Mesothelioma.com - Helping Mesothelioma Patients Since 1996 call

Mesothelioma in Jacksonville, Florida

Linda Molinari
Author: Linda Molinari
Jennifer Lucarelli
Last Updated: 11/12/2025

Asbestos was commonly used during the construction and repair of ships. Shipyard workers and naval personnel working in Jacksonville, Florida, are at risk of developing mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure. Treatment and legal resources are available to Jacksonville residents with mesothelioma.
Learn More About Asbestos and Mesothelioma in Jacksonville Request Your Free Guide

Asbestos use in Florida

Jacksonville, Florida Mesothelioma Treatment

Mesothelioma patients in Jacksonville have access to various treatment options in Florida. The state is home to several cancer centers where patients can seek specialized mesothelioma treatment. Mesothelioma doctors and specialists offer conventional treatments including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Patients may qualify to participate in clinical trials through mesothelioma cancer centers.

Cancer Centers for Mesothelioma Serving Jacksonville, Florida

Patients in the Jacksonville area diagnosed with mesothelioma have many treatment options.

Mesothelioma is a very rare cancer that can be difficult to diagnose. It is important for patients to see doctors with experience treating this disease. They may seek treatment at mesothelioma cancer centers located throughout the state of Florida. These centers offer expert care from mesothelioma specialists with experience treating this rare disease.

For example, patients can access care from mesothelioma specialists at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. Experts at this cancer center’s Mesothelioma Treatment and Research Center use a multidisciplinary approach to treating patients diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer. The Moffitt Cancer Center currently offers in-progress clinical trials for eligible mesothelioma patients.

Mesothelioma patients from Jacksonville can also seek care locally. For example, some doctors at the nearby Mayo Clinic Florida specialize in treating mesothelioma.

Photo of Moffitt Cancer Center
Moffitt Cancer Center
Magnolia Campus
Tampa, FL 33612
Photo of Orlando Health Cancer Institute
Orlando Health Cancer Institute
Rod Taylor Thoracic Care Center
Orlando, FL 32806
Photo of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center
Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center
Miami, FL 33136

Jacksonville, Florida Mesothelioma Doctors

Doctors in Jacksonville have experience caring for mesothelioma patients.

Mesothelioma specialists at cancer centers will develop personalized treatment plans. These plans are best suited for their patients based on diagnosis, stage of disease and other personal factors. Doctors will determine the optimal treatment options based on these factors. They may suggest using surgery, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and other targeted drug therapies.

Some doctors may also recommend eligible patients to participate in clinical trials. The Mayo Clinic also participates in national research. This offers mesothelioma patients access to the latest clinical trials, treatments and procedures.

Photo of Dr. Yanyan Lou
Dr. Yanyan Lou
Medical Oncologist
Jacksonville, FL
Request a Free 2026 Mesothelioma Guide Our packet will be sent to you within 24 hours Request Free Guide

Jacksonville, Florida Mesothelioma Lawsuits

Mesothelioma victims who reside in or were exposed to asbestos in Jacksonville may have legal options. They may qualify to file a mesothelioma lawsuit in Florida. These victims may be entitled to compensation depending on their exposure and diagnosis.

Nationwide asbestos law firms have experience with handling mesothelioma lawsuits. Their lawyers also file claims through bankruptcy trusts. These law firms can assist victims who have suffered injury due to the negligence of asbestos companies. Mesothelioma victims may be awarded settlements. This compensation can help patients and families recover from medical expenses and lost wages.

It is important to work with a law firm that is knowledgeable about asbestos laws. Lawyers at these firms understand which legal avenue to take when seeking compensation for clients. This will help result in the best settlements for mesothelioma victims.

Finding a Lawyer or Law Firm in Jacksonville, Florida

Individuals from Jacksonville may have been diagnosed with mesothelioma. If diagnosed, patients or their family members should speak with an asbestos attorney. These lawyers have experience with filing mesothelioma cases in Florida.

It’s important to use lawyers from law firms experienced with asbestos litigation. They understand state laws and will help victims secure the compensation they deserve. These lawyers know which defendants and asbestos trusts can be filed against. Filing options will be determined based on where the client’s exposure occurred. Lawyers will also consider information regarding their asbestos-related disease diagnosis.

