PORT'S SAFETY COSTS NOT ANCHORED

TAMPA - The cost of security at the Port of Tampa is going up sharply, but
it's unclear how it will be funded.

Port officials say they want to add two checkpoints, boosting construction
costs to $20 million - a 33 percent increase over previous estimates.

Checkpoints at the Pendola Point and Port Sutton branches off U.S. 41 are
the bulk of the $5 million increase, said George Williamson, the port's
director and chief executive. The port already planned to build a
checkpoint at the main entrance off 22nd Street.

"We looked at things and decided we needed these," Williamson said.

Although funding for the $20 million project is still up in the air, the
port recently secured a $2.3 million grant from the Florida Department of
Transportation to pay for some capital costs, including barbed-wire fences,
lighting and closed-circuit television cameras.

The port authority voted Wednesday to dip into money generated by county
taxes to pay for $2.4 million in annual recurring costs - separate from the
$20 million construction costs - associated with increased police patrols
and in-house security.

Previously, the port used county tax money, about $10 million in 2001, for
capital improvements, not salaries, but the urgent need for security after
the Sept. 11 attacks prompted the vote, Williamson said. He said he didn't
know what capital projects would suffer from the decision.

Last year, the Legislature mandated security upgrades at ports to stem the
tide of illegal drugs. After the terrorist attacks, the increased security
took on new meaning.

The 2,600-acre port is home to hazardous materials. The state determined
the Port of Tampa is at high risk.

"This situation is a wake-up call for us to take some drastic action to
secure the port," said Fassil Gabremariam, chairman of the port authority.
"This is going to take some enormous upfront costs. This event has placed a
lot of things upside down."

The port authority voted Wednesday to suspend its bid procedure for six
months. Instead of a 90-day bid period, the authority can approve a bid
immediately. Williamson said the move was designed to speed up construction.

To pay for the roughly $11 million left unfunded, the port is looking to
the DOT's Transportation Outreach Program. In late August, the Florida
Ports Council, a trade group, asked the program for $27 million to fund
security upgrades at Florida's 14 ports.

A decision on the port council's request is expected by December, and key
legislators have said port security funding should be a priority.

In addition to fencing, video surveillance and checkpoints, the security
upgrades include fingerprint background checks on employees and
identification badges.