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"Port Canaveral is proving to be recession proof.The port is adding jobs by the thousands and announced plans for some big-time growth on Wednesday, as part of an economic impact report.With the addition of a new $26 million observation tower, the Port is becoming a destination in itself, rather than just a place to take a cruise.  Opening later this year, the new tower will be the central feature of an area with restaurants, walkways and an amphitheater. A new report says the harbor is an amazing job creator, and that's money in the pockets of vendors like Larry Nichols.\"Oh it would be great because it's an interactive center over there and it's going to attract a lot of tourists,\" said Nichols.As Port officials were revealing a new master plan, they also got the word on the port's economic impact.  A report said the port creates about 17,000 local jobs, directly and indirectly.  That's up from about 13,000 in 2009, a 30 percent increase.\"I think it just goes to show No. 1 that we are becoming to come out of this recession,\" said port commissioner Bruce Deardoff.  \"It also shows that the port has done an outstanding job coming out of the recession.\"Looked at another way, the 4,000 new jobs that are claimed in the report offset about half the number of jobs lost at the Kennedy Space Center during that same time.Meanwhile, heavy equipment is at work to widen the port, to make room for even bigger cruise ships.  The port director John Walsh said new cruise terminals are needed.\"CT-5, CT-3 and CT-4 are basically functionally obsolete,\" said Walsh.More cargo ships, and the cranes to unload them, are also coming.\"It's going to create thousands of jobs and it's going to have a huge economic benefit for the county,\" said Deardoff.The Port Authority has more workshops planned to make the port even more attractive.  They're also talking about bringing a railroad to the area."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.wesh.com/article/huge-growth-planned-for-port-canaveral-1/4423728>