Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale handles more container volume overall and has stronger infrastructure for consumer goods, petroleum, and large cargo vessels. It is also slightly closer to most Broward County warehouses.
PortMiami is deeper — recently dredged to 52 feet — which allows larger Post-Panamax vessels to enter. It has strong cruise and high-value cargo infrastructure and handles significant Latin American and Caribbean freight.
For e-commerce importers, the choice often comes down to which port your freight forwarder routes to. Both ports offer similar clearance times for most trade lanes, and the practical difference in warehouse distance is small.
A 3PL that can do port pickup from both locations gives importers flexibility. Freight that is delayed at one port can sometimes be routed to the other for faster processing depending on the specific shipment.