§ 1.4. Planning History

The Manatee County Port Authority has a positive history of long-range planning. The initial master plan for the newly created Port dates back to the mid-1960s. This plan was followed by subsequent initiatives in 1973, 1979, and the early 1980s, as Port development took on new impetus. After Florida's Local Government Comprehensive Planning Act was passed in 1985, which mandated that port master plans be prepared for incorporation into an element of the local government's comprehensive plan, the Port Authority renewed its planning efforts. In 1987, a Citizens' Advisory Committee was formed to consider appropriate goals and objectives for the Port in five areas — planning, transportation, business and finance, and trade development — and to address the balance between the environment and economic growth. Preparation of the resulting port master plan was authorized in 1988 and completed in 1989 for inclusion in the Coastal Management Element of the Manatee County Comprehensive Plan.

Since the early 1990s, about a dozen strategic, marketing, business, and master plans have been initiated to guide Port development in a financially sound and environmentally responsive manner. These plans, with their focused goals, have served as the foundation for the current Port Master Plan Update, 2016. Summaries of these earlier plans, including the Port Manatee Master Plan, 2009, the precursor to this plan update, are included in Appendix A.