Gov. DeSantis says $2M SeaPort Manatee grant will help create 300 jobs

SeaPort Manatee. (Manatee County Port Authority)

Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced a $2 million grant for SeaPort Manatee to rebuild a dock and make other infrastructure improvements.

The project will lead to 300 jobs, DeSantis said during a press conference in Palmetto.

“We want to continue to make strong investments in ports like this one,” DeSantis said. “Florida, being a big Peninsula, you would imagine that seaports would be very, very important. … Florida seaports continue to grow, and that is evident here at SeaPort Manatee.”

It’s the Governor’s latest effort to highlight projects funded by Florida Job Growth Grant Fund. Earlier this week, DeSantis noted a $2 million state grant going toward expanding rail service to a Polk County industrial park.

At SeaPort Manatee, the Manatee County Port Authority investment will rebuild and repave South Dock Street, improve stormwater mitigation and make other infrastructure projects that help aerospace and automotive product manufacturer Honeywell, the Governor said.

Over the next five years, Honeywell plans to expand with a cold storage warehouse, a fuel terminal and a manufacturing facility, DeSantis said.

Already, Florida’s ports create about 1.2 million jobs and carry about $195 billion in economic value to the state — about 13% of Florida’s total GDP, DeSantis said Friday.

Manatee’s port at the mouth of Tampa Bay and the closest deepwater seaport to the Panama Canal plays a big role in Florida’s maritime industry, DeSantis said.

The port handles 400 million gallons of fuel, food, construction materials and more that gets sent across Southwest Florida and the rest of the country.

The $2 million grant comes as the area is recovering from back-to-back Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue praised DeSantis and the additional funding as he stood next to the Governor at Friday’s press conference.

“If you look at Florida’s 16 deepwater seaports alone under the Governor’s tenure, we’ve invested over $1 billion dollars in seaport infrastructure,” Perdue said. “That’s truly incredible, and it’s really one of those things that has helped our economy continue to grow and thrive.”