Can Mayport and a cruise ship terminal co-exist?

[CS Foltz]

lake............you do have a point to a degree! The biggest problem that I see with that scenario is (1) Both sides coming to an agreement and working with each other (2) Funding for anything that gets built there! I don't mean another Tax or another Fee to get it done but I don't see Jaxport with the funding either! This is not something that JEDC would consider or they might! In the current fiscal climate Blank Million Dollar Grants are going to be hard to come by, along with 1.whatever % low interest loans. I am not sure Carnival would foot the bill for something like that but know that the Mobile Facility was City built and financed. That was done also on State owned property............from what I was told long term lease, but that ship is a small Cruise liner for sure!

[thelakelander]

lake............you do have a point to a degree! The biggest problem that I see with that scenario is (1) Both sides coming to an agreement and working with each other

Jax's problem is that opposing sides tend to draw their line in the sand and refuse to talk.  This is why many of the things we've invested in never pan out. Dialogue, creativity and innovation equals success.  At some point, we have to change our ways.  Why not Mayport?

(2) Funding for anything that gets built there! I don't mean another Tax or another Fee to get it done but I don't see Jaxport with the funding either! This is not something that JEDC would consider or they might! In the current fiscal climate Blank Million Dollar Grants are going to be hard to come by, along with 1.whatever % low interest loans. I am not sure Carnival would foot the bill for something like that but know that the Mobile Facility was City built and financed. That was done also on State owned property............from what I was told long term lease, but that ship is a small Cruise liner for sure!

Funding should not have anything to do with planning for something that can benefit all parties.  In many cases, getting everyone involved and planning early can save taxpayers a ton of money when it comes time to implement.

[thelakelander]

San Juan's cruise terminal.....

[tufsu1]

one of the reasons the JaxPort deferred the cruise terminal last year was concern over the bond market...the intent is to float bonds for both Hanjin and the terminal.

CS, would that be good enough for you?

[thelakelander]

Port chair orders cruise terminal feasibility study

by Mike Sharkey
Staff Writer

Change may be what led Jacksonville Port Authority Board Chair David Kulik to ask the Port’s management team to immediately begin a new feasibility study on retaining the cruise industry in Jacksonville.

Change in the economy.

Change in the status of the Hanjin cargo terminal.

And, possibly, change in the mindsets of those opposed to a new terminal in Mayport.

Kulik made the request Monday during the Port Authority’s monthly board meeting. He stressed he’s asking JPA CEO Rick Ferrin and his staff to look into the idea and shied away from suggesting any particular sites.

“If we do not act soon, the decision will be made for us,” said Kulik.

One Mayport business owner has supported moving the cruise terminal from Dames Point to Mayport since day one.

“I support it 100 percent and always have. I wish it was here already,” said Safe Harbor Seafood owner Gerald Pack in a telephone interview after the meeting, which he did not attend.

A lifelong fisherman and beneficiary of the seafood industry, Pack said new federal regulations over the fishing industry have almost crippled his business.

“I am one breath away from closing,” he said.

Pack said those opposed to the cruise terminal, if Mayport is deemed the proper site, should stay out of the debate.

“Most of those who have an opinion don’t have a pair of flip-flops in Mayport. They don’t own property out here. They just have an opinion,” said Pack.

“I am totally for business. How can you have 180,000 people drive by and not get some business? How can people want to leave it (Mayport) like it is? It will create jobs, temporary jobs they may be, but right now go out and try to find a job. It’s not that easy,” he said.

Pack thinks opinions might have changed. “I think they are more receptive now than six months ago,” he said.

The Port Authority owns enough property in Mayport to build the terminal and support buildings.

No one attending the meeting spoke publicly in opposition to the study.

Kulik said the decision a year ago by then Port Authority Chair Bill Mason to essentially scrap the cruise terminal talks made sense. The worldwide economy was in shambles and no one knew when things would turn around. However, Kulik said, the cruise industry has shown resiliency, especially in Jacksonville.

“There’s an improved image of Jacksonville not as just a great port city, but as a cruise terminal. This is a critical juncture for us,” he said.

“Good ports, the ones with the best reputations in the world, can do both (cargo and cruise business). It is also critical because of competition,” he said.

According to Kulik, Hanjin and International Longshoreman’s Association officials have met and he expects a deal to be reached soon.

“We feel very confident they are going to come to an agreement,” he said, adding about two years after the engineering study on the Hanjin terminal is complete, demolition on the current cruise terminal will begin.

“Two years go by in a flash. We need to start thinking about what to do with the cruise terminal because we can see into the future and the future says we will demo the cruise terminal,” he said.

According to Port Authority spokesperson Nancy Rubin, the current contract with Carnival expires in May of next year. Ferrin said Carnival officials understand the situation in Jacksonville with both the Hanjin deal and the undecided cruise terminal location. While Carnival may be willing to temporarily put business on hold out of Jacksonville, Ferrin said they won’t be willing to do so for very long.

“If the cruise terminal is ready in June of 2012, there will be no gap in service,” said Ferrin. “That means we would have to be under construction in the next six months.”

