News & Updates

Vanessa Baugh has been re-elected chairwoman of the Manatee County Port Authority.

PALMETTO, Florida – Manatee County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh has been elected to a third consecutive one-year term as chairwoman of the Manatee County Port Authority, the governing board of Port Manatee, which has welcomed as its two newest members Reggie Bellamy and Misty Servia.

Baugh, who has served on the port board since 2012, had her re-election to the chair position affirmed at the Dec. 20 meeting of the Manatee County Port Authority following her selection at the Dec. 18 meeting of the Manatee County Board of County Commissioners.

Also affirmed at the Dec. 20 meeting to serve one-year officer terms were Priscilla Whisenant Trace, first vice chairwoman; Bellamy, second vice chairman; and Betsy Benac, third vice chairwoman.

Port Manatee’s governing board is completed by Stephen R. Jonsson, Servia and Carol Whitmore.

Bellamy and Servia have become members of the port board following November election to the Manatee County Commission.

The authority board consists of the seven members of the elected Manatee County Commission, but with distinctively separate officers and financial accountability. The authority sets policy and oversees major expenditures for Port Manatee.

Members of the port authority board serve four-year staggered terms, with an annual election of officers.

The authority meets on the third Thursday of each month at 9 a.m. at the Port Manatee Intermodal Center, 1905 Intermodal Circle, Palmetto. The meetings are open to the public.

Located “Where Tampa Bay Meets the Gulf of Mexico,” Port Manatee is the closest U.S. deepwater seaport to the expanded Panama Canal, with 10 40-foot-draft berths serving container, bulk, breakbulk, heavylift, project and general cargo customers. The port generates more than $2.3 billion in annual economic impact for the local community, while supporting more than 24,000 direct and indirect jobs, without levying ad-valorem taxes.

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