City Council confirmed Harden and Associates Inc. Chair and former CEO M.C. “Ceree” Harden III to the board of the Jacksonville Port Authority.
Mayor Lenny Curry nominated Harden in September for the vacancy.
Council voted 18-0 on Oct. 26 as part of the meeting’s consent agenda to confirm Harden’s appointment.
Harden, 68, joined the Harden insurance, risk management and employee benefits company in 1976. It was sold to Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in December.
Ceree Harden’s father, M.C. Harden Jr., founded the company in 1953.
In a news release Nov. 10, JaxPort Board Chair Wendy Hamilton talked about Ceree Harden’s executive and business experience.
“From his expertise in strategic business growth and economic development to his decades of service giving back to the community, his background and leadership skills will be a tremendous benefit to us during this time of record-setting growth for JAXPORT,” Hamilton said in the release.
Harden has served on the boards of FPIC Insurance Group; the Jacksonville Economic Development Commission; the JAX Chamber; and Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville.
He joins the seven-member JaxPort board, which includes Hamilton; Vice Chair J. Palmer Clarkson; Treasurer Daniel Bean; Secretary Brad Talbert; immediate past Chair Jamie Shelton; and member Ed Fleming.
The city and state split the appointment power of JaxPort board members. The Jacksonville mayor appoints four members and the governor appoints three.
Board members serve four-year terms and can be reappointed to one additional term
JaxPort recently reported a record for container volume in fiscal 2021. According to port officials, 1.4 million containers moved through the port, which operates on the St. Johns River.
JaxPort is the largest container port in Florida.