Five Tampa companies are awarded money by the Department of Homeland Security to help buy fences, gates and surveillance equipment.
By STEVE HUETTEL
Published December 11, 2003
TAMPA - The Department of Homeland Security handed out its third and largest batch of grants to tighten security at the nation's seaports Wednesday. But Florida received its smallest share yet.
Florida ports and maritime businesses got about $6.7-million - less than 4 percent of the $179-million awarded by Homeland Security.
Five Tampa businesses, mostly petroleum and chemical shipping terminals, received nearly $885,000 for physical improvements such as fences and gates and for surveillance equipment. The Tampa Port Authority, which operates public land at the port, asked for $5.1-million but didn't make the cut, said spokeswoman Lori Musser.
"We did quite well in the first couple of rounds," she said. "But any money coming this way is a very good thing."
Gov. Jeb Bush and officials at state ports crowed last year when Florida landed $19.7-million out of $92.3-million awarded in the first round of grants - at 21.3 percent the largest share of any state. Florida had a head start thanks to a law passed more than a year before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that required security surveys at all state ports.
But since then, Florida's cut of the federal money has slipped. State ports received $17.6-million out of $170-million, or slightly more than 10 percent of the total Homeland Security grants, in June.
In the first two rounds, the Tampa Port Authority received $7.5-million for a gate and security operations center at the entrance to Hooker's Point, the port's industrial heart.
Local recipients of the grants announced Wednesday were Motiva Enterprises ($382,800), Martin Resource Management Corp. ($180,000), Marathon Ashland Petroleum ($162,000), Sea-3 of Florida ($95,000) and Kinder Morgan Energy Partners ($64,991).
Motiva will use much of the money to replace a 6-foot fence with an 8-foot fence around its 15.5-acre fuel terminal in Port Tampa near MacDill Air Force Base, said terminal manager Craig Payne.
