Lawyer appointed by Lula takes over the Port of Itajaí in Santa Catarina

Tavares (center) accompanied by the president of Sebrae, Décio Lima, and the Secretary of Ports, Alex Ávila (Disclosure)

Appointed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), at the request of the former federal deputy and current president of Sebrae, Décio Lima, lawyer João Paulo Tavares assumed, last week, the position of superintendent of the Port of Itajaí, in Santa Catarina.

Tavares replaces André Bonini, who had been in the position since the beginning of January, appointed by the Port Authority of Santos (APS) when the Santos-based manager took over Itajaí.

“President Lula saved the Port of Itajaí on three occasions. In 2006, during his first term, he renovated the jetties, preventing the paralysis of port activities. In 2008, he rebuilt the Port, which had been completely destroyed by the flood. Now, after nearly three years of suspension, the Lula government managed to find a company to operate the Port, already in the first month after its federalization”, said the new superintendent.

Tavares is 48 years old, originally from São Paulo, but has lived in Itajaí since 1994. He holds an MBA in Tax Law from Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) and is a former president of the Brazilian Lawyers Order (OAB) of Itajaí and a Federal Councilor of the OAB. He has also served as Secretary of Administration, Attorney General of the Municipality, and CEO of the Itajaí Social Security Institute.

Justification In a statement, APS states that the substitution is a natural process since the former superintendent was from Santos. The Port Authority affirms that it "will continue to work in the same direction of strengthening and valuing the port community of Itajaí and the State of Santa Catarina."

The manager further states that Tavares "is trusted by us and will integrate a technical team that will always be linked to the decision-making power of the Port Authority of Santos."