- Port Tampa Bay is proud to announce that we have won the American Association of Port Authorities Lighthouse Award of Excellence for Environmental Enhancement. The port received the honor for its inaugural Great Port Cleanup, which is recognized as a model for other seaports throughout the Western Hemisphere. The first-annual Great Port Cleanup took place on Earth Day, Thursday, April 22, 2021, in partnership with Propeller Club – Port of Tampa and Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful. During this inaugural event, 342 port partners and other dedicated community volunteers safely removed more than 19K pounds of trash and marine debris from 23 sites in and around our port. While the majority of this debris originates from outside of the port, Port Tampa Bay recognizes our daily connection with our local waters and is dedicated to doing our part to eliminate marine debris and support trash-free waters in Tampa Bay.

The American Association of Port Authorities’ Lighthouse Awards recognizes the best port programs and projects that stand as a beacon of excellence across the maritime industry. Since 1973 the organization has recognized activities which benefit the environment at its ports and presented environmental awards. The Association accepts awards from its port members and considers four project award categories: Environmental Enhancement, Mitigation, Stakeholder Awareness, Education & Involvement and Comprehensive Environmental Management. Port Tampa Bay took top honors in the Environmental Enhancement category.

“The Great Port Cleanup is one of many initiatives Port Tampa Bay has undertaken to be a sustainable environmental leader, not only within the maritime industry but throughout our community. We are deeply committed to the health and beauty of our local environment and it is an honor to be recognized by our peers and the American Association of Port Authorities,” explained Paul Anderson, Port Tampa Bay President & CEO.

Port Tampa Bay received the Lighthouse Award at the American Association of Port Authorities annual convention, which took place September 26 -29, 2021.