Rep. Yoho’s Efforts Result in Dredging at JAXPORT

Orange Park, FL– Dredging in the St. Johns River, to deepen the JAXPORT shipping channel, began over the weekend after years of regulatory, appropriation, and legal battles. Due in part to Congressman Ted S. Yoho (R-FL), Florida’s largest container port will increase its shipping channel to 47 feet. As most ports around the world begin the process of deepening their shipping channels to accommodate the new Panamax ships, JAXPORT is now positioning itself as the first port of entry for these critical imports and exports.

Upon the commencement of the dredging, Rep. Yoho issued the following statement:

“The dredging that began over the weekend is long overdue. I remember visiting JAXPORT as a candidate back in 2012 and thinking of the incredible potential that the port represented not just for Jacksonville, but the region, the State, and the entire Southeast. Since taking office, our team has worked tirelessly with the JAXPORT team through regulatory, procedural, and appropriation battles. Often, these conversations and meetings were bi-partisan.  Both Republicans and Democrats knew they could work on this effort together because it was such a critical economic issue. Minimizing environmental impacts has been a priority for our office, which is another reason we have worked closely with all stakeholders on this project.

“Since 2013 our office has maintained regular contact with senior JAXPORT officials, attended regular update meetings, and authored a letter to then President Obama asking for JAXPORT to be included in his 2016 budget. We also sent requests to the Army Corps for authorization of funds, and work to commence as recent as January of 2018 and a request to the office of Management and Budget and Army Corps in May of 2017. In addition to several meetings with federal government officials, I am most proud of the work our office did to ensure the Chief’s report was included in the 2014 Water Resources Reform and Development Act, which authorized the deepening of the project. Without this Chief’s report, this project would have never been realized, and in turn, we as a community would be at a terrible competitive disadvantage.

“The economic impact of the JAXPORT dredging project, cannot be overstated. I want to sincerely thank everyone who has played a role in the success of this endeavor. We have seen the true collaboration of federal agencies, bi-partisan congressional offices, state agencies, Governor Rick Scott, local entities, and JAXPORT leadership past and present. This collaboration will result in JAXPORT leading the way forward towards economic prosperity and diversification for our communities. I am so proud of the work that has been done to date and look forward to the completion of this project that will position Northeast Florida as a global leader in logistics.”

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