Putnam County advances Port Putnam development plan; Port Authority approves southern annex lease, 3-2

Putnam County officials received the completed Port Putnam development study and moved forward with an interim lease for the southern section of the Port Annex during a combined Board of County Commissioners and Port Authority meeting on Feb. 11, 2025.

The Port Manager, Sam Sullivan, presented the study and introduced Burns & McDonnell consultants who summarized engineering, market and traffic analyses. The Port Authority then considered, and approved, a lease for the Port Annex’s southern parcel; the board recorded the outcome as passing 3 to 2. The lease had been discussed and amended since a prior Dec. 10, 2024, approval but remained unsigned at the time of the vote.

The port study offers a “30,000-foot overview” of infrastructure needs and options ahead of planned investments. “We proposed not just a new bulkhead, but a mobile harbor crane, maybe moving some facilities, opening up more lay down space, just to give you that versatility,” said Scott Schutting, a Burns & McDonnell presenter. Consultants reported the existing bulkhead and dock are dilapidated, the 16‑acre annex requires cleanup and regrading, and an on-dock rail spur previously in place would need reinstallation to restore rail access.

Why it matters: Putnam’s port sits farther inland on the St. Johns River and county leaders say expanded barge activity could attract manufacturing and transload business, reduce truck miles, and create local jobs. The study identifies capital projects, permits and environmental tests that would be required before the port can accept larger vessels and increase throughput.

Study findings and near-term steps - Grants and memberships: Port Putnam was designated by the state in 2022 and joined the Florida Ports Council later that year. The county obtained a Port Infrastructure Development grant (MARAD/PIDP) and a security grant from the Florida Seaport Transportation Economic Development Council (FSTED). Burns & McDonnell were selected as the planning contractor in Jan. 2024. Consultants said the PIDP study is complete and will be posted to the county’s Port Authority website. - Bulkhead and dock: A geotechnical investigation validated that the existing bulkhead needs replacement. Burns & McDonnell outlined options ranging from a 1-for-1 replacement (which would likely require minimal environmental permitting) to expansion of the bulkhead to increase cargo capacity (which would trigger additional permitting). - Dredging and navigation depths: Consultants and Port Manager Sam Sullivan said current NOAA data show roughly 6 feet of depth in the immediate port channel, sufficient for some small barges. Corps-led permitting and dredging under the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) would aim to deepen the navigable channel to roughly 15 feet to allow larger barges; that dredging depends on Army Corps schedules and congressional funding and could align with the Shands Bridge raising currently scheduled for 2030. Sullivan said, “With the dredging project … you’re gonna go down to 15 feet. That opens the door for a lot larger vessels and a lot more opportunity.” - Timeline and uncertainty: County Administrator Terry Suggs and Sullivan cautioned that the Army Corps process is slow and contingent on federal support. Burns & McDonnell estimated bulkhead replacement (environmental permitting through construction) could take about two years once funded; dredging timing remains uncertain and may follow bridge work and Corps approvals. - Site work and utilities: Recommendations include removing debris on the 16‑acre annex, regrading, reactivating or extending rail spurs (one concept shows roughly a 450‑foot extension north), rerouting or placing power infrastructure underground where feasible, and identifying a permitted disposal site for dredge material (dredge material cannot drain directly back to the river and must be tested for contaminants before reuse). - Traffic and safety: The transportation analysis found existing roadway geometry at the Comfort Boulevard entrances is generally adequate for projected truck traffic, but highlighted an intersection on County Road 216/Highway 17 with a history of crashes that may warrant future safety improvements as port traffic grows.

Public comments, nearby businesses and lease controversy Local manufacturing and contractors were described as interested users of the port. The presentation named businesses such as Veritas (a steel or materials firm referenced in the study) and Beck’s Auto Group as likely users. During the Port Authority’s public hearing on a lease for the southern annex parcel, several residents and business representatives spoke.

Yolanda Williams, a resident of Federal Point Road, urged diligence before contracting with lessees and flagged that prospective vendors’ regulatory history should be checked: “I would hope that before we got into any sort of agreement with any organization … that we would do our own homework and make sure that any entity … doesn’t have any issues with other entities, EPA issues, legal issues.”

Jeremy Alexander, appearing to represent National Industrial Services (often referenced as “Mr. Nations”), said the company operates the terminal and employs about 80 people at the site and has invested in making building repairs. Alexander acknowledged that online reports show litigation in St. Croix involving a different facility and said the firm’s local operations are focused on fabrication, welding and laydown yard work.

Several commissioners pressed staff about whether the county had solicited competing lease offers before approving a lease amendment. Commissioner Larry Harvey said the county previously bought property to enable port expansion and argued for a long-term vision; he also suggested negotiating with Veritas to relocate some facilities to support a larger contiguous laydown area. Commissioner Pels (identified in the record as “Commissioner Pels”) supported exploring more land acquisition and asked about three-phase power access. Burns & McDonnell said three-phase power is available north of the annex (near the annex site and Veritas property) but it is unclear whether it extends to the port proper.

Conflict-of-interest and recusal County counsel noted that conflict analysis is personal and depends on whether a commissioner receives a personal benefit. Commissioner Josh Alexander (identified in the transcript as Commissioner Alexander) said he would recuse himself from the lease vote because of a potential connection through family; he nevertheless spoke in favor of working with a tenant who had invested in the port. The record does not list each commissioner’s individual vote; the meeting minutes show the motion to approve the lease passed 3 to 2. The lease was not signed at the meeting and county staff said additional legal language had been added since the December 10 meeting.

Formal action The Port Authority approved a motion to authorize the lease of the southern section of the Port Annex (the motion text presented at the meeting: approval of lease language amended after Dec. 10). The board recorded the outcome as approved (tally 3 yes, 2 no). Staff noted the lease remained unsigned and that other potential lessees had expressed interest in other parcels during prior staff outreach.

Next steps The final port infrastructure study will be posted on the county’s Port Authority web page later this week, county staff said. Project planning steps identified in the study — environmental testing of dredge material, permitting for bulkhead replacement/expansion, final design work for dock and rail spur reactivation, and coordination with the Army Corps of Engineers on dredging — remain. County and port leaders said they will continue federal outreach for Corps and congressional support for Corps-led dredging under WRDA and other federal programs.

The port presentation and lease discussion underscore two parallel tracks for Putnam County: (1) near-term repairs and site work funded through appropriations and seaport grants, and (2) longer-term navigation improvements and dredging that require federal Corps approvals, congressional funding and coordination with bridge projects such as the Shands Bridge raising currently planned for 2030.