Robas retires after 23 years with JAXPORT

By Susan Hardee Steger
February 5, 2018 1:13 p.m.

After 23 years with the Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT), Fernandina Beach native Victoria Robas has retired as director, marine operations for Blount Island and Dames Point Marine Terminals. As the daughter of the late John Robas who transformed the menhaden industry with his innovative use of the Puretic power block, Victoria was always drawn to the water. Prior to joining the Jacksonville Port Authority, she worked for ports in Savannah and for Nassau Terminals in Fernandina Beach.

A retirement luncheon was held in Robas’ honor on Wednesday, January 31, at JAXPORT’s Blount Island facility.

Robas’ remarkable career allowed her to oversee a bustling port where cargo from around the world is loaded and unloaded. Typical cargoes at JAXPORT contain fish, oysters, rice, forest products, and automobiles, but cargoes vary according to world events. After Puerto Rico was ravaged by Hurricane Irma last year, Robas saw constant supplies of food, water, and medicine leaving the port for the Caribbean. As Puerto Rico began to rebuild, telephone poles and other building supplies followed. When conflicts erupted throughout the world, Robas witnessed an uptick in military equipment heading overseas. She also witnessed drivers who can park cars on a dime, maneuvering 7,000 vehicles into the belly of a ship. JAXPORT is one of the top vehicle-handling ports in the country.

Time is of the essence in moving cargo, so cranes and forklifts are in constant motion. Port business is a dangerous business. “There are no small accidents at a port,” said Robas.

At her retirement lunch, men and women praised Robas for her steady leadership in an ever-changing and growing port facility and her calm demeanor when problems arose. Women gave credit to Robas for leading the way for women to gain positions of responsibility in the maritime industry. As sisters Annie and Toni and several friends who attended the luncheon were leaving, Blount Island’s operations manager, Steve Kapustka, said, “Victoria knew how to treat people. I’m really going to miss her.”

Robas plans to spend her retirement years tending her beloved Blueberry Farm, writing a family history, and spending more time with family, friends, and her dog Angus.