Logo for Early, Lucarelli, Sweeney & Meisenkothen
The Florida mesothelioma lawyers of Early, Lucarelli, Sweeney & Meisenkothen have successfully represented hundreds of Florida mesothelioma clients.
Logo for Ferraro Law
Since 1985, Ferraro Law has successfully represented tens of thousands of clients in asbestos-related cases, securing billions of dollars in verdicts and settlements, while seeking justice for their suffering.
Logo for The Gori Law Firm
Over 16 years of experience serving asbestos injury victims. The Gori Law Firm is recognized by Super Lawyers®, National Trial Lawyers and the American Society of Legal Advocates (ASLA).
Logo for Dean Omar Branham Shirley, LLP
Fighting to get mesothelioma victims the compensation they deserve. Recognized by Super Lawyers® and National Trial Lawyers.

Deadlines for Filing Mesothelioma Lawsuits in Jacksonville, Florida

Mesothelioma victims or their family members may decide to pursue an asbestos lawsuit. They must file one within the legal deadline determined by the state. Each state has a specific timeline for filing wrongful death or personal injury lawsuits.

The statutes of limitations for Florida dictate when lawsuits must be filed. Victims must file within four years from the date of an asbestos-related diagnosis. Surviving family members must file within two years of an asbestos-related death.

Experienced mesothelioma lawyers are knowledgeable about these deadlines. They will advise Jacksonville clients on the appropriate claims or lawsuits to file in the state of Florida.

Statutes of Limitations for Jacksonville
Personal Injury

Claims must be filed within 4 years after an asbestos-related diagnosis.

Wrongful Death

Claims must be filed within 2 years after an asbestos-related death.

Individuals will no longer be able to file a lawsuit in Florida after the relevant statute of limitations has passed. National asbestos law firms will advise victims about legal options for potential compensation, such as different states to file in. Asbestos victims may have had exposure to asbestos in a different state than Florida. As a result, they may have additional legal opportunities based on those state requirements.

Examples of clients served in the greater Jacksonville area include:

Client Profile

Age: 78

Occupations: Navy, Utility worker

Jobsites Worked at: Glidden Chemical Company (1962 – 1964)

Settlement: ~$6,024,534

Client Profile

Age: 73

Occupations: Maintenance, Powerhouse worker

Jobsites Worked at: St. John’s Power Plant (1985 – 2004)

Settlement: ~$2,729,914

Client Profile

Age: 81

Occupation: Shipyard worker

Jobsites Worked at: Aerojet Shipyard (1962 – 1966); Gibbs Corp. (1962); Gibbs Shipyard (1962 –1964)

Settlement: ~$1,983,976

Client Profile

Age: 67

Occupations: Bricklayer, Household

Jobsites Worked at: United States Marine Corp. (1953 – 1956)

Settlement: ~$1,722,055

Learn More About Your Legal Rights Don't lose your rights, request a free case evaluation now! Request Free Guide

Asbestos Use in Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville is the most populous city in the state of Florida. The shipyard and maritime industries employed many individuals in the city. Thousands of naval and shipyard workers may have been exposed to asbestos on a regular basis. For example, workers often handled asbestos products at the Jacksonville Shipyards.

Asbestos was frequently used in industrial shipyards prior to the 1980s. The mineral was widely used for its properties of heat insulation, fireproofing and tensile strength. This widespread use of asbestos caused workers to develop asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis.

Duval County Mesothelioma Deaths by Gender 1999 – 2020
Gender Number of Deaths
Male 109
Female 19

Asbestos Found at Jacksonville Shipyards

Jacksonville Shipyards, Inc. was a shipbuilding operation. It was one of the largest employers in Jacksonville until it closed in 1992. The company grew by acquiring various local shipyards. For example, from World War I until the 1960s, the Gibbs Shipyard produced hundreds of vessels for the United States Navy. In the early 1960s, Gibbs Shipyard, Merrill-Stevens Shipyard and Bellinger Shipyards were all simultaneously acquired and renamed the Jacksonville Shipyards.

