Port Security is Growing Tighter?

JACKSONVILLE, FL -- A big shift is on the way for port security in Jacksonville.

Monday afternoon, the U.S. Coast Guard called off a 17-hour search for a stowaway who escaped in our waters.

Investigators think he and five other men slid into our area on a barge, then jumped into the St. Johns River. All but one have been found.

That type of trouble is driving a push for stronger security. The goal: to give us one of the most monitored ports in America.

We've already seen some results. Coast Guard cameras, designed for security, caught an incredible view of the explosion at the T2 chemical plant last month.

The same Coast Guard cameras that picked up that blast are at work every day, watching the waters near our ports.

Petty Officer Bobby Nash, a Coast Guard spokesman, will say the cameras are relatively new. But he won't say how many they've installed or where they're located -- that information is classified.

"The Coast Guard, police, fire and rescue can't be everywhere at once. So we rely on this layered approach, which includes the cameras and other security measures like this to help keep the Port of Jacksonville very safe," Nash said.

Just last month, the United States government rolled out another new layer of port security.

Every port worker in America -- including more than ten thousand in Jacksonville -- will get federal ID cards after a three-part screening this year.

They'll still need a special state ID, too. Florida's the only place where workers will need two badges like that.

The federal ID is designed with a focus on stopping terrorism, while the state ID is more focused on stopping drug smuggling.

It may seem like two cards would be better than one -- but there are some concerns from folks here on the First Coast.

Having a port worker sign up for two cards can be expensive, with the combined costs topping $200. Plus, some workers may qualify for one card but not the other, which would keep them from working at the port.

Those factors have the potential to put Florida at a disadvantage compared to other states.

"For the types of cargo that we deal with in Jacksonville, our competitors are in Georgia and South Carolina," explained JAXPORT security chief Chris Kauffmann.

He says his staff will absolutely enforce the new rules. But he's worried the bureaucracy may push more business to our northern neighbors.

"They have one set of rules to follow, where we have two," he said.

Again, every port worker in the U.S. will need to have that federal ID card. The ID is expected to be mandatory later this year.

The local NBC affiliate called the stowaways "migrants" on the news program. Apparently the term "illegal immigrants" has been deemed offensive.

As for the worry about the port security being too onerous to bear for the port workers with having to have both a U.S. clearance and a state of Florida clearance, I am left to wonder why every state in the US with ports does not have the same type of program in place.