Manatee County Port Authority

Manatee County Port Authority, a U.S. local government entity and port authority headquartered in Palmetto, Florida, serves as a federal grant recipient (81% of recent awards as prime recipient) focused on port infrastructure planning, engineering, design, and maritime security enhancements. The Authority does not hold federal contracts; its federal footprint consists entirely of grants from the Department of Transportation Maritime Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, with no private-sector contracting vehicle position.

The Authority's customer base is concentrated and specialized. FEMA accounts for 16 of 27 total awards across the Port Security Grant Program (CFDA 97.056), while the Maritime Administration accounts for 2 awards under the Port Infrastructure Development Program (CFDA 20.823). Across both grantor agencies, the Authority has obligated $58.9 million in combined federal funding. The most recent and largest single award is a $12.99 million Maritime Administration project grant dated March 25, 2026, running through September 30, 2031, for NEPA compliance documentation, pre-engineering studies, permitting, and detailed engineering and design work covering five operational berths (06, 07, 08, 10, and 11) requiring full reconstruction, plus design planning for toe walls at four additional berths to support future port-wide deepening. A prior Maritime Administration award of $19.9 million dated August 28, 2025, funds engineering, permitting, and construction of a 16.5-acre container yard, electrical systems for two mobile harbor cranes, an access road, and foundations and utilities for approximately three Radiation Portal Monitors in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, with completion by October 31, 2028.

The Authority's FEMA work centers on the Port Security Grant Program across multiple funding cycles. Awards include a $725,750 project grant dated September 1, 2025 (completion August 31, 2028), a $559,000 award dated September 1, 2024 (completion August 31, 2027), a $1.5 million award dated September 21, 2022, and a $1,055,843 award dated September 1, 2021 (completion August 31, 2024). These grants have historically funded patrol vessels, communications equipment, surveillance systems, cybersecurity upgrades, maritime security training, and emergency response planning. The Authority also receives sub-grants through the State of Florida Division of Emergency Management for facility repairs and restoration; five sub-grants dated between November 2023 and February 2026 cover damages to warehouse and office facilities at the port.

Recent activity shows two awards in 2026 year-to-date, with annual volume ranging from one to three awards per year over the past five years. No recompete cliff exposure is apparent from the source; the Authority's grant footprint reflects ongoing funding cycles and disaster-recovery sub-awards rather than contract rebid activity. As a local government entity, the Authority does not sub under prime contractors and maintains no parent vehicle positions. Its federal role is exclusively as a direct recipient of planning, infrastructure, and security grants from Maritime Administration and FEMA.