State readying for new port ID cards

State readying for new port ID cards State of Florida officials are preparing to implement use of the new Florida Uniform Port Access Control (FUPAC) identification cards, which will be phased in at Florida ports during the first three to four months of 2007.
   The cards are a state version of the Transportation Workers Identification Cards (TWIC) that the U.S. Transportation Security Administration has been attempting to implement for the last two years.
   Florida officials hoped to get the jump on the federal program, basically opting to implement a state system during the 2006 legislative session as it became apparent the federal program would not be ready. In developing the FUPAC system, however, Florida officials have worked closely with federal officials to be certain that the state system will be completely compliant the federal standards and guidelines.
   Part of the reason for the delay in the federal program has been technical problems with biometric readers. Florida will simply forego the use of the biometric readers until the technology is ready.
   Meanwhile, the FUPAC will allow truckers and other port-related workers to use a single ID card to access all ports. Under the existing system, for example, a trucker would need to have one ID for the Port of Miami and another for Port Everglades and all the rest of the Florida ports.