Southeast Toyota Distributors accepted the first delivery of vehicles to its new processing center at JaxPort’s Blount Island Marine Terminal on Oct. 23, the port authority announced on LinkedIn.
The delivery marks the culmination of more than two years of construction on the 340,000-square-foot facility, where the company is relocating and expanding its operations.
The project was funded by Southeast Toyota and a $19.78 million grant from the Florida Department of Transportation to assist with terminal development. When vertical construction began in July 2024, JaxPort reported that the total cost would be $145 million.
In its LinkedIn post, JaxPort called the delivery “the start of a new era” for southeast Toyota. Video accompanying the post shows cars being driven off of a cargo ship and parked in the new facility.
In April 2022, Southeast Toyota announced plans to move its operations from the Talleyrand terminal to the Blount Island site. At that time, the company was processing vehicles in a 50-acre facility at the Talleyrand Marine Terminal and an adjacent 23-acre private facility.
Shortly after the announcement, the Jacksonville Port Authority board voted 7-0 to approve a 25-year lease with the company for 88 acres on Blount Island. The lease agreement includes three five-year renewal options.
JaxPort officials said the lease agreement and facility upgrades were valued at $210 million over 40 years.
Jacksonville-based kasper architects + associates designed the facility. J.E. Dunn Construction served as construction manager.
Foundation work on the project began in August 2023, and the start of vertical construction followed in July 2024.
Southeast Toyota Distributors has been operating at JaxPort for more than 50 years and is one of the port’s longest-standing tenants, according to JaxPort. The company processes Toyota vehicles manufactured in North America and Japan at JaxPort for distribution across the Southeast U.S.
The company is part of Deerfield Beach-based JM Family Enterprises Inc., which the jmfamily.com site says is a privately held, diversified company founded in 1968 by automotive pioneer Jim Moran when he partnered with Toyota Motor Sales to help expand the automaker’s presence in the U.S. market.
The site says Southeast Toyota Distributors is the world’s largest independent distributor of Toyotas.
JaxPort reported that in 2023, Southeast Toyota moved more than 120,000 vehicles through the port. The company’s Jacksonville operations support more than 800 jobs, the port said, including processing, parts and distribution, and technical support and training.
In September 2025, the JaxPort board voted 6-0 to contribute $589,667 to help repair soil erosion at the new facility. JaxPort officials said the contribution would cover 50% of the cost to fix voids under the pavement of the facility, which were caused by soil erosion that created gaps between the pavement and the ground below.
In January 2024, the JaxPort approved a 30-year, $136.6 million agreement with Enstructure, the parent company of longtime JaxPort tenant Seaonus Stevedoring, to lease and develop the acreage being vacated by Southeast Toyota at the Talleyrand Marine Terminal.