Focus on Manatee | Port Manatee embraces ‘be prepared’ posture for hurricane season

The longtime Scout motto of “be prepared” is at the forefront of Port Manatee operations year-round, but it is never more embraced at Manatee County’s seaport than during Florida’s hurricane season.

With Florida having once again entered its July-through-November hurricane season, which traditionally peaks in August and September, Port Manatee stands ready to keep critical operations flowing, particularly for fuel that is counted upon to serve an 11-county region.

David St. Pierre, Port Manatee’s director of public safety and security, and David “Moe” Moravchik, the port’s deputy director of public safety and security, spearhead development, regular updating and, when necessary, implementation of the seaport’s hurricane plan. Not only is each certified as a port executive and facility security officer, but each has more than two decades of military experience, St. Pierre with the U.S. Coast Guard and Moravchik with the U.S. Army.

These two port officials coordinate with their specially trained Port Manatee safety and security team colleagues, the seaport’s terminal operators and tenants, and such entities as the U.S. Coast Guard, National Weather Service and Manatee County Emergency Operations Center to ensure fuel and other crucial cargos keep moving through the port so long as it is safe. A dedicated Port Heavy Weather Advisory Group facilitates this ongoing communication.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has urged Floridians to be prepared for an above-normal Atlantic/Gulf hurricane season. However, as Florida was largely unscathed during a 2020 hurricane season that was record-breaking on a national basis, surveys indicate Floridians are less concerned than usual about storms this year. Lack of preparedness is never wise, so Port Manatee’s leadership joins in the call for vigilance.

At Port Manatee, the “living document” that constitutes the seaport’s hurricane plan is constantly revised to reflect changes in operations, such as the dynamic increase in Port Manatee’s containerized cargo activity — up 74 percent in the first half of fiscal 2021 – and the recent addition of barges to the fleet that brings fuel to the port.

Port Manatee maintains ample emergency supplies of food and water and even has cots on hand to support essential workers, and a satellite phone system helps make sure communications are uninterrupted. Emergency power generation capabilities, installed with the aid of a federal port security grant, are in place to keep electricity supplied at key port facilities.

With so much of Southwest and Central Florida relying upon Port Manatee for meeting the region’s demand for gasoline and other fuels, it is particularly imperative that Manatee County’s seaport continue to safely and securely operate without disruption. Indeed, more than 400 million gallons of fuel move through Port Manatee on an annual basis.

All year long, Port Manatee is a cornerstone of our region’s socioeconomic well-being, with the self-sustaining port generating more than $3.9 billion in annual economic impacts while providing for more than 27,000 direct and indirect jobs, all without benefit of local property tax support.

And, as Port Manatee again proved through keeping vital commerce safely flowing amidst challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Manatee County’s seaport is well-prepared to meet the needs of our region in the most difficult of times.

While our hopes are that our region will be spared significant storm impacts, Port Manatee is ready for the worst, and we pray you are, too.

Carlos Buqueras is executive director of Port Manatee.