Shipyard workers at the Jacksonville Shipyards were often exposed to asbestos-containing products during the construction and repair of vessels. Asbestos products were frequently used in gasket materials, insulation, piping and heat systems. These materials were often present on board ships and in the shipyard.

Different shipyard tradesmen and naval personnel handled asbestos products while maintaining these systems. At-risk asbestos occupations include boilermakers, electricians, engineers, draftsmen, insulators, laborers, machinists, pipefitters, riggers and welders.

This exposure to asbestos has caused shipyard and shipbuilding tradesmen to develop asbestos-related illnesses, such as mesothelioma. Many shipyard workers involved in the construction and maintenance of vessels have suffered from malignant mesothelioma and respiratory cancers. This is due to their repeated exposure to asbestos fibers while completing their job duties.

Jacksonville, Florida Jobsites Where Asbestos Exposure Occurred

  • Acousti Engineering Company of Florida
  • Aerojet‐General Shipyards, Inc.
  • Airco Welding Supply Company
  • Alton Box Board Company
  • Alton Packaging Corporation
  • American Norit Company, Inc.
  • Anchor Hocking Glass Corporation
  • Anheuser-Busch
  • Armour & Company
  • Armstrong Contracting & Supply Corporation (ACandS, Inc.)
  • Ascension St. Vincent's Riverside
  • Associated Iron & Metal Export Co.
  • Atlantic Coast Line Railroad
  • Atlantic Dry Dock Corporation
  • Atlantic Firebrick & Supply Company, Inc.
  • Atlantic Ice & Coal Corporation
  • Atlantic National Bank
  • Bacardi Bottling Corporation
  • Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville
  • Beautyrest Siding
  • Bellinger Shipyard
  • Bigelow-Liptak Corporation
  • Board of Trustees for the Waterworks and Improvement Bonds
  • Buckeye Cellulose Corporation
  • Bush Boake Allen, Inc. (BBA)
  • Cameron & Barkley Company
  • City Commission of the City of Jacksonville
  • Cleaners Hangers Company
  • Colonial Oil Industries, Inc.
  • CSX Railroad
  • CSX Transportation Building
  • Cummer Lumber Company
  • Department of Electric and Water Utilities
  • Dixie Tank Company
  • Dobbs House Snack Bar
  • Dry Ice Plant
  • Duval Ice & Coal Company
  • Earl Corporation
  • Eastern Seaboard Petroleum Company, Inc.
  • Flo-Mach, Inc.
  • Florida Citrus Machinery Company
  • Florida Department of Children & Families Northeast Region
  • Florida Ice Machine Corporation
  • Florida Machine & Foundry Company
  • Florida Power & Light Company (FPL)
  • Florida Smelting Company
  • Florida Weather, Inc.
  • Flowers Baking Company of Jacksonville, LLC
  • Fred Rankin Company, Inc.
  • Frito-Lay, Inc.
  • Fruit Growers Express Co., Inc. (FGE)
  • General Foods Corporation
  • Georgia-Pacific Corporation
  • Gerdau Ameristeel
  • Gibbs Corporation
  • Gibbs Shipyard
  • Glidden Company
  • Glidden Professional Paint Center
  • Glidden-Durkee, a Division of Glidden Company
  • Growers Container Corporation
  • Gulf Life Insurance Company
  • Gulf Life Tower
  • H.W. Lau & Company, Inc.
  • Hess Corporation
  • Holiday Inn Jacksonville
  • Horne-Wilson, Inc.
  • Horton JL & Associates
  • Hotel Robert Meyer
  • Independent Ice Fuel Company
  • Independent Laundry Tropical Uniform Rental
  • J. Dillon Kennedy Generating Station
  • Jacksonville Developmental Center
  • Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA)
  • Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA) Coal Power Plant 2
  • Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA) Kennedy Generating Station
  • Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA) Northside Generating Station
  • Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA) Oakridge Water Treatment Plant
