Port Everglades director Steve Cernak died Saturday after a lengthy battle with cancer, port officials said Monday. He was 63.
Cernak had been coming into work until about two week ago when he started a new treatment, port spokeswoman Ellen Kennedy said.
County Administrator Bertha Henry was at the port Monday morning relaying the news of Cernak’s death, Kennedy said.
Cernak took over as port director in 2012, having previously served as director for the Port of Galveston in Texas.
“He was a driving force behind expansion of Port Everglades,” said Dan Lindblade, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce, in a letter to his staff.
“During his seven-year tenure he remained steadfast in his focus to the mission of the key projects to prepare the port for its future never looking for credit,” Lindblade said.
Port Everglades generated nearly $168 million in Fiscal Year 2018. It is one of nation’s leading container ports and a world leader in the cruise industry, according to Cernak’s biography.
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