Florida Times-Union: ’50 Feet of Water!’ is Rallying Cry for Jacksonville’s Port

From Florida Times-Union:

At a recent maritime conference on Southeast ports, an audience member asked a panel of industry executives what Jacksonville needs to break into the top rank of ports.  From the back of the room, Jacksonville Port Authority Executive Director Rick Ferrin shouted an answer in response.  “Fifty feet of water!” Ferrin said.  It’s become a rallying cry for those who want Jacksonville to challenge busier ports such as Savannah, Ga., and Charleston, S.C., as the waterborne gateway into the Southeast. More cargo would result in thousands of jobs, according to economic studies.  But getting deeper water at the port will cost big bucks c estimates range from $500 million to $1 billion, depending how many miles of river are deepened and to what depth c and require underwater explosions for blasting through bedrock at the bottom of the St. Johns River.