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JaxPort participating in multinational joint exercise to build readiness

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Members of the U.S. Armed Forces and National Guard are loading military equipment onto the U.S. Naval Ship Bob Hope at JaxPort’s Blount Island Marine Terminal for a large-scale, multinational military operation called Defender-Europe 21. JaxPort is one of 17 strategic military ports in the country and the only port in Florida. Naval Ship Bob Hope will go to Virginia, before heading across the Atlantic. More than 30,000 forces from 27 nations will conduct synchronized operations across dozens of countries throughout the next few months.

JaxPort employees donate nearly $19K to local charities

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two local charities are getting a nice boost thanks to more than $18,600 in donations from JaxPort employees, the port authority announced Monday. Employees pooled what they could spare to raise the money in support United Way of Northeast Florida and Creating Healthier Communities, which provide social and health services to Jacksonville-area families. SIGN UP: Take the pledge to be Positively JaxJaxPort Chairman Jamie Shelton called the donations, part of the 2020 JaxPort Charity Drive, a show of remarkable generosity. Since 2002, JaxPort employees have donated over $700,000 to the two local nonprofit organizations, which say the needs of the people they serve have only grown amid the coronavirus pandemic. Share your good deedsIf you’re doing something to make a difference in our community, we want to hear about it.

Woman dies after being struck by cargo truck at Jaxport

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A woman was struck by a truck Thursday afternoon at Jaxport and later died at a hospital, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. Blinn, with the Sheriff’s Office, said the truck was traveling on one of the piers near a cargo ship. The truck is used to transport containers throughout the port. The victim, who Blinn described as a Jaxport tenant, was the only person injured. “I want to stress that at this time we do believe that the incident was purely accidental,” Blinn said.

Jacksonville City Council votes down proposed tax hike, approves JaxPort funding

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. The Jacksonville City council voted down a proposed tax hike and approved more than $70 million for JaxPort funding Tuesday night. Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry reacted to the eventful City Council meeting on social media. Lenny Curry (@lennycurry) July 29, 2020The mayors proposed budget still has to be debated and given final approval by the City Council. I appreciate the City Council unanimously supporting my funding of @jaxport tonight. Lenny Curry (@lennycurry) July 29, 2020The dredging project began in 2018 and will take several more years to complete.

Federal judge rules dredging of St. Johns River can continue

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A federal judge has ruled the dredging of the St. Johns River by the Army Corps of Engineers can continue and rejected claims made in a lawsuit filed by the St. Johns Riverkeeper. The Riverkeeper asked the judge to order the Army Corps to do a supplemental environmental impact study. The judge said high water levels even more severe than Irma were included in the Army Corps’ modeling. "Decades of dredging the St. Johns has already resulted in higher water levels and storm surge in our river, accelerating and intensifying the impacts of sea level rise and climate change. The burden of proof weighs heavy and law provides wide latitude to the Army Corps in these type of legal matters.

JaxPort asks Jacksonville for $70 million for dredging river

Earlier this month, President Donald Trump’s 2021 budget included an additional $93 million funding for the project the Army Corps of Engineers estimates will cost $774 million. JaxPort is now asking the city to contribute $70 million over the next two budget years to the project, plus loan JaxPort an additional $46 million. The state of Florida has, so far, contributed nearly $71.5 million toward the harbor deepening project. Work began in February 2018 for the first two phases of the project covering approximately 8 river miles of the St. Johns River. The St. Johns Riverkeeper has sued in an attempt to block the deepening over concerns that it will lead to increased flooding and river salinity.

FDOT gives additional $35.3 million toward deepening St. Johns River channel

Work began in 2017 to deepening the St. Johns River shipping channel to 47 feet to accommodate larger and fully-loaded cargo ships to access JaxPort. JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Florida Department of Transportation has awarded JaxPort an additional $35.3 million in funding for the ongoing project deepening the Jacksonville harbor to allow larger ships with more cargo to use Jacksonville's port. The funding will be used in the second phase of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' contract B, which will deepen an additional 2.5 miles of the St. Johns River. The state of Florida has, so far, contributed nearly $71.5 million toward the harbor deepening project, which was projected to cost $704.5 million. The total Jacksonville Harbor Deepening project is divided into four segments, contracts A-D, which make up the full length of the 13-mile federally authorized project.

Coast Guard closes ports Jacksonville, Fernandina as Hurricane Dorian approaches

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - In anticipation of gale-force winds spawned by Hurricane Dorian, the U.S. Coast Guard has ordered the ports of Jacksonville and Fernandina closed to all traffic. Mariners are reminded there are no safe havens in these facilities, and ports are safest when the inventory of vessels is at a minimum. While port condition Zulu is in place, no vessels may enter or transit within these ports without permission of the Coast Guard Captain of the Port. Carnival Cruise Line was still evacuating plans for the Carnival Ecstasy, which was scheduled to sail from Jacksonville on Thursday. Ships planning to stay in port must not only notify the Coast Guard captain of the port but also provide a written mooring plan.

JaxPort handles higher car volumes

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The first half of 2019 is in the books and JaxPort has seen an increase in the volume of cars coming through. A report in Automotive logistics states JaxPort moves 356,550 cars around. Recently, JaxPort reached a long-term agreement with Amports, a vehicle-processing company, to lease 170 acres at the port. A JaxPort spokesperson told Automotive Logistics that the continued strong U.S. economy and the growing consumer base in the state of Florida and Southeast are contributing factors for making more space a priority. But recently, Hegh Autoliners initiated a new trade lane linking Jaxport to Australia and New Zealand.