Keep a close eye on things there over the long term. If the cargo moving through that port is mainly going to destinations far from Jacksonville, you might actually be better off spending your state and local government funds on something else.
A port like New York/New Jersey is a good example of a place where investing in port upgrades makes sense. It's a major metro area, and something like 80% of the cargo imported there ends up being shipped to destinations within 200 miles of the port. Los Angeles/Long Beach is the exact opposite. At least 75% of the imports there are moved out of the port through rail terminals and shipped across the country, so the local benefit is much smaller. For what it's worth, this is why the state and local governments out there have imposed very restrictive regulations on port trucking and related industries. The whole point is to minimize the local nuisance of a port district that primarily exists to serve people and industries far away.
Jacksonville will always be a port city, currently they are perhaps the biggest port for Toyota imports..
As you mention the Navy is huge in Jacksonville...
We also have 2 major interstates running thru the City..and a major railroad located here....it’s a transportation where sea, air, rail and roads all converge...
“ Los Angeles/Long Beach is the exact opposite. At least 75% of the imports there are moved out of the port through rail terminals and shipped across the country, so the local benefit is much smaller. ”
Where’d you get that idea? There are forty million people in California. How do you think all the Chinese goods at the local Costco gets there?
That's right. You just go ahead and minimize the nuisance of those jobs the port provides.
Tell me how it works out in a few years.