Security: Port Manatee
Port Manatee Awarded Nearly $1 Million Federal Security Grant
A newly awarded $946,950 federal seaport security grant will enable Port Manatee to double the number of outbound lanes at the main gate to securely accommodate increasing cargo volume.
The grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will be matched by the port with a 25 percent cost share, or $236,737.50.
"In addition to facilitating the outbound lane expansion, the funding allows Port Manatee to enhance its contingent of screening equipment, modernize its main gate intercom system and update credential readers," explains David St. Pierre, Port Manatee’s director of seaport security (and a member of the AAPA Security Committee). "These enhancements are all crucial to Port Manatee’s appropriate clearance of shipments, including those moving on an expedited basis under the federal Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism homeland security program."
Port Manatee’s container volume jumped 47 percent from last year during the first 10 months of FY 2016-17. Gasoline and related fuels trucked from the port are on the rise as well.
"With Port Manatee’s dynamic growth in containerized cargo activity, having more lanes in place is essential to continuing to meet stringent federal requirements for screening of outbound containers," said Port Executive Director Carlos Buqueras. "We are extremely grateful for this grant funding – the largest grant for any Tampa Bay port – as it allows us to add two more outbound truck lanes at our main gate, augmenting the two such lanes already in place."