Florida eliminates port background checks

Florida eliminates port background checks    Florida Gov. Rick Scott last week signed a bill he said would eliminate requirements for state port businesses to undergo redundant background checks.
   Federal law requires any person seeking unescorted access to any seaport facility in the country to obtain a federal Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC card), which includes a background screening and a threat assessment. Florida was one of only a few states requiring both a federal and a state background check.
   Scott’s office said the Florida Ports Council has estimated maritime businesses will realize direct savings of about $3 million annually by not having to undergo an additional and duplicative criminal history check at Florida seaports. To provide for the safety of Florida seaports, truck drivers, seaport workers and companies must prove a business purpose for port access and present federal credentials to prove they have been screened.
   Scott, while signing the bill during a visit to the Port of Tampa, said it would enable Florida's 14 deepwater ports to better compete with other ports in the U.S. Southeast.
   His office said House Bill 283, sponsored by Rep. Dana Young and Sen. Jack Latvala, removes redundant state requirements established in 2000, prior to the federal requirements adopted in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.