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Michael Meekins moves up to Port of Palm Beach executive director

Michael Meekins, the Port of Palm Beach’s current director of operations and business development, will take over as executive director on Monday.

Anne Kalosh, Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

March 16, 2023

1 Min Read
Credit: Seatrade Cruise News

His experience in his current role and earlier as the senior director of cruise and port operations at Port Canaveral make him ideally suited, according to Jean L. Enright, chair of the Port of Palm Beach District Board of Commissioners, which finalized Meekins' three-year employment agreement today.

Knowledge, creativity, proven leadership

'He brings the knowledge, creativity and proven leadership skills and abilities needed to lead Florida’s fourth busiest container port,' Enright added.

The appointment comes just one month after the board unanimously selected Meekins as the top candidate to fill the executive director position.

He succeeds Manuel Almira, who is retiring after leading the Port of Palm Beach since 2008.

Joined early in the pandemic

Meekins joined the Palm Beach facility in April 2020 and hit the ground running, despite starting at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. He played a pivotal role in projects such as the successful launch and rebranding of the cruise line now known as Margaritaville at Sea and the development of a one-of-a-kind cement storage facility operated by a construction materials company. In 2021, Meekins was tapped to manage the port’s operations department.

'What I have enjoyed most during my time at the port are the relationships I’ve built with port staff, our port commissioners, the tenants and our community partners,' Meekins said. Serving as the executive director will allow me to continue to grow those connections.'

Top goals

Meekins' top three goals are to work with the board to boost the port’s revenue, strengthen community relations and ensure port staff have the tools they need to succeed.

About the Author

Anne Kalosh

Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

Anne Kalosh covers global stories, reporting both breaking and in-depth news on cruising's significant people, places, ships and trends. A sought-after expert on cruising, she has moderated conferences around the world, including the high-profile State of the Industry panel at Seatrade Cruise Global. She created and led the acclaimed itinerary-planning case study for Seatrade's cruise master classes held at Cambridge and Oxford universities. She has been the cruise columnist for AFAR.com, and her freelance stories have appeared in a wide range of publications, from The New York Times to The Miami Herald.

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