By Paul Scott Abbott, AJOT Diversity is the catchphrase for growth at ports on the Gulf Coast of Florida, where, as much as anywhere, port development is looked to as a critical generator of jobs and economic progress. Facilities are expanding for handling a full range of cargo operations, from containers to liquid bulk, as well as, in the case of one port, support for offshore energy enterprises. Looking on a one-by-one basis at Florida Gulf ports, starting at Tampa Bay and moving to the northwest along the Florida Panhandle: Port ManateeNear the entrance to Tampa Bay, Port Manatee is putting to use its recently opened 1,600-foot-long Berth 12 under new top leadership. In January, Carlos Buqueras, formerly director of business development at Port Everglades in Broward County, Fla., took over as executive director of the Manatee County Port Authority. He succeeds David L. McDonald, who retires after 36 years at the port – the past 19 years as executive director. The 41-foot-deep Berth 12, opened last fall, is the cornerstone of a decade-long, $200 million expansion at Port Manatee. The berth, in the newly designated South Port area, is adjacent to the site of a planned 52-acre container terminal, aimed at attracting new cargos expected in connection with the expansion of the Panama Canal. Construction of the first 15 acres of the South Port Container Terminal is slated for completion by summer 2013. Port Manatee is being marketed as the closest U.S. deepwater seaport to the Panama Canal, and it shares a strategic alliance with the Panama Canal Authority. Port of TampaThe newest service at the Port of Tampa is that of Atlantic Ro-Ro Carriers Inc., which in late January launched monthly general cargo service between Tampa and St. Petersburg, Russia. Florida’s No. 1 port as measured by total annual cargo tonnage, the Port of Tampa’s diverse growth also includes the purchase of 110 acres in south Hillsborough County. Tampa Port Authority officials announced last month the planned $9.2 million acquisition from private interests of the tract near the port’s existing Port Redwing facilities. Most recently, Tampa port officials learned this month that they are receiving $22.5 million in state funds toward the $45 million modernization and expansion of the port’s primary petroleum terminal complex. In addition, the Port of Tampa is looking to have operational by September the nation’s first ethanol-unit-train-to-pipeline distribution system and Florida’s first on-dock intermodal container terminal capable of handling unit trains, via an $11 million partnership with Kinder Morgan Energy Partners L.P. and CSX Corp. Further container terminal expansion also is planned, while a new highway link is slated for 2013 completion. Port CitrusDevelopment of new port facilities is being considered in Citrus County, at a site on the 15-foot-deep Cross Florida Barge Canal, about 90 miles north of Tampa and 40 miles west-southwest of Ocala. The Citrus County Port Authority, which had essentially been dormant since creation in 1984, was resurrected in mid-2011 by the Citrus County Board of County Commissioners, and a selection is to be made this spring from among firms that have submitted qualifications to conduct a feasibility study for Port Citrus. An allocation of $100,000 has been made for the study, with half to come from the Florida Seaport Transportation and Economic Development Council and half from county funds. According to a recent town hall meeting presentation, Port Citrus could be linked to an inland port facility in neighboring Marion County, of which Ocala is the county seat. Officials emphasized the potential for job creation and other economic benefits associated with port development. Port of Port St. JoeOn the Florida Panhandle, the Port of Port St. Joe Authority looks to soon bear fruits of a decade-long effort to develop significant port facilities and generate jobs in an area that has been reeling since the 1997 closure of