Former U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw reflects on how 9/11 attacks changed Northeast Florida

Jacksonville — Ander Crenshaw was in his first year in the U.S. House of Representatives when the terrorists struck on Sept. 11, 2001. He says there were a lot of negatives that came out of the attacks, but plenty of positive developments did come to the area he represented in Northeast Florida.

“Jacksonville has always been a very strategic point, but that made it even more important because we realized maybe for the first time that we were vulnerable,” he says.

Crenshaw says President George W. Bush was already committed to a strong national defense, and that commitment was taken to another level after what happened in New York.

“At Mayport, more and more ships were coming there,” Crenshaw remembers. “At NAS Jacksonville, more and more planes and helicopters.”

LISTEN: Full interview with retired U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw

Crenshaw points to the littoral combat ships that now call Naval Station Mayport home, saying the fact that Northeast Florida became the East Coast home port for the Freedom Class of those ships was huge in solidifying the area’s importance in the landscape of the Navy.

The same goes for the P-8A Poseidon aircraft at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Crenshaw says.

But he says it’s hard to just talk about the good when you remember the terrorist attacks. Crenshaw’s district included Amelia Island and Ponte Vedra Beach where plenty of people visit for vacations or conventions each year.

“Certainly the first year, if not two or three, all travel was just shut down,” Crenshaw says. “People weren’t going to conventions, they weren’t traveling.”

He says it had a devastating impact on the area’s economy when it comes to tourism and economic development. But looking back it’s easy to tell there was plenty of good in the aftermath of what happened in New York.

“It was very positive in terms of economic impact in terms of military buildup, and that was good for Jacksonville,” Crenshaw says.

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