  • Jacksonville Electric Authority (JEA) Southside Generating Station
  • Jacksonville Electric Light Company
  • Jacksonville Gas Company
  • Jacksonville International Airport
  • Jacksonville Liberty Shipyard
  • Jacksonville Linen Service
  • Jacksonville Linen Supply Company
  • Jacksonville Ship Chandlery Company
  • Jacksonville Street Railway Company
  • Jacksonville University
  • Jacksonville Water Works
  • Jax Ice and Cold Storage Company
  • Jefferson Smurfit Corporation
  • John H. Swisher & Son, Inc.
  • JW Allen and Associates, Inc.
  • Keene Corporation
  • Liquid Carbonic Corp
  • Longbranch Master Wastewater Pump Station (LMPS)
  • Maxwell House Coffee Plant
  • Mcwilliams Dredging Company
  • Memorial Hospital Jacksonville
  • Merrill-Stevens Drydock & Repair Co.
  • Metal Container Corporation
  • Mid-States Steel and Wire Company
  • Millennium Specialty Chemicals, Inc.
  • Moore Dry Kiln Company
  • National Container Corporation
  • Naval Air Station Cecil Field
  • Naval Air Station Jacksonville
  • Naval Station Mayport
  • Nelio Chemicals, Inc.
  • New York Steam Laundry
  • North Bros, Inc.
  • Norwood Water Treatment Plant
  • Oceanway Middle School
  • Owens-Corning Fiberglas
  • P.M. Hess Roofing and Sheet Metal, Inc.
  • Petro Chemical Products, Inc.
  • Rawls Brothers Contractors, Inc.
  • Riverside Hospital
  • Scarborough & Green
  • Seaboard Air Line Railroad (SAL)
  • Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (SCL)
  • Seaboard System Railroad, Inc.
  • Smurfit-Stone Container Corporation
  • Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company
  • Southern Ice Company
  • Southern Pine Chemical Company
  • SS Anna Dickinson (Ship)
  • SS Arthur M. Huddel (Ship)
  • SS August Belmont (Ship)
  • SS C.W. Post (Ship)
  • SS Francis Asbury (Ship)
  • SS Grant Wood (Ship)
  • SS Harald Torsvik (Ship)
  • SS Harvey Cushing (Ship)
  • SS Henry Watterson (Ship)
  • SS Owen Wister (Ship)
  • SS Telfair Stockton (Ship)
  • St. Johns River Shipbuilding Company
  • St. Regis Paper Company
  • Talleyrand Avenue Plants
  • The Texas Company
  • TMT Trailer Ferry, Inc.
  • Trumbull Asphalt Company
  • U.S. Gypsum Company
  • Underground Electric Distribution System
  • Union Camp Corporation
  • Union Carbide Corporation
  • Union Company Chemical Plant
  • United States Engineers
  • University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville
  • W&O Engineering Company
  • W.W. Gay Mechanical Contractor, Inc.
  • Weather Engineers, Inc.
  • Woolworth Store
Sources
  1. Beckett W. Shipyard workers and asbestos: a persistent and international problem. Occupational and Environmental Medicine. October 2007;64(10):639. doi: 10.1136/oem.2006.032284

  2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About Underlying Cause of Death, 1999-2020. CDC Wonder Online Database.

  3. Davis E. Lost Jacksonville: Gibbs Corporation Shipyards. Metro Jacksonville. March 2013.

  4. Davis E. The Different Faces of the Jacksonville Shipyards. Metro Jacksonville. March 2015.

Financial Assistance for Mesothelioma Patients

Financial Assistance for Mesothelioma Patients
Your Free Guide will be delivered to you within 24 hours.

What You Will Learn About

  • Help With Treatment Costs
  • $30 Billion Set Aside
  • Bankruptcy Trust Funds
  • Veteran Specific Help
  • Security for Loved Ones
Get a Free 2026 Financial Help Guide
Linda Molinari, Editor in Chief at Mesothelioma.com
Written by Linda Molinari Editor in Chief
Jennifer Lucarelli
Red shield with white check mark indicating page is fact-checked by a legal expert Legally Reviewed by Jennifer Lucarelli Mesothelioma Lawyer and Legal Advisor
Free mesothelioma guide for patient and and their loved ones Free Mesothelioma Guide