SeaPort Manatee to receive $9.5 million from state to jumpstart hurricane recovery

SeaPort Manatee is to receive $9.5 million to jumpstart recovery from Hurricane Milton, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Monday, Oct. 14 at the port.

Announcement of the emergency funding comes as fuel, food and other key goods are again beginning to flow from SeaPort Manatee to consumers throughout Southwest and Central Florida and beyond, following late Oct. 9 landfall of Hurricane Milton.

“To minimize impacts to Floridians and ensure SeaPort Manatee gets back to full and efficient operations as quickly as possible,” DeSantis said, “the State of Florida will provide $9.5 million to jumpstart the recovery and help repair the impacted infrastructure.

“We want to make sure our supply chain is strong and that we get the port back to where it needs to be as soon as possible,” the governor said.

Initial damage assessments indicate some $200 million in potential losses at SeaPort Manatee, DeSantis said, including damage to warehouses, berths, container yard, offices and security installations. Not all those losses are expected to be covered by insurance, the governor noted.

The $9.5 million in emergency state funding, according to DeSantis, is to include $5.5 million for emergency berth repairs and dredging in state waters; $3.5 million for immediate security needs and access control; and $500,000 to support planning activities for fortifying port infrastructure. DeSantis also pledged staff support from multiple state agencies, as well as Florida National Guard assistance with perimeter security.

SeaPort Manatee’s executive director, Carlos Buqueras, said that – thanks to extensive collaborative efforts between county, state and federal authorities and industry partners – Manatee County’s seaport is operating in an “almost normal” manner, adding, “This additional funding from the state will really make all the difference” in returning to full operational status.

Kevin Van Ostenbridge, chairman of the Manatee County Port Authority thanked DeSantis and numerous officials for “helping us with all the essentials we need to get the port back to moving at full capacity.”

Located “Where Tampa Bay Meets the Gulf of Mexico,” SeaPort Manatee is a dynamic global trade hub, serving as the vibrant ships-to-shelves gateway for burgeoning Southwest and Central Florida markets, with convenient rail and roadway links, including to the distribution-center-filled Tampa/Orlando Interstate 4 corridor. The closest U.S. deepwater seaport to the expanded Panama Canal, SeaPort Manatee offers 10 deep-draft berths, proficiently fulfilling diverse demands of container, liquid and dry bulk, breakbulk, heavylift, project and general cargo customers. The self-sustaining port generates nearly $7.3 billion in annual economic impacts while providing for more than 42,000 direct and indirect jobs – all without benefit of local property tax support.