Port Tampa Bay President & CEO Paul Anderson announced today the hiring of Laura Lenhart as its new Vice President of Government Affairs. Lenhart joins Port Tampa Bay with nearly 15 years of experience in government affairs. She will start the position on August 2, 2022.  

As Vice President of Government Affairs for Port Tampa Bay, Lenhart will be responsible for advocating on behalf of the President and CEO, Port Tampa Bay and its stakeholders to implement legislative policies and secure sponsors for both legislative and appropriations’ requests. The Vice President of Government Affairs supports the core activities of the Port, including internal and external business, operational and government relations, and strategic management of short- and long- term projects as directed by the President and CEO. 

"Port Tampa Bay is the state’s largest and most diverse seaport and our operations support 85,000 direct and indirect jobs. With a more than $17 billion economic impact, our port is the single largest economic driver in West Central Florida and I am thrilled that Laura has chosen to bring her knowledge and experience to Port Tampa Bay to advocate for our needs," said Anderson. 

Lenhart previously worked as a Government Affairs Advisor at Gray Robinson, P.A., where she advocated on behalf of client issues in the Tampa Bay area and statewide on varied interests ranging from telecommunications, technology, K-12 education, transportation, and human services. She has served as the Government and Regulatory Affairs Manager for Frontier Communications serving parts of Pasco and Polk, and all of Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee, and Sarasota Counties, where she was responsible for developing and successfully executing their annual legislative agenda.  

Lenhart also held government relations positions with Moffitt Cancer Center and the Florida Chamber of Commerce. She earned a Master of Science in Political Science, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Political Science, both from Florida State University.