Manatee County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh has been elected to a second consecutive one-year term as chairwoman of the Manatee County Port Authority, the governing board of Port Manatee.
Baugh, who also was elected in mid-December to a one-year term as chairwoman of the Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization, has served on the Manatee County Port Authority board since 2012.
Also elected to one-year terms as officers at the Dec. 21 meeting of the Manatee County Board of County Commissioners were: Stephen Jonsson, first vice chairman; Betsy Benac, second vice chairwoman; and Robin DiSabatino, third vice chairwoman.
The other members of the seven-person port authority board are Priscilla Whisenant Trace, Carol Whitmore and Charles B. Smith.
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 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 jobs, without levying ad-valorem taxes.
PHOTO: Vanessa Baugh has been re-elected chairwoman of the Manatee County Port Authority.
More Info: https://www.portmanatee.com/2017/12/21/baugh-re-elected-chairwoman-manatee-county-port-authority/