Kulik said it’s the board’s job to provide direction for Ferrin and staff. He also understands the port’s role in the local economy.

“It’s the board’s responsibility to provide economic value for the area. The cruise terminal has proven to be an economic engine and has created jobs. It’s a very challenging project,” he said.

“There will be no questions unanswered, no details unresolved and person unheard as we conduct the study,” he said.

The board eventually approved the study, but not before Kulik reminded everyone nothing is final no matter what the study indicates.

“This is not a vote on a cruise terminal, it’s not a vote on a site,” he said. “It’s just directing the management to conduct a new feasibility study.”

Kulik also said 2010 is starting off very well for Carnival. Even as the economy continues to show signs of struggling, the line reported profits of $175 million the first quarter of the year.

“That’s less than the previous quarter,” he said, adding Carnival had to reduce prices to attract business. “It’s a very dynamic industry.”

An economic impact study from last year indicated there are nearly 500 cruise-related jobs in the area and the industry has an annual economic impact of $67 million.

http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=530629

[Captain Zissou]

Good news.  We need to have a sense of urgency about this issue.  Two years is no time at all.  We need to start turning some dirt on a new facility ASAP.

[BridgeTroll]

One Mayport business owner has supported moving the cruise terminal from Dames Point to Mayport since day one.

“I support it 100 percent and always have. I wish it was here already,” said Safe Harbor Seafood owner Gerald Pack in a telephone interview after the meeting, which he did not attend.

I believe safe Harbor is one of the biggest employers in Mayport...

A lifelong fisherman and beneficiary of the seafood industry, Pack said new federal regulations over the fishing industry have almost crippled his business.

“I am one breath away from closing,” he said.

This is one business that would probably be helped by the cruise terminal...

[thelakelander]

There's not many that would be hurt.  Most of Mayport has disappeared already.  I imagine the couple of remaining spots like Safe Harbor and Singleton's would benefit from tourist visiting the area.

[BridgeTroll]

Exactly... In addition the shrimping industry has been in decline for quite awhile.  I recently read that alot of the "Mayport Shrimp" advertised and sold is not caught from boats at Mayport nor in the area but up and down the coast from the carolinas to Miami.  The loss of a couple shrimp boats might be overcome by a couple new sport fishing charters to the new tourists coming to cruise...

http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/073108/lif_311065844.shtml

What makes a shrimp a Mayport Shrimp?


It's known to be delicious. But you can't always be sure it's what you're eating.




LIZ VAN HOOSER



Because I'm both a new resident of Jacksonville and a food writer, locals haven't been shy in giving me lots of advice on where and what I should eat (who doesn't like to talk about food?).

And the welcomed suggestions, while varied, almost always include a plug for one of the region's culinary staples: Mayport shrimp.

For folks from the Midwest like me, fresh shrimp that didn't come from a fish farm is unheard of. Discovering the joys of recently caught crustaceans has been a real treat.

But ask what Mayport shrimp is, or what makes a shrimp a Mayport shrimp, and you'll likely get some conflicting responses.

Ben Williams, owner of Fisherman's Dock fish markets and a former shrimper, is a bit cynical about the whole Mayport label.

"To call something a Mayport shrimp is both at the same time a lie and a marketing tool because what you're telling the customer is, 'This is Mayport shrimp.' Well, you have to define terms. To say something is a Mayport shrimp tells you nothing."

Mayport, of course, refers to the coastal village east of Jacksonville that is home to about 20 of the state's shrimping boats. Four types of shrimp live in the waters off the coast here, commonly called brown, white, pink and rock shrimp. Brown and white shrimp make up the lion's share of what's caught locally.

Though it seems logical that a Mayport shrimp was caught near Mayport, that might not be the case, said Gerald Pack, owner of Safe Harbor Seafood, a major fish processing plant in Mayport.

"It all depends on where they're finding the shrimp and the size of the boats; the bigger boats stay out for longer trips and could have come from North Carolina or Key West," Pack said.
And just because a shrimping boat sold its bounty to a Mayport plant doesn't mean the boat and crew are local. Processors don't discriminate based on a boat's origin.
To further complicate things, there's nothing to stop a retailer from labeling shrimp processed in other areas such as St. Augustine or Fernandina as Mayports.

Pack said policing such labeling would be "pretty much impossible."

Besides, "It's all the same species of shrimp you're talking about," he said.

Right now, brown shrimp are in season and will be until September, when the whites start dominating the catches. Some rock and pink shrimp, which are found in the deep waters off the coast, are also coming in.

Although the pinks are more common in Florida and waters south of here, the browns, whites and rock shrimp can be found from Norfolk, Va., to Brazil, in an area known as the Caribbean Province, said Quinton White, executive director of the Marine Science Research Institute.

White said it's no wonder Mayports developed such a stellar reputation here.

"For people who had never eaten really fresh shrimp, Mayport shrimp offered something far superior," he said. "There's no doubt when you catch a shrimp and cook it quickly, it is much better than a frozen product."

Williams said he's made a decision in his fish markets not to label any shrimp as Mayports. For him, it makes more sense to call a shrimp a shrimp.

"What people really want to know is, 'Is it fresh, and is it from the East Coast?' "