MIAMI—How will the port tunnel help Miami compete? How should owners and operators of industrial properties be gearing up? And where does Miami stand against competitors in Florida and along other coasts in attracting the larger cargo ships?

GlobeSt.com caught up with, Edward W. Easton, chairman of The Easton Group in Miami, to answer those and other questions. His firm owns or leases more than 4.5 million square feet in South Florida, Alabama, and Ohio. The company also has experience in North Carolina, New Jersey and Texas. Click here to read part one of this exclusive interview, Will Rising Rents Send Indutrial Users North of Miami?, if you missed it.

GlobeSt.com: How will the port tunnel now help Miami compete? And where will that truck traffic go—to industrial parks in South Florida or onto highways and out of state?

Easton: The tunnel will reduce truck time to get on the expressway, which will lower the cost of trucking for those serving the port. Anytime you lower expenses, your port becomes more competitive. Also, the increased cargo traffic that Port Miami captures will make industrial parks busier.

GlobeSt.com: Shippers say the impact of a deeper Panama Canal and increased port capacity will be felt not at once, but gradually over the next several years. How should owners and operators of industrial properties be gearing up?

Easton: Each business should plan based that on growth and seeking forward commitments. That means thinking about how they use their space now and how much they will need for the foreseeable future. If they can't expand, they may have to move or start talking to developers about building new space.

GlobeSt.com: Will we see more foreign trade zones pop up, like the one for Corropack in Sunrise that was recently approved?

Easton: Yes, once the existing ones fill up. But right now the ones in South Florida do not have high occupancy levels. Therefore, you will not see more of them for some time.

GlobeSt.com: Where does Miami stand against competitors in Florida and along other coasts in attracting the larger cargo ships?

Easton: San Diego has the best port—62 feet deep—and will benefit the most. On the East Coast, no other market operates as well as Miami. We have invested $15 billion on facilities at the port and Miami International Airport for international trade. That's too much money for most cities to commit at one time. We have an international community in place. The other cities that want part of the business—Jacksonville, Houston, Savannah—are dreaming. They're all good, but Miami is much better positioned.