Channel Resident Association

Channel District Resident: Tampa Port Authority Communication

Message from the Port Director - Welcome to the Port of Tampa

Welcome to the Port of Tampa, the largest port in the state of Florida and one of the nation's largest and most diversified ports.

The Port of Tampa has long been one of the world’s premier ports for the shipment of fertilizer products. Florida fertilizer is shipped through Tampa to points around the globe to help feed the world. Tampa is the energy conduit for central Florida, handling the gasoline and jet fuel needs of the region with increasing volumes of ethanol moving through the port. Shipments of fertilizer and petroleum products account for almost 75 percent of the total annual tonnage of cargo that passes through the port.

Building on its solid foundation, the Port of Tampa has signific

Building on its solid foundation, the Port of Tampa has significantly diversified its commercial portfolio. Tampa now handles much of the building materials needed to support construction in central Florida, including cement, aggregate, lumber and steel. Although the building materials’ sector has been impacted by the recent downturn in residential construction, long-term prospects for this sector are very positive as Tampa is located at the western terminus of the Interstate 4 corridor, the fastest growing area of Florida, with more than eight million residents within 100 miles of the port.

Most notably, the fastest growing component of the port's busine

Most notably, the fastest growing component of the port's business is its container trade, driven primarily by the success of Zim Integrated Shipping Services’ weekly Asia-Gulf Express service, linking Tampa directly with Asia and providing connections across the globe. The Port of Tampa has an aggressive capital improvement program underway, with an emphasis on continued expansion of the port’s container terminal. The Port of Tampa is positioning for increased business opportunities that will come with the expansion of the Panama Canal, due for completion by the year 2015. Moreover, the port's energy business and its traditional dry bulk commodities are also experiencing growth, with new dry and liquid bulk terminals being built to handle the expected expansion.

Following its new strategic and master plans unveiled in 2008, the Tampa Port Authority (TPA) is investing heavily in new facilities and aggressively pursuing the many business opportunities identified in those plans. Working together with our public and private sector partners, the TPA will ensure that the Port of Tampa maximizes its role as our region’s largest economic engine.