Could Things Be Worse For Port Tampa?

[Ocklawaha]

Strange things going on down at Port Tampa!

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Tampa Port Authority executive banned from property

By MICHAEL SASSO | The Tampa Tribune
Published: March 10, 2013

TAMPA --
The No. 2 executive at the Tampa Port Authority had an unceremonious exit last month when port officials relieved him of his managerial duties and banned him from the property.

Today, Zelko Kirincich is still employed by the port on an as-needed basis, but he needs special permission to step foot on port property, according to a separation agreement he signed last week.

Despite the banishment, he will be paid for two more months at a rate equal to his $210,000 annual salary.

What exactly happened remains a mystery.

Port officials won't answer questions, and most port board members contacted by the Tribune were unaware of his departure or didn't know enough to comment. Port officials went to some effort to ensure that there was no paper trail explaining what happened.

Some longtime port clients and tenants are stumped.

"He was a pleasant guy," said Murphy Oil terminal operations manager John Laing, who didn't foresee Kirincich's ouster. "He returned calls. He followed through on what he said he was going to do."

Kirincich, who could not be reached for comment, was one of the best-known figures at the port, having worked his way up its ranks since coming on board in 1996. His last position as deputy port director of operations and engineering gave him broad oversight over many of the port's functions.

He briefly rose to the top job as interim port director in 2004, and some port board members sought to hire him as permanent port director.

Nothing in his personnel file indicates any serious problems.