Eastport

Entitlements

The Eastport property is already zoned for heavy industry, allowing all types of manufacturing and industrial activities. Eastport is also within the Port Manatee “Encouragement Zone”, an entity created by Port Manatee and Manatee County to provide a variety of economic and other incentives to port related businesses. The Encouragement Zone features expedited permitting (less than 90 days), Port Land Development Codes, DRI exemption, reduced impact fees, inclusion in the Port’s International Trade Zone.
The Eastport property is free from environmental issues and is considered a “Greenfield Site”. The site holds a letter of “No Interest” from the federal EPA as well as a “Not Held Liable/No Further Action” agreement with the Florida DEP and a “Release from Registered Sites” from the Florida Department of Health. There are no wetlands or other environmentally sensitive areas on the site and storm water retention ponds to serve the property are already in place. In addition, Eastport has an NPDES permit allowing discharge of storm water from the property.
The elevation of the Eastport property ranges from 12 feet to 18+ feet above MSL. All of the property is in Flood Zone “B”.

Port Manatee, directly across U.S. Highway 41 from Eastport, is the closest U.S. deepwater seaport to the Panama Canal, providing shippers with speedy access to Latin American and Pacific Rim markets. The port has undergone a rapid expansion in recent years and now is among Florida’s largest deepwater seaports and is a developing container/intermodal facility. In fact, the port receives nearly 100 shiploads of containerized bananas, melons, pineapples and other tropical fruits each year from South and Central America and is the Southeast’s leading forestry products import facility.
The Eastport site has almost 2 miles of frontage along U.S. Highway 41. Highway 41 is a 4 lane, limited access highway running along the eastern shore of Tampa Bay and connecting the cities of Tampa and Bradenton with all the ports on the Bay. There is a connection between Highway 41 and Interstate 75 just south of Eastport, allowing easy access to the entire U.S. Interstate highway system. There are two certified truck scales on the property, a 60 foot and a new 73 foot scale.
The Eastport site is connected directly to the CSX railroad mainline and the Port Manatee Class “C” railroad. Eastport has an extensive rail yard with approximately 7.3 miles of rail and a new rail scale on the site. The principal rail siding on the property is about a mile in length and is capable of handling unit trains. The present rail yard configuration can be modified to suit the needs of individual tenants.
TECO Peoples Gas Co. has recently constructed natural gas mains along US Hwy 41 on the western boundary and along Buckeye Road on the southern boundary of the property. Connections to these gas mains are available for Eastport tenants.

The Eastport site has two potable water mains located on the west side of the property, one 10” and one 18”main, as well as a third 12” potable water main located on the south side of the property. Water is supplied to these mains by the Manatee County Utility system.
There are three, 600+ foot deep wells on the property presently permitted to allow an average of 150,000 gpd to be pumped from the Floridan aquifer.
The newly constructed, HDPE lined reservoirs at Eastport can store 1.3 billion gallons of water or large quantities of solid materials. These reservoirs are under long term lease to the Manatee County Port Authority for the containment of soil materials from the maintenance and expansion of Port Manatee.
Industrial grade 41,000 volt electric power is provided by Florida Power and Light to the property and a system to distribute electricity at 4160 kv around the site is already in place.
The Eastport site is connected to the Manatee County wastewater system which provides sanitary waste treatment service.
There are paved roads and parking areas at strategic locations within the property. Acceleration and deceleration lanes for trucks are in place on the main entrance roads into the property along Hwy 41. Both truck and rail scales are in place.
Both Manatee County and the state of Florida have a number of economic incentives available to attract and support new businesses locating in the state.