JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Port Authority CEO Eric Green says steady investment and new infrastructure are reshaping JAXPORT and helping drive tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic impact for Northeast Florida.
Speaking at the 2026 State of the Ports address Thursday at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront, Green outlined recent upgrades and long-term priorities before a crowd of more than 600 transportation, logistics and maritime professionals. The annual event, hosted by the Propeller Club of the United States – Port of Jacksonville, carried the theme “Jax Forward,” highlighting projects and partnerships that officials say are positioning Jacksonville for continued economic growth.
“As you may have noticed, our terminals look different today than they did even a year ago. That progress reflects a consistent, long-term strategy,” Green said.
Port leaders described 2025 as a “transformational year” for JAXPORT, with several long-planned growth projects reaching completion. Recently finished work includes a $250 million modernization of Blount Island’s container and auto-handling capabilities, anchored by the SSA Jacksonville International Container Terminal and a state-of-the-art Southeast Toyota Distributors vehicle processing facility.
“That project allows Southeast Toyota to process more vehicles through Jacksonville,” JAXPORT Chief Communications Officer Chelsea Kavanagh said. “So that supports quality local jobs and it supports economic impact.”
In fiscal year 2025, JAXPORT moved nearly 1.4 million containers, 506,000 vehicle units and more than 10 million tons of cargo, according to port figures. Cargo activity through Jacksonville’s seaport supports more than 258,800 jobs and generates about $44 billion in annual economic impact for the region and state.
“So that’s everything from the workers on the terminals to warehousing and distribution,” Kavanagh said. “There are so many elements of the supply chain that the cargo activity through Jacksonville’s port supports all of it.”
Work also continues on a project to increase the air draft over JAXPORT’s 47-foot deepwater harbor to an operational clearance of 205 feet, which port officials say will allow more and larger vessels to access Jacksonville. That initiative remains on track for completion by the end of this year, Green said.
Attendees at the event, ranging from maritime operators to commercial real estate and logistics professionals — said the port’s growth is central to Jacksonville’s economic future.
“The reason why I come here today is to meet some of the players in the maritime and the logistics networks, which is really the backbone of our city,” said Tanner Lee of Colliers.
Located in the heart of the Southeast U.S., JAXPORT is Florida’s busiest container port by volume and one of the nation’s top vehicle-handling ports. The port offers a 47-foot deepwater shipping channel, two-way ship traffic and same-day truck access to an estimated 98 million U.S. consumers.
Jacksonville also remains the No. 1 U.S. port for trade with islands such as Puerto Rico, where officials say the flow of goods depends heavily on ships moving through the St. Johns River.
“We do serve as a lifeline to the island, keeping goods moving,” Kavanagh said. “Everything that they buy on store shelves, a lot of that stuff comes through Jacksonville. So it is something that we take a lot of pride in.”
Beyond cargo, JAXPORT is leaning into cruise growth. Since adding Norwegian Cruise Line to its offerings, the port has handled a little over 200,000 passengers in the past year, and officials say they hope to increase that number.
“And so every passenger that comes, that’s more jobs and economic impact that our cruise industry supports,” Kavanagh said.
Following Green’s keynote, the program included a presentation on global shipping trends and what changing trade patterns could mean for supply chains across the Southeast.