MAY 2026 GULF COAST PORTS GULF COAST PORTS 19 W W W .P O R T T B . C O M FLORIDA’S DISTRIBUTUION HUB EXPANDING CAPACITY FOR • Strategically located at the crossroads of the growing Tampa/Orlando Corridor • More than 550 million square feet of distribution center space along I-4 and I-75 • E-commerce, consumer goods, perishables and building materials • The fastest growing region in the fastest growing state • Recently expanded terminal capacity and plenty of room for growth • Capable of multiple round-trip truck deliveries per day from Port to distribution centers • Weekly direct sailings from Asia and Latin America including Mexico port’s history, to deepen the shipping channel to 47 feet from 43 feet along a 42-mile stretch. And April saw Port Tampa Bay welcome ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd.’s ZIM Canada carrying 11,900 twenty-foot-equiva- lent container units of cargo, nearly 2,000 more TEUs than any vessel previously calling the port, which is promoted as Florida’s largest and most diversified seaport. Port of Port St. Joe Along Florida’s Panhan- ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd.’s ZIM Canada arrives at Port Tampa Bay with a port-record 11,900 twenty-foot-equivalent container units aboard. dle, the Port of Port St. Joe is looking to expansion of East- ern Shipbuilding Group Inc. operations – as well as estab- lishment of an on-port mar- itime training academy with 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlement monies – to reinvigorate a port that has struggled since the 1999 clos- ing of St. Joe Co.’s paper mill. Efforts are focused upon development of a floating drydock via a public-pri- vate partnership between Gulf County and Panama City-headquartered Eastern Shipbuilding, which has been utilizing the port’s bulkhead in outfitting new ships and making waterside repairs. The floating installation should facilitate an expanded scope of work, to encompass whole- ship and out-of-water repairs. A recently announced $6 mil- lion Florida Department of Commerce grant is providing a funding boost for the proj- ect, which is not anticipated to require any county tax dollars. Meanwhile, the Florida House of Representatives has unanimously passed HB 4105, to expand the Port St. Joe Port Authority board to six members – two represent- ing Gulf County; one each from adjacent Franklin, Lib- erty and Gadsden counties; and a chairman from the City of Port St. Joe. Port Panama City Near the Panhandle’s center, Port Panama City is moving forward with Phase 2 expan- sion at its East Terminal under leadership of Bob Majka, former Bay County county manager, who in March succeeded Alex King as the Northwest Florida port’s executive director. After 15 years at Port Panama City, King headed 185 miles west to Mobile to become chief operating officer of the Along the Florida Panhandle, Port Panama City’s East Terminal is undergoing expansion, including additional berth, warehouse, rail and road infrastructure. (VAST – continued on page 20) (VAST – continued from page 17)
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