Located in the eastern Gulf of Mexico at the entrance to Tampa Bay, Port Manatee is regarded as the closest U.S. deepwater seaport to the Panama Canal, and is the shortest route between Mexican and Central American production facilities, providing easy access to Florida’s nearly 20 million consumers. The Florida International Gateway includes nearly 5,000 acres of land adjacent to Port Manatee and features excellent customized economic development incentives and expedited permitting.

A robust consumer base of 8 million Florida residents live within a two-hour drive of Port Manatee, and the majority of Florida’s nearly 130 million annual visitors may be found within a three-hour drive.

Located in Foreign Trade Zone 169, Port Manatee offers exceptional highway and interstate connections with 60-mph access to Interstate 75 and Interstate 275. Trucks leaving Port Manatee reach I-75 and I-275 in less than four minutes via U.S. Highway 41.

The port and its partners move more than 9 million tons of bulk, bulkbreak and container and project cargo each year. Commodities include fresh produce, forestry products, petroleum products, citrus juice products, fertilizer, steel, aluminum, cement, aggregate, automobiles and more.

Port Manatee has more than 1 million square feet of public warehouse and office space, featuring 207,000 square feet of refrigerated space. The port offers nearly 1.5 miles of berthing for ships with two Gottwald HMK 6407 mobile harbor cranes for efficient movement of commodities.

Port Manatee’s Class III railroad connects to CSX rail lines with two switch engines (1,600 and 1,700 horsepower) and nine miles of standard gauge track, 19 switches, nine crossings and 300-plus rail car capacity. The railroad can operate 24 hours a day to accommodate customer needs. Carload Shipments reach major eastern U.S. cities in 3-6 days. (Source: CSX Transportation)

Key Commodities
Each year, Port Manatee moves more than 9 million tons of cargo representing a diverse range of import and export commodities.

Primary Imports

• Tropical fruits and vegetables
• Citrus juice
• Aggregates
• Refined petroleum products
• Forestry products
• Aluminum 
• Salt

Primary Exports

• Finished phosphate products
• Project cargo
• Steel
• Used vehicles
• Paper products