The majority of Florida ports, including Tampa and Sarasota, were closed to all vessel traffic on 8 October in anticipation of Hurricane Milton, according to Reuters.
Additionally, several South Carolina terminals, such as Charleston, began enforcing navigation restrictions.
JAXPORT said in an advisory that inbound cargo traffic to its main gates will stop at 10 a.m. (local time) on 9 October, and the port will close fully shortly after. JAXPORT will be closed on 10 October, too.
The port plans to reopen the Main Gates Friday (11 October) morning, pending the successful completion of facility assessments.
Milton weakened into a Category 4 hurricane, moving on Tuesday toward the east-northeast with maximum sustained winds of 145 miles per hour (230 km/h) before making landfall in Florida on Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center.