Air
Tampa International Airport is the largest airport in the region with 21 carriers and more than 17 million passengers served last year. In addition to the recent opening of a new terminal, improvements are being planned to handle 25 million passengers by 2020. Traveler satisfaction has always been a top priority for “America’s Favorite Airport.” It has won high recognition in the international J.D. Power and Associates Global Airport Passenger Satisfaction Study for three consecutive years. Conde Nast Traveler Magazine recognized TIA as the third best airport in the world and IATA Skytrax 2003 survey named TIA as the No. 2 airport in North America.
Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport has experienced a 19.2 percent increase in passenger traffic during the first quarter of 2005, mainly due to the addition of AirTran airways and expanded service to destinations.
St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport provides excellent access to commercial airliners, and smaller charter craft. The airport is currently planning an expansion which will include new terminal facilities and runway extension. Dotting the landscape throughout the area, are many general aviation airports for the aircraft enthusiast and smaller corporate jets.
Sea
Port Tampa Bay. Seaborne commerce has historically been a large part of the Tampa Bay area’s economy. It is fitting that the area boasts the largest port in Florida and the 10th largest in the nation – Port Tampa Bay. The port accommodates half of Florida’s cargo in the form of bulk, break bulk, ro-ro, refrigerator and container. The port also has a large ship repair and building industry, and recently expanded cruise facilities.
The Port of Manatee, with more refrigerated dockside space than any other Gulf of Mexico port, is the closest of the three Tampa Bay deepwater ports to the Panama Canal. It is also one of the state's busiest, ranking fifth among Florida's 14 seaports in total annual cargo tonnage.
The Port of St. Petersburg is home to a U.S. Coast Guard Station and is home to the Ocean Jewel gaming ship. The smallest of Florida’s ports, it operates as a landlord port managed by the city of St. Petersburg.
Roads
Tampa Bay area is investing in its future with more than $1.8 billion in new construction and improvements (current, proposed, recently completed) to its interstate and highway infrastructure.
This construction includes: the expansion of I-4 through East Hillsborough and Polk counties; improvements to Tampa’s downtown interchange and I-275 in Hillsborough County; a reversible-lane bridge on the Selmon Crosstown Expressway; the widening of I-75; the widening of S.R. 70 in Manatee County; a new Crosstown Connector to connect the Port of Tampa with I-4 and the Crosstown Expressway; and additional expressway overpasses for U.S. 19 in Pinellas.
Rail
CSX provides dependable rail service for the entire Tampa Bay region. The railroad serves everymajor population and industrial center east of the Mississippi including Ontario and Montreal. CSX also connects with more than 166 bulk intermodal distribution terminals and rail-to-truck bulk transload facilities throughout its service area, linking it to all of North America.
