by the port's proximity to three airports (Whitted, Tampa International, and 

 St. Petersburg-Clearwater International), Interstate 275 and U.S. 19, and the 

 Intracoastal Waterway approximately 5 miles south of the port. No direct rail 

 service is available. 



The port's berth facility is comprised of a 900-ft by 1,800-ft slip with 

 docking space along 3,900 ft of bulkhead. The Albert Whitted Airport, a part 

 of the port complex, is available for air freight. Just west of the port, 

 another small port named Bayboro Harbor is privately operated. It has a com- 

 mercial fishing wharf and power plant facilities that include provisions for 

 receiving fuel by barge. 



In 1978, the Port of St. Petersburg's volume of cargo was only 234,000 

 tons. This port is used primarily as a base for small craft (fishing and 

 pleasure) and for passenger cruises. 



Boca Grande 



Boca Grande is located on the south end of Gasparilla Island near the 

 entrance to Charlotte Harbor. The port is connected to the Gulf of Mexico by 

 a 32-ft deep channel. Once active in both phosphate and petroleum shipments, 

 Boca Grande has not served as a public port since 1978. Attempts to create a 

 new facility nearby have not materialized. 



Key West 



The Port of Key West is located in the northwest corner of the island of 

 Key West. It is located approximately 220 mi south of the entrance to Tampa 

 Bay. Key West is mainly used as a port of safe haven. No commodities are 

 transported except for local use. 



Tarpon Springs 



The Tarpon Springs docks are located on the Anclote River about 2 miles 

 from the Gulf of Mexico in downtown Tarpon Springs. The channel /harbor depth 

 is only 9 ft. This port does not serve waterborne commerce. Principal uses 

 of the port are for recreational craft and sponge fishing boats. 



AIR TRANSPORTATION 



DESCRIPTION OF AIRPORTS 



Southwest Florida has 3 commercial and 24 smaller public airports. The 

 public airport facilities in 1980 are listed by type and county in Table 6. 

 Inventories of facilities in the following sections were taken from Florida 

 Airports (Florida Department of Transportation 1981). The history and projec- 

 tions of annual air carrier passenger enplanements for commercial airports are 

 given in the next section on airport activity. The number of enplanements 

 represents the number of departing passengers. The number of aircraft opera- 

 tions, as used in this text, represents the number of landings and take-offs. 



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