Federal authorisation has been granted for the US Army Corps of Engineers to improve access to Port Everglades. The navigation channels are to be widened and deepened as part of improvements to the infrastructure of the port. Approval for the work was signed by President Obama on 16th December 2016.

Two projects are involved in this development: the Port Everglades Navigation Improvements and the Central Everglades Planning Project. Work is already in hand planning both projects and establishing the logistics. It is anticipated that 2,200 jobs will be created for the construction, and 1,500 permanent jobs once the work is completed. Already handling over 3.5 million cruise ship passengers last year and nearly $30 billion in trade, the development of the port will enable it to increase operations and modernise systems ready for growth in the future. It will be able to accommodate the larger cruise ships due in the next few years and also the larger post-Panamax containerships using the recently-widened Panama Canal.