Port Canaveral commissioners pulled the plug Wednesday on a proposed LNG liquefaction plant, voting unanimously not to sell a roughly 50‑acre barge‑canal parcel on Merritt Island that energy companies had been eyeing. The move came after days of public meetings and a packed hearing where residents argued the facility would sit uncomfortably close to homes, schools, and parks.
As reported by the Orlando Sentinel, the port had been weighing an unsolicited bid from Berkshire Hathaway and Chesapeake Utilities to buy the site and build the plant. Port officials were told that approving the deal would take the land out of port control for at least 50 years and that walking away could mean leaving more than $11 million on the table, according to comments made during the meeting.
How the vote came together
Port records show the authority held a workshop on March 24 to dig into the details of the barge‑canal parcel before taking a formal vote the next morning. According to the Canaveral Port Authority, the workshop covered how the land is valued, what it could be used for, and presentations from the companies pitching the LNG project.
Neighbors turned out
More than 100 residents showed up for a company-hosted "listen and learn" session, and dozens more took the microphone at the public hearing, raising alarms about safety and environmental risks of an industrial facility so close to neighborhoods. "It’s only 350 feet from this property line to the nearest houses," resident Philip Stasik told Spectrum News 13, while others warned that nearby schools and parks could also be in harm’s way.
Commissioners back residents
Commissioner Micah Loyd made the motion to label the parcel a strategic port property that should stay off the market, and the board backed him with a unanimous vote. Vice chairman Fritz Vanvolkenburgh said he was not comfortable selling such a large, well-situated piece of land and cautioned that the port could be giving up significant income by turning down the offer, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
What proponents said
Backers of the project, including Chesapeake Utilities and units of Berkshire Hathaway Energy, told port officials the facility would supply LNG to both cruise ships and the fast-growing space industry and could cut down on long-haul trucking of fuel. Company materials identify the target area along Sea Ray Drive and emphasize that the plant would be subject to tight regulation and engineered with multiple layers of safety systems, according to the project website.
What happens next
For now, the port keeps control of the land, and the developers have to decide whether to keep chasing a purchase or hunt for another site. Company officials had previously floated a possible in-service date of 2029, Spectrum News 13 reported. The decision leaves Port Canaveral free to reserve the parcel for future port needs even as it ramps up cruise operations and related infrastructure, a strategy that could make any later sale more complicated, according to the Canaveral Port Authority.
The vote is a clear victory for neighbors who did not want a heavy-industrial complex next to their backyards, and it is also a reminder that vocal local opposition can still reshape major infrastructure plans. Port leaders say they will keep balancing long-term strategy with community input as they decide what ultimately happens with the property.
