens if federal regulators start asking harder questions?

Read related: Daniella Levine Cava goes eminent domain on Fisher Island fuel farm deal

Those are not hypothetical concerns. They are exactly the kinds of issues that keep public administrators awake at night.

Or send them into retirement.

The mayor now finds herself searching for yet another leader for Miami-Dade’s second largest economic engine — with a $60 billion impact and 340,000 connected jobs — while simultaneously trying to convince taxpayers, cargo operators and the cruise industry that everything is under control.

Earlier this year, before the fuel depot controversy exploded, the county announced major upgrades and expansions, including building new cruise terminals, adding a third berth to MSC Cruises’ Terminal AA, buying more ship-to-shore cranes and completing the second phase of its electric rubber tire gantry cranes program. Miami Today reported in April that the seaport had secured more than $97 million in combined state and federal grants over the last five years to assist with its capital improvements.

Maybe everything is under control.

But when the newly appointed captain abandons the ship before his first week is over, people are naturally going to wonder what he saw from the bridge.

And whether the real PortMiami story is only beginning.

This kind of independent, government watchdog reporting is crucial to transparency and democracy. And more so every day. Help shine a light on the darker corners of our community with a contribution to Political Cortadito. Click here. Ladra thanks you for your support.