Manatee County Commissioner Mike Rahn has been elected chairman of the Manatee County Port Authority.

“It is a privilege to chair SeaPort Manatee’s governing board as we continue to advance key infrastructure enhancements and hurricane recovery efforts while setting the course for even greater realization of the port’s role as a leading contributor to our region’s economy,” said Rahn, whose election was confirmed today [Dec. 19] at a meeting of the Manatee County Port Authority, following selection at the Dec. 10 meeting of the Manatee County Board of County Commissioners.

SeaPort Manatee, which handled a record volume of more than 11.8 million tons of cargo in its fiscal year ended Sept. 30, has just added two more mobile harbor cranes while, according to a recent report, raising its annual economic impact figure to nearly $7.3 billion. Meanwhile, $9.5 million in emergency funding announced Oct. 14 by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is helping the seaport swiftly recover from more than $200 million in damages caused by the Oct. 9 landfall of Hurricane Milton.

Manatee County commissioners also elected to serve one-year seaport board officer terms, effective Jan. 1, 2025, are Dr. Bob McCann, first vice chairman; Amanda Ballard, second vice chairman; and Tal Siddique, third vice chairman.

SeaPort Manatee’s seven-member governing board is completed by Carol Ann Felts, George Kruse and Jason Bearden.

The Manatee County Port 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 SeaPort Manatee. Members of the port authority board serve staggered four-year terms, with annual election of officers.

Located “Where Tampa Bay Meets the Gulf of Mexico,” SeaPort Manatee is a dynamic global trade hub, serving as the vibrant ships-to-shelves gateway for burgeoning Southwest and Central Florida markets, with convenient rail and roadway links, including to the distribution-center-filled Tampa/Orlando Interstate 4 corridor. The closest U.S. deepwater seaport to the expanded Panama Canal, SeaPort Manatee offers 10 deep-draft berths, proficiently fulfilling diverse demands of container, liquid and dry bulk, breakbulk, heavylift, project and general cargo customers. The self-sustaining port generates nearly $7.3 billion in annual economic impacts while providing for more than 42,000 direct and indirect jobs – all without benefit of local property tax support.