By Paul Scott Abbott, AJOT New customers and new facilities are springing up at the ports of the Gulf Coast of Florida, which serve a diverse range of markets, from offshore energy and bulk commodities to containerized cargo and breakbulk goods. Exploring the latest at seaports along the Sunshine State’s Gulf Coast, beginning at Tampa Bay, then heading northwest along the Florida Panhandle:
Port Manatee Near the entrance to Tampa Bay, Port Manatee has recently entered into agreements guaranteeing tens of millions of dollars of revenue over decades to come. One agreement is a 30-year pact with Martin Marietta Materials Inc., with a $42 million minimum, for a 20-acre aggregate yard at the port, to include a 4,900-foot-long conveyor system. An agreement with offshore Port Dolphin bodes to bring in at least $30 million over 50 years and is to entail a 28-mile natural gas pipeline system. Vecenergy has proposed a 100-acre petroleum tank farm immediately adjacent to Port Manatee, with pipeline links to port berths. Both the Vecenergy development and the Martin Marietta Materials facility aim to benefit from incentives offered by the new Port Manatee Tax Increment Financing District. Also, Port Manatee is looking to acquire a second mobile harbor crane and, following up on a memorandum of understanding with the Panama Canal Authority, is planning a Feb. 21-24 mission to Panama. Port of Tampa Florida’s largest and most diversified seaport, the Port of Tampa has evolved from a traditional bulk port into a port that handles nearly any cargo type. The port, which has seen its bonds garner an “A” grade from Fitch Ratings Ltd., is engaged in some $100 million of enhancements. Renovations to the tune of $35 million are under way at the Richard E. Knight Pier, the Port of Tampa’s primary petroleum terminal, while new bulk berths at the port’s Port Redwing site have been completed. Also, the port’s facilities for building and repair of ships are being upgraded. The Port of Tampa Container Terminal, recently expanded to 40 acres from 25 acres, with phased plans for eventual growth to 160 acres, added Puerto Rico service of Horizon Lines Inc. in the fall. A couple months earlier, Cutrale Citrus Juices USA Inc. announced plans to develop an orange juice storage and distribution facility at the port. The port’s region has emerged as a significant distribution center gateway.
Port of St. Petersburg The Port of St. Petersburg, which is focused on expanding its presence as a megayacht hub, has just seen the opening of a research facility for SRI International’s marine technology program. The SRI installation, opened in mid-December, is concentrating on advancing marine science and technology, port security and environmental research. Port of Port St. Joe Up on the Florida Panhandle, the Port St. Joe Port Authority has acquired a total of 160 acres, including a 90-acre tract now in the permitting stage for development of a deepwater port with a 35-foot depth, as well as 70 acres on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, where construction has been completed on a bulkhead affording 12-foot-draft berthing for barges. New state funding of $1.5 million is being used to advance road and rail access. Another Port St. Joe measure aimed at recouping some of the local jobs lost with the 1997 closure of the St. Joe paper mill and box plant is development of a “green energy” industrial park, for which a 1,000-acre site 4 miles inland from the port has been selected. Officials are targeting industries ranging from wood pellets and cane ethanol to solar panels and wind energy components. Port of Panama City Forty miles northwest of Port St. Joe along the Panhandle, the established Port of Pa