Johnson named Miami port director

Johnson named Miami port director    Bill Johnson, the Port of Miami’s acting director since June, was officially named director of the port Thursday.
   Johnson has been with the county for 27 years and used to have indirect oversight of port activities as assistant county manager.
   While serving as acting director, Johnson developed an action plan that addressed what he sees as the four critical areas affecting the port: competition, port access, security and capital development.
   He said he is working aggressively with both cargo and cruise shipping companies to grow business at the port, which handles about 1 million TEUs of containerized cargo a year.
   Johnson also said he is seeking ways to improve efficiencies and reduce operating costs for port security, which have increased from $4 million in 2001 to $17 million in 2005.
   “Johnson is a respected public administrator who has worked on some of the most challenging county projects during his long tenure with    Miami-Dade,” said George Burgess, Miami-Dade county manager. The projects included the county’s Performing Arts Center and the American Airlines Arena, as well as streamlining of the county’s development and permitting process, Burgess said.