THE PORT OF PORT ST. JOE, FLA. PORT AND HARBOR CONDITIONS Location and General Description. -- The port of Port St. Joe, Fla., is situated on the east, or mainland, shore of St. Joseph Bay. It is connected with the Gulf of Mexico by dredged deep-water channels. The total distance between deep water in the Gulf and waterfrontage at the port is approximately 11 nautical miles. Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, a Federal project between Apalachee Bay and the Mexican border, passes by land cut several miles northeast of Port St. Joe and is linked there to by the 6-mile long Gulf County Canal. St. Joseph Bay is on the northwest coast of Florida, 115 miles east of Pensacola Harbor and 40 miles east of Panama City Harbor. It is a partially landlocked body of water formed by a long, narrow encompassing peninsula (St. Joseph Spit) connected with the mainland at the southern end of the bay. The bay is roughly rectangular, 13 miles long north and south, averages 4 miles in width, and joins with the Gulf of Mexico at the north end by an opening about 3 miles wide. Moderate natural depths prevail throughout most of the bay. Harbor and Channel Improvements by the United States.-Work has been authorized by the River and Harbor acts of July 25, 1912, Aug. 26, 1937, March 2, 1945 and Sept. 3, 1954. The existing project provides for the following: (1) An entrance channel 37 feet deep throughout and 500 feet wide at its outer end, diminishing progressively in width to 400 feet at the first bend, thence continuing with a width of 400 feet to the entrance to St. Joseph Bay, an over-all distance of 7 miles; (2) a north bay (inner) channel 35 feet deep, 300 feet wide, and about 7 miles long, terminating at the north end of turning basin; (3) a turning basin 32 feet deep, 1,000 feet wide, and 2,000 feet long at the Port St. Joe waterfront; (4) a south bay (inner) channel 27 feet deep and 200 feet wide in St. Joseph Bay; and (5) a harbor channel 35 feet deep and 250 feet wide in the turning basin, 100 feet from and parallel to the face of the existing wharf. Controlling depths in the various improved channels are as follows: Entrance channel 32.5 feet August 1956; north bay (inner) channel 33.5 feet May 1957; south bay (inner) channel 21.7 feet June 1950; and turning basin 30.0 feet May 1957. All depths refer to the plane of mean low water. Harbor and Channel Improvements by Local Interests. The city of Port St. Joe improved the harbor by dredging an exit channel known as south channel, from the south end of the turning basin to the 27-foot contour in the bay. This work was done under a War Department permit prior to the appropriation of funds by the Government for the project as modified by the River and Harbor Act approved August 26, 1937. In 1942, the Gulf Oil Corp. and the Pure Oil Co. constructed a wharf extending 600 feet south from the main wharf of the St. Joe Terminal Co. (now the Sinclair Refining Co.), increasing its total length and dredged sufficient material therefor. In 1949, the Gulf Oil Corp. dredged a 34-foot channel from the turning basin to and along its wharf. In addition to the work, given above, the St. Joe Paper Co. constructed a small anchorage basin adjoining the main harbor improvement on the north. The Gulf County Canal, which connects St. Joseph Bay with the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, is another important navigation improvement made by local interests; it was later widened by the Federal Government. This canal is now part of the Federal project for the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. Tides and Tidal Currents.-- The tides in St. Joseph Bay are chiefly diurnal and have an average rise and fall of about 1 1/2 feet. Weather Conditions.-- The climate of this locality is typical of that experienced on the north shores of the Gulf of Mexico. Temperature is usually mild and equable owing to the moderating effect of the Gulf. For representative conditions see the Panama City section, page 22. Fire Protection.-- Fire protection along the Port St. Joe waterfront is furnished by the City Volunteer Fire Department. There is no high-pressure system of water mains; the normal water pressure in the regular city mains is 54 p.s.i. To maintain this pressure, there are 2 elevated water towers with capacities of 100,000 and 200,000 gallons located in different sections of the town. Each is connected to a 75,000gallon underground storage tank at the water plant. The equipment of the Fire Department includes two 500g.p.m. combination pumper and ladder trucks and one 1,500gallon tank truck. Both pumpers are equipped with suction lines and nozzles. Equipment of the individual operators is mentioned in the table of Piers, Wharves, and Docks. In emergencies, and if requested, equipment will respond from Wewahitchka, Fla., 18 miles distant. PORT ADMINISTRATION AND FEDERAL SERVICES PORT ADMINISTRATION. -- The Port St. Joe Port Authority was created in 1957 by the Florida State Legislature. At the present time the Authority has no paid employees, owns no property, and has no functions in connection with the port operations of Port St. Joe. The mailing address of the Authority is that of its Chairman: Mr. C. Harry McKnight, 1405 Palm Boulevard, Port St. Joe, Florida. The Port Authority is governed by five commissioners who are appointed by the Governor of Florida. Three of the present commissioners were appointed to four-year terms, while the other two received two-year appointments. Hereafter all appointments will be for four-year terms. Only two of the commissioners can be personally involved in the maritime business of the port. No commissioner can be a city or State employee. The commissioners receive no compensation for their services. The Authority can enter into contracts, can own and acquire property through purchase, lease, gift, eminent domain, or transfer. It has the right to maintain and operate port terminal facilities, warehouses, wharves, docks, dry docks, quays, bridges, ship basins, breakwaters, foundations for shipways, fitting-out docks, shipyards, marine railways, repair shops, loading, unloading and other port facilities. The commissioners can issue revenue bonds in an amount up to $3,000,000. The city of Port St. Joe and Gulf County are empowered to appropriate and give to the Port St. Joe Port Authority funds for operating expenses. Taxes may be levied by the two governmental bodies for this purpose. The Authority does not have the power to financially bind the city, nor is the city liable for any of the financial obligations incurred by the Authority. The International Trade Department of the Florida Development Commission is giving assistance to the Authority in connection with its development plans. At the time of writing, these plans involved efforts either to purchase or construct a general cargo dock with adequate warehousing space. There are no published local regulations for the port. |