{"id":433970,"date":"2025-12-08T19:59:12","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T19:59:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/433970\/"},"modified":"2025-12-08T19:59:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T19:59:12","slug":"jacksonville-port-authority-mourns-after-chief-operating-officer-dies-in-crash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/433970\/","title":{"rendered":"Jacksonville Port Authority mourns after chief operating officer dies in crash"},"content":{"rendered":"

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.<\/strong> \u2013 Jacksonville Port Authority Chief Operating Officer James Bennett died Monday morning in a car crash, JaxPort confirmed to News4JAX.<\/p>\n

In a statement, JaxPort spokesperson Chelsea Kavanagh wrote that the organization\u2019s employees and leadership are deeply saddened by Bennett\u2019s unexpected passing.<\/p>\n

\u201cJames dedicated his life to improving the quality of life for people in Northeast Florida, and our entire community is better for his service,\u201d Kavanagh wrote.<\/p>\n

Bennett oversaw JaxPort\u2019s two largest departments\u2014Operations and Engineering\u2014and as a member of the leadership team was the liaison for many of the port\u2019s partners. He had worked for JaxPort since 2017 and became COO in 2022.<\/p>\n

Details of the crash have not yet been confirmed.<\/p>\n

\u201cJames brought extraordinary dedication, skill, and heart to everything he did. His work ethic was unmatched, and his commitment to our mission elevated everyone around him,\u201d Kavanagh wrote. \u201cHe loved his work and the people he worked alongside, and in turn, we were all made better by working with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to News4JAX news partner, the Jacksonville Daily Record<\/a>, Bennett oversaw JaxPort\u2019s capital growth program and the expansion of Blount Island\u2019s container and auto-handling capabilities.<\/p>\n

Bennett joined JaxPort as its senior director of engineering and construction. In that role, he was responsible for the completion of JaxPort\u2019s 47-foot harbor deepening project, $100 million berth modernization project, and renovations to the JaxPort Cruise Terminal, JDR reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeyond his professional accomplishments, James was an exceptional human being whose spirit filled every room he entered. His loss will be felt deeply across our organization,\u201d Kavanagh wrote. \u201cWe are forever grateful for his leadership, his friendship, and his service to our port and to Northeast Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before JaxPort, Bennett spent more than 20 years with the Florida Department of Transportation, where he served as planning manager for District Two, encompassing 18 counties throughout North Florida, according to JDR.<\/p>\n

Bennett has also been a Baker County Commissioner since 2011, and the commission shared a social media post on Monday, mourning is passing.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur community has lost a dedicated public servant, a cherished colleague, and a well-respected leader,\u201d the post read. \u201cCommissioner Bennett\u2019s impact on Baker County was immeasurable. His integrity, compassion, and unwavering commitment to this community will forever remain a part of our county\u2019s history. We are grateful for his years of service and for the steady sense of responsibility and service he demonstrated throughout his time in office.\u201d<\/p>\n

Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2013 Jacksonville Port Authority Chief Operating Officer James Bennett died Monday morning in a car crash,…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":433971,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5136],"tags":[5229,3188,723,7310,169785,201211,85434,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-433970","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jacksonville","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-fl","10":"tag-florida","11":"tag-jacksonville","12":"tag-jacksonville-port-authority","13":"tag-james-bennett","14":"tag-jaxport","15":"tag-united-states","16":"tag-united-states-of-america","17":"tag-unitedstates","18":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","19":"tag-us","20":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115685724489627345","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/433970","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=433970"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/433970\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/433971"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=433970"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=433970"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=433970"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}