SeaPort Manatee cargo volume up 7.2%, sets new fiscal record

SeaPort Manatee moved a record amount of cargo in fiscal year 2024, port officials say, and its economic impact is up more than 40% year over year.

Key commodities SeaPort Manatee moves include fresh produce, fruit juices, construction and road-building materials and phosphate rock as well as gasoline and other fuels.

More goods were moved in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30 than ever before, according to a statement from port officials, with total tonnage and containerized cargo units reaching its highest marks in the port’s 54-year history.

• A record 11,810,062 tons of cargo moved through SeaPort Manatee in FY 2024, port officials say — up 7.2% from FY 2023.
• Containerized cargo also broke a record, with 168,897 20-foot-equivalent units put through the port, a 1% annual increase,

Through its activity, SeaPort Manatee creates an annual economic impact of $7.27 billion port officials say, citing a report prepared by economic and transportation consulting firm Martin Associates. The impact from FY 2024 was up 41.91% from 2023, when SeaPort Manatee generated a $5.13 billion economic impact.

Photo by Elizabeth King

The self-sustaining port, which does not receive any local property tax support, was also responsible for creating 42,094 Florida jobs, port officials say, citing the report. That is up 13.77% from 2023, based on port data showing it generated 37,000 direct and indirect jobs last year.

After the fiscal year ended, activity slowed at the port due to Hurricane Milton, but officials say it is starting to pick up again. The hurricane caused more than $200 million in damage to the facility when it hit Oct. 9, impacting warehouses, berths, the container yard, offices and security installations. Due to the storm, SeaPort Manatee suspended fuel distribution activities until Oct. 13. The next day, Gov. Ron DeSantis provided $9.5 million in recovery funding to jumpstart relief efforts.

“As we continue to work with private-sector partners and government authorities at all levels to get back to full-throttle business as soon as feasible, we recognize the imperative to do all we can to maintain the flow of a host of vital goods,” SeaPort Manatee Executive Director Carlos Buqueras says in a statement.“The record levels of critical goods moving through SeaPort Manatee and the port’s overall major role in the regional economy underscore the importance of restoring severely damaged infrastructure and returning to fully normal operations as soon as possible.”