TALLAHASSEE - Last legislative session, Florida’s ports won some big battles: a record $117 million in the state budget, a multiyear feud with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and better overtures from Gov. Rick Scott than they had ever received from his predecessor.

Although this year’s Legislature session is only two weeks old, it already appears to be another good year.

Omnibus transportation bills filed in both the House and Senate include $42 million in annual spending increases, and many think money in the state budget — separate from that legislation — will again be over $100 million.

Gov. Rick Scott's proposed budget calls for $100 million, but some port backers see that as a funding basement for the industry.

“I think there is room to grow. The governor has been supportive, and I think the budget will see more than that,” said Rep. Lake Ray, who has been a prominent voice in port industry debates since coming to Tallahassee in 2008.

The Jacksonville Republican is also pushing for the creation of a “strategic plan,” a proposal that would shift the way port projects are funded. Under the plan, a committee would evaluate proposed projects, and funnel state money to those that meet certain criteria.

“It will probably take a few years to accomplish,” Ray said, “but we would like to lay the groundwork this year.”

More money for the port means more jobs over the long term, said Paul Anderson, CEO of the Jacksonville Port Authority, which received roughly $15 million in last year’s budget.

“It is going to have a generational impact on the state of Florida,” Anderson said, “when you look at the jobs that ports sustain and the return on investment we get.”

There are sticking points left to negotiate, but the proposals would create the Strategic Port Investment Initiative, which would receive $35 million annually to focus on funding large port projects.

“Those are going to be big projects,” said Doug Wheeler, president of the Florida Ports Council. “We are not talking small warehouses.”

The bill also increases from $8 million to $15 million the amount the state is required to give the Florida Seaport and Transportation Economic Development council. It deals with more day-to-day issues, said Wheeler, whose group provides, among other things, administrative support to the council.

The increased emphasis on ports could mean a spillover for other areas of transportation, too.

“That stuff does not just sit on the dock,” said Bob Burleson, president of the Florida Transportation Builders Association. “A bulk of it is going to get out by truck.”

He said he is more concerned by the tone of a memo sent by House Speaker Dean Cannon announcing he is proposing to take millions from the Transportation Trust Fund, which helps fund all sectors of the industry.

“The House budget will prioritize the delivery of services to people [education, health care, and public safety] over the purchase of things [transportation, general government, and the environment],” the memo read.

The word “things” caught Burleson’s eye.

“I definitely see it [transportation] as a service,” he said.

Port backers see a future for their industry much brighter than its recent past.

“It has been frustrating up to this point,” Wheeler said. “I’m not sure former Gov. Charlie Crist ever stepped foot on a port.”