PALMETTO, Fla. - Port Manatee’s 2015 official directory and recently redesigned website are winners. Both the directory and website are to be honored with communications awards of merit from the American Association of Port Authorities, AAPA officials announced today. The awards are to be presented Nov. 4, during AAPA’s 104th annual convention and expo in Miami. Port Manatee’s official directory furnishes not only a comprehensive business directory but also features extensive facts and specifications, as well as information on recent and future port developments and initiatives, giving readers an overview of the port’s assets, infrastructure and intermodal capabilities. The directory is available on Port Manatee’s recently relaunched website – at www.portmanateee.com – and a print copy may be ordered by contacting the port’s communications department. The redesigned website offers new features and enhanced navigability in a fresh, easy-to-navigate format.  “We are very grateful to receive these prestigious awards,” Carlos Buqueras, Port Manatee’s executive director, said noting that selections in AAPA’s 48th annual competition were made by a panel of 46 leading Washington area public relations professionals. “These honors underscore that Port Manatee is using the right marketing tools to reinforce its role as a leading economic engine in Manatee County.” Port Manatee is a multipurpose deepwater seaport with 10 40-foot-draft berths at the entrance to Tampa Bay, serving bulk, breakbulk, container, heavylift, project and general cargo customers. The port generates more than $2.3 billion in annual economic impact for the local community, while supporting more than 24,000 jobs regionally, without levying ad-valorem taxes.