PALMETTO, Florida – Manatee County Commissioner Mike Rahn has been re- elected chairman of the Manatee County Port Authority.
“Continuing to chair the governing body of SeaPort Manatee is indeed an honor in this time of unprecedented growth for our county’s hub of global commerce,” said Rahn, whose election was confirmed today [Dec. 18] at a meeting of the Manatee County Port Authority, affirming his Dec. 2 selection by the Manatee County Board of County Commissioners. “I look forward to joining my fellow board members and port staff in further advancing SeaPort Manatee’s vital contributions to local and regional prosperity.”
SeaPort Manatee recently announced its fifth consecutive year of record activity, handling 11,855,828 tons of cargo in the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, while annually generating almost $7.3 billion in economic impacts.
Manatee County commissioners also elected to serve one-year seaport board officer terms, effective Jan. 1, 2026, are Carol Ann Felts, first vice chairman; Jason Bearden, second vice chairman; and George Kruse, third vice chairman. SeaPort Manatee’s seven-member governing board is completed by Amanda Ballard, Dr. Bob McCann and Tal Siddique.
Members of the Manatee County Port Authority board serve staggered four-year terms, with annual election of officers. The 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 SeaPort Manatee.
Located in Southwest Florida, at the entrance to Tampa Bay, SeaPort Manatee is a dynamic global trade hub, serving as the vibrant ships- to-shelves gateway for burgeoning Southwest and Central Florida markets, with convenient rail and roadway links, including to the distribution- center-filled Tampa/Orlando Interstate 4 -corridor. The closest U.S. deepwater seaport to the expanded Panama Canal, SeaPort Manatee offers 10 deep-draft berths, proficiently fulfilling diverse demands of container, liquid and dry bulk, breakbulk, heavylift, project and general cargo customers. The self-sustaining port -generates nearly $7.3 billion in annual economic impacts while providing for more than 42,000 direct and indirect jobs – all without benefit of local property tax support.
