Blount Island facts for kids
Blount Island Marine Terminal
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 Blount Island
Location in Florida
Blount Island
Location in North Atlantic
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| Geography | |
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| Location | North Atlantic |
| Coordinates | 30°24′00″N 81°31′49″W / 30.40000°N 81.53028°W |
| Administration | |
| State | Florida |
| County | Duval |
Blount Island is a large island in Jacksonville, Florida. It covers about 2,000 acres (8.1 square kilometers). The island is located on the St. Johns River, about 16.7 kilometers (9 nautical miles) west of the Atlantic Ocean.
Blount Island is an important place. It has one of the main cargo facilities for the Port of Jacksonville. It is also home to a base for the United States Marine Corps, called Blount Island Command.
The Story of Blount Island
From Goat Island to Blount Island
Before it became Blount Island, this area was known as Goat Island. A family named Bartchlett lived there for over 35 years, even during World War II. They saw ships coming through the river that were still damaged from the war.
The St. Johns River used to have many twists and turns near Jacksonville. This became a problem when shipping companies started using much larger ships after World War II. To make it easier for big ships to pass, the United States Army Corps of Engineers created a straight channel. This new path was called the Dames Point Cut.
To build this new channel, they had to dig up a lot of dirt and sand from the river. This extra material, called "dredging spoil," was used to create four new marsh islands. These islands were then combined to form what we now know as Blount Island. The land was given to the Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) to develop.
The western part of the island was developed first. It was used for moving cargo after the Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) was created in 1963. Train tracks were added to the island in the late 1960s to help move goods.
A Giant Crane and Unbuilt Power Plants
In the 1970s, two big companies, Westinghouse Electric and Tenneco, started a project called Offshore Power Systems (OPS). Their idea was to build floating nuclear power plants.
OPS bought 850 acres (3.4 square kilometers) on the eastern side of Blount Island from JAXPORT. They filled in the marshy land to prepare it for building. They also added roads, utilities, and other important structures. OPS even bought the world's largest crane for $15 million. This crane was 38 stories tall and could lift 990 metric tons!
A lot of money, about $125 million, was spent developing the site. However, no power plants were ever built. The company closed down in 1984. Westinghouse later sold their land on Blount Island to Gate Petroleum in 1985 for $17 million.
Gate Petroleum's Plans
The next year, Gate Petroleum leased some of their Blount Island land to the United States Marine Corps. In 1989, the U.S. Navy made a deal with Gate. They planned to dock two ships at Blount Island on new piers. This project would require digging deeper channels in the river.
Some local groups, including fishermen, environmentalists, and people living along the river, were against the dredging. Even though Gate's project fit the city's plans for the industrial area, Gate decided to stop the development. They asked the Navy to cancel the contract because of the public opposition.
In 1990, Gate sold the giant crane that Offshore Power Systems had bought. It was sold for $3 million to a Chinese company, which then took it apart and shipped it overseas.
The Marines Make Blount Island Their Home
What Blount Island Command Does
Blount Island Command is a very important base for the U.S. Marine Corps. It supports three groups of Maritime Prepositioning ships. These ships are placed in key locations around the world, like the Mediterranean Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Western Pacific Ocean.
Each group of ships carries enough food, equipment, supplies, and ammunition to support a Marine Air-Ground Task Force for one month. This means they have everything Marines might need for a mission.
Marines Acquire the Land
In 1986, the U.S. Marine Corps started the Biennial Maintenance Command (BMC) on the east side of Blount Island. They leased 262 acres (1.1 square kilometers) from Gate Maritime Properties for $11 million per year.
The lease was set to end in 2004. In 2000, the Marine Corps announced they wanted to buy the property when the lease expired. Their budget included $115.7 million for the purchase. However, the Marine Corps and Gate Petroleum could not agree on a price. Gate believed the land was worth much more, between $160 million and $200 million.
So, in August 2004, the Marine Corps used a process called eminent domain. This means the government can buy private land for public use, even if the owner doesn't want to sell. The Marine Corps took control of 1,100 acres (4.5 square kilometers) of Gate's land on Blount Island. They paid $101 million, which was later increased to $106 million.
In the United States, when land is taken by eminent domain, the government must pay a "just compensation" to the landowner. Gate Petroleum felt the payment was not fair, so they asked a jury to decide the land's true value. On November 14, 2005, a jury decided that the government should pay $162 million for the land.
Blount Island's Public Port Facility
The Blount Island Marine Terminal is JAXPORT's biggest facility for shipping containers. It covers 754 acres (3.05 square kilometers). About 80% of all container cargo at the port goes through Blount Island. It also handles other types of cargo, like:
- Ro/Ro (Roll-on/roll-off) cargo, which means vehicles that can be driven on and off ships.
- Heavy lift items.
- Breakbulk cargo (goods that are loaded individually, not in containers).
- Liquid bulk cargo.
The terminal has 6,600 feet (2,012 meters) of deep-water berths where ships can dock.
Cranes and Storage
Blount Island has many cranes to help move cargo. It has one 112-ton "whirly crane" and eight container cranes. These include five 50-ton cranes, one 45-ton crane, and two 40-ton cranes. Two of the 50-ton cranes were bought in 2010.
The terminal also has large storage areas. There is 240,000 square feet (22,000 square meters) of transit shed space. This is for temporary storage of goods. There's also a 90,000 square foot (8,400 square meter) Container Freight Station. This helps move goods efficiently between containers and other transport.
Many companies use Blount Island to ship goods to the Caribbean, including Trailer Bridge and Crowley Maritime.
Getting Around Blount Island
By Train
Over 30% of the cargo shipped from Blount Island uses train service. CSX Corporation provides direct rail service right at the terminal. JAXPORT owns the 14 miles (22.5 kilometers) of train tracks on the island, which were built in the late 1960s.
In 2009, the Port Authority received a grant of almost $6 million to improve the rail system on Blount Island. The U.S. Marine Corps also uses these tracks. JAXPORT had to provide $1.7 million in matching funds for the project. The improvements included laying 3.5 miles (5.6 kilometers) of new track and replacing 12,000 old wooden ties that support the tracks.
By Truck
Blount Island is also easy to reach by highway. Interstate 295 is only about 1.6 kilometers (one mile) away. Interstate 95 is a quick five-minute drive. Interstate 10 is on the west side of the I-295 beltway. Interstate 75 is about an hour's drive west.
Southeast Toyota's New Home
On April 25, 2022, Jaxport and Southeast Toyota Distributors (SET) announced exciting plans. SET will lease a new facility on Blount Island to process vehicles. They had been leasing space at another terminal since 1968.
The new location will allow SET to make their operations more efficient and handle more cars. It will also have better facilities for their employees, similar to other SET locations in Jacksonville. This new facility is expected to be finished by the end of 2024.
Jaxport is working with the Florida Department of Transportation on a $45 million project to expand Blount Island's capacity. SET will contribute $16.5 million to this cost. The expanded facility will be able to handle larger ships. It will also allow two ships to dock at the same time. The new site will have two buildings for processing vehicles, totaling 250,000 square feet (23,000 square meters). This is larger than their old 200,000 square foot (19,000 square meter) space. It will also have 88 acres (36 hectares) of land, compared to their old 73 acres (30 hectares), plus new CSX train connections.
