Putnam County officials advance Port Putnam bulkhead design as seaport partners press economic case

Putnam County commissioners and the Port Authority heard an update Sept. 9 on efforts to redevelop Port Putnam, including a civil-and-structural design for a new bulkhead and early work to position the site for future cargo activity.

The project team — Sam Sullivan of the Port Authority, consulting engineer Scott Chuning of Burns & McDonnell, and Mike Rubin, president of the Florida Ports Council — told commissioners the immediate design focus is a roughly 350-foot, one-for-one bulkhead replacement and related tie-ins to the existing dock area.

"We're just gonna install the new bulkhead just in front of the existing, remove the cap, put in, punch through, put in the necessary tie ins," Chuning said in his presentation. He said the new bulkhead will be a minimum of 15 feet deep to accommodate future dredging and deeper drafts. Burns & McDonnell is preparing a basis of design, construction drawings, calculations, cross sections, specifications and a construction cost estimate.

Sullivan told the board the county, which joined the Florida Seaports Transportation and Economic Development Council after a feasibility study and legislation in 2023, approved a port master plan and is moving into design for the bulkhead so the port can resume commercial traffic. He said Burns & McDonnell was hired to develop the port plan approved in January 2025.

Rubin said the statewide seaport network supports 1.2 million jobs and nearly $200 billion in economic activity for Florida, and that Port Putnam’s existing infrastructure — including the dated bulkhead installed in 1961 — gives the community a credible chance to capture future cargo and jobs once nearby bridge and highway projects provide better clearance and road connections.

Commissioners and public speakers who addressed the Port Authority session praised staff and the consultants and described local businesses, rail and airport access as assets that support the port plan. County commissioners asked about permitting, schedule and funding options; Burns & McDonnell said it will submit 30% design documents to county staff, with a design completion goal of year-end and documents ready for bidding in early 2026. The firm said it will pursue permitting as a maintenance project where possible to streamline approvals.

County staff and commissioners discussed funding and grant opportunities. Rubin encouraged continued outreach to state and federal funding sources, including port infrastructure funds in Washington, and credited congressional and state supporters for earlier steps that secured formal council membership and initial planning funds.

The presentation closed with no formal county action beyond the Port Authority’s routine approval of minutes earlier in the meeting; commissioners and stakeholders agreed to continue design review, pursue permitting and seek grant and federal funding opportunities to support construction.