Federal Maritime Commission

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Commissioner Robert J. Harvey

Biography

Commissioner Robert J. Harvey, of Florida, was nominated by President Trump on September 3, 2025, to serve on the Federal Maritime Commission for a term expiring on June 30, 2029. The United States Senate confirmed his nomination on May 18, 2026, and he was sworn in on June 1, 2026.

Commissioner Harvey previously served as the President & Executive Director of the Florida Opportunity Fund, a not-for-profit corporation investing in Florida based start-up companies in life sciences, information technology, advanced manufacturing, aviation and aerospace, homeland security and defense, as well as other technology sectors strategic to Florida.

He also served as the Executive Director of the Florida Development Finance Corporation, the statewide conduit issuer created by the legislature to issue tax-exempt and taxable bonds for the purpose of promoting economic development throughout Florida. Prior to these positions he was the General Counsel at Enterprise Florida, the principal economic development organization for the State of Florida

He has also served as a partner at several law firms over his career, specializing in securities litigation, arbitration, and regulation. Through these senior legal and business roles, Commissioner Harvey has gained valuable experience in navigating and managing public-private partnerships to promote economic growth.

A U.S. Navy veteran and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, Commissioner Harvey’s maritime career began when he served as a Lieutenant Commander in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, providing legal counsel on military justice, administrative law, federal law enforcement, and naval law.

Commissioner Harvey has a strong interest in the international law of the sea, including freedom of navigation and the right of innocent passage. He is also focused on emerging maritime technologies, including quantum maritime solutions in such areas as route and fleet optimization, sensing and navigation, cybersecurity, secure communications, and predictive maintenance and environmental modeling.

Commissioner Harvey earned his B.S. in Business Administration from Eastern Illinois University, and his J.D. from Southern Illinois University School of Law.

Born and raised in Joliet, Illinois, Robert, and his wife Debra hail from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.