Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tribune article on Port Director’s resignation:
Port of Tampa chief resigns suddenly
By KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune
Published: June 07, 2012
Updated: June 07, 2012 – 7:24 AM
TAMPA —
Saying that the sprawling Port of Tampa, the largest in Florida and consistently among the busiest in the nation, is in sound financial shape, port director Richard Wainio announced Wednesday that he is walking away from the job he has held for more than seven years.
“It’s a good time to move on,” he said. “The port is doing well.”
His one-page letter of resignation shocked some governing board members, who didn’t see it coming.
“I was surprised,” said William Brown, member of the governing board for five years. “Richard is going to be missed. He’s done a great job here.”
Fellow board member Sandy Murman, also a Hillsborough County commissioner, echoed Brown’s sentiments, saying Wainio steered the port’s operations through the recession that has gripped the nation and Florida in particular since 2008.
“The port is more profitable than ever,” she said. “We don’t have any deficit, the budget is balanced. The operations at this port are stellar compared to other ports in the state of Florida.”
The Port of Tampa remains Florida’s largest cargo port, handling more than 40 percent of all the maritime cargo entering the state.
But the port, like most other industries, suffered with the sagging economy over the past few years. Total cargo movement from October through December was down 2 percent from a year earlier.
“I am not going to sugarcoat the port’s performance,” Wainio said at his state of the port address in December. “Our state and our region are only very slowly emerging from a recession that went deeper and lasted longer than in most parts of the country.”
He reiterated that point Wednesday afternoon, but also that business has seemed to have turned around. Cargo shipments are increasing and shipping trade with Central and South America are on the upswing, he said.
Wainio’s resignation letter cited personal reasons, that he wanted to spend more time with his family. He is married and has a son going into high school and daughter who is a high school senior.
The letter, dated Monday but delivered on Wednesday, said, “My decision is purely personal, based on family considerations and certain future issues.” His last day is Sept. 7.
Last year, Wainio, 62, negotiated a two-year contract and a raise to $268,500 a year after working under a series of one-year contracts. He said he doesn’t have any other job offers and hasn’t sought any jobs. He said he has no plans of what to do when Sept. 7 rolls around.
He wrote that he hopes to work with the county and governing board to achieve a seamless transition of leadership.
“Every CEO wants to leave on his own terms,” he said in an interview Wednesday afternoon. “I’m making this decision. Nobody else is.”
Wainio had his critics. Last year, the Port of Tampa Maritime Industries Association, a group of port tenants, criticized Wainio’s management style and board members said his relationship with some tenants had “turned personal.” The group urged the commission not to renew his contract.
Maritime Industries Association spokesman Tim Shusta said on Wednesday night that news of Wainio’s resignation came as a surprise.
“It certainly wasn’t something we had expected,” he said. “We thought he’d be with us for the next two years.”
The main criticism of Wainio, he said, was this: “We thought that he did not work well with the stakeholders or the people in the port community in trying to move the port forward and bring new business to Tampa.”
He wouldn’t be more specific and stopped short of saying the association was happy to see Wainio go.
“Let me put it this way,” he said. “We look forward to working with the commissioners in finding new leadership for all concerned at the port.”
Wainio had received favorable board reviews since he was hired in 2005. His two-year contract included some performance-based criteria.
“The only thing I care about,” he said Wednesday, “is that I want to be able to say I did a good job. This is not an easy job. This is a big port and that means it’s very diverse. It means you have to deal with all kinds of different people.
“It’s been fun,” he said. “It’s been challenging.”
The resignation comes as the port authority is considering major changes in two areas of operation: the passenger cruise ship port and the Channelside entertainment and retail complex.
Wainio and other port officials have been talking for months with the world’s largest cruise lines about the possibility of a new terminal near the mouth of Tampa Bay, west of the Sunshine Skyway bridge. The Port Authority is trying to keep the Tampa area in the running as home port for new cruise ships, which are too big to pass beneath the span to get to the existing cruise ship ports.
The Port Authority also is about to consider a bid to take over operations of the financially troubled Channelside Bay Plaza. The plaza is on port land and the Port Authority has veto power over any bidder selected by the bank.
Finding a replacement may take time, Murman said. “I imagine we will do a national search.” She said there is a lot of port land that can be developed, making the port even larger, more robust.
“This area is vibrant,” she said. “We have land here, land to expand.”
She said the next port director “will be someone with those goals in mind.”
