Port Manatee’s Sanford begins three-year term on National Academies of Science Marine Board

PALMETTO, Fla. – Dave Sanford, interim chief of staff at Port Manatee, has been named to the National Academies of Science Marine Board, a Washington-based maritime advisory group.

Sanford has accepted an appointment to a three-year term on the Marine Board, beginning Nov. 1.

Sanford brings to the board more than 40 years of maritime industry experience, including as director of navigation policy and legislation at the American Association of Port Authorities and in several senior executive capacities with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, including as chief of civil works policy and chief of the Interagency and International Services Division. He also served as water resources adviser to U.S. Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, D-N.Y., during Moynihan’s term as chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

Formed in 1965, the Marine Board is an internationally recognized source of expertise on maritime transportation and marine engineering and technology. The board became part of the Transportation Research Board in 1999. In response to requests from sponsoring agencies or on its own initiative, the Marine Board serves the national interest by providing evaluations and advice concerning the ability of the nation’s marine and maritime industries to operate safely, efficiently and in an environmentally responsible manner.

Port Manatee is a multipurpose deepwater seaport near the entrance to Tampa Bay that serves bulk, breakbulk, container, heavylift, project and general cargo customers. The port generates more than $2.3 billion in annual economic impact for the local community, while supporting more than 24,000 jobs regionally, without the benefit of ad-valorem taxes.