Governor reshapes Port Authority board

Governor Rick Scott, who has championed the state’s ports as economic engines, recently appointed to new members and reappointed one veteran to the Port St. Joe Port Authority.

Johanna White, chairwoman of the Port Authority, was reappointed to another four-year term while Leonard Costin and Jessica Rish were appointed to seats previously held by Johhny Mize and Allen Cox, respectively.

“The new appointees bring new ideas and a different perspective,” said Tommy Pitts, executive director of the Port Authority. “We appreciate the leadership of the former members, but the new members will bring a new perspective. They will bring enthusiasm to the board.”

Costin will certainly bring that enthusiasm. During an interview Costin rattled off a number of initiatives he would like to see the port undertake as well as a desire to form a citizens committee to advocate for the port.

“As so goes the port so goes Port St. Joe, that’s the way I feel about it. I am very passionate about the port,” Costin said. “The port is the greatest asset in Port St. Joe and we need to get everybody in the community on board. We are moving forward.”

The Port of Port St. Joe is one of 14 deepwater ports in the state and the only one that has not been developed.

Costin, 69, has been a self-employed certified public accountant since 1972. He served in the United States Navy from 1962 to 1967 and received his bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University. His term ends July 18, 2015.

“I’m real excited, but I am probably going to stir things up on the board,” Costin said. “We’ve got to get out there and get some people coming in and using the port. We have to let people know we are moving forward. We have a lot of irons in the fire.”

Rish, 35, expressed the same kind of enthusiasm, about her appointment and about the future for the port.

“I’m excited about the opportunity, about the opportunities the port offers and the opportunity it offers for the community,” Rish said. “It can be huge. It is a great time, it’s an important time for the port. I’m extremely excited because we are at a pivotal time for the port.”

Rish said there is a decided learning curve, alluding to the volumes of documents – the port master plan, newspaper and magazine articles and research on past and current opportunities – but said the opportunities are there for the port.

“It has to be something that doesn’t hurt our beautiful natural resources, they have to co-exist, but there is a lot of opportunity,” Rish said.  “We definitely need to get any traction we can and make the right public/private partnerships. There is real opportunity.”

Rish said she would like to see one such partnership with tourism stakeholders statewide, further noting that upon completion of the Panama Canal there will be additional opportunities.

Rish is a real estate manager with Gulf Coast Real Estate L.L.C. She was a sales account executive for Zenith Labornet from 2006 to 2009, as well as a projects manager for Sandcastle Developers L.L.C. from 2006 to 2008. Rish received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia. Her term ends Sept. 9, 2015.

White said she says years to discussions about the port on the verge of paying dividends. She said the importance of the port on economic development is evidenced by Scott’s desire to speak with applicants individually, something his predecessors, former governors Jeb Bush and Charlie Crist did not do.

She said after a conversation with Scott and Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll she came away excited for the next four years.

“It felt good because this is my third term and I am probably the longest serving member of the board,” White said. “I feel like in the last less than two years we have made progress. We are getting a lot more inquiries.”

Several factors are in play. One, the expansion of the Panama Canal due to be finished in two years and secondly the more collegial working relationship with the St. Joe Company following years of visioning about the port that went nowhere.

At the same time the Port of Port St. Joe has completed a barge bulkhead along the Intracoastal Waterway and purchased the old Arizona Chemical site which brings the port’s acreage of ownership to roughly 100.

While the port returned the lease bayside land north of the old mill site back to St. Joe, the change of regime has the company marketing the mill site, which includes a deepwater bulkhead, and northern parcel to attract shipping and marine activities that will only help the port grow.

“St Joe has been great to work with,” White said. “The new regime is great. A 180 degree turn. The Panama Canal expansion has increased inquiries and Gov. Scott is trying to get the red tape (that has hindered port development) out of the way.

“I’m excited. We have several good prospects. It’s an honor (to be reappointed). I look forward to working with the new board members and the existing board members. And I look forward to getting jobs here.”

That, White said, is paramount for the port, to begin the job creation that so many see as the county’s best chance for sustainable, decent-paying jobs.

“We’ve got to create jobs,” White said. “We have talked about it too long. I told Tommy I would like to see some kind of announcement (about a new port customer bringing jobs) by the end of the year. We are making progress.”

White, 51, is vice president of business development for Vision Bank since 2008. Previously, she was president of Capital City Bank in Port St. Joe from 1978 to 2008. White has served as treasurer of the Gulf County Chamber of Commerce since 2010 and the Port St. Joe Kiwanis Club since 1998. Her term ends July 25, 2015