A proposed cruise ship port near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge has prompted concern from Terra Ceia residents, commercial fishers and conservation advocates who say the concept threatens one of the last largely undeveloped areas of old Florida along Tampa Bay.
Slip Knott LLC, through an engineering consultant firm, Stantec, submitted pre-application materials to Manatee County’s economic development division earlier this month as part of the county’s Rapid Response program, an early, nonbinding review process that does not constitute project approval.
The documents dated Jan. 15-16 outline a conceptual cruise terminal project southwest of the Skyway. Materials reference a proposed project area of 328 acres — about the size of 248 football fields — and show a potential access point from Interstate 275.
The land, known as the Knott-Cowen tract, is owned by Slip Knott LLC, a holding company listed in county records.
The pre-application materials indicate the project would require rezoning and a large-scale comprehensive plan amendment. As of Jan. 23, applications had not been submitted to the county.
The review at the county level is preliminary but opposition to the concept exists at the local, state and federal level and is building, with letters to elected officials, social media campaigns and at least one petition.
Terra Ceia residents say they’re concerned about the impact of such a port on water quality, marine habitat, traffic and the character of the historic island community.
“It is very, very old Florida and commercial business, even on a small scale doesn’t fit in with the character of the island,” Terra Ceia resident Ashley Bowing said Jan. 22. “And when you start talking about something of this measure, I mean, it is like, it’s soul shaking. I mean, there have been people in tears.”
Terra Ceia resident and business owner Jane Cofer, whose family history in the area dates to the late 1800s, is in the opposition. She said the environmental consequences would be devastating.
“They’d have to dredge so much,” Cofer said Jan. 22. “People fish here, kayak here, enjoy this water. It’s just too much.”
Cofer said months ago a woman who identified as an intern affiliated with a company representing development interests visited her store, Zula’s Antiques, and asked about a cruise ship port.
“I just said, no, no, no,” Cofer said. “You’re not going to find anybody out here that’s for any of that.”
Organizing opposition
Bowing, who has lived on Terra Ceia since 2019, said organizing opposition is underway, including a Change.org petition started by Corey McKeever, owner of McKeever Marine in Bradenton.
The petition, as of Jan. 23, drew thousands of signatures in a few days. It’s titled “Stop Manatee County from building a cruise ship port on Rattlesnake Key” and is directed to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson.
The port’s project website and preliminary county records identify the Knott-Cowen tract as the proposed development site, but conservationists are concerned about the impact on nearby Rattlesnake Key, acquired for conservation purposes through Rattlesnake Key Preservation Co. LLC, a subsidiary of SSA Marine, a global terminal operator, according to the project website.
In addition to petitioning, opponents plan a rally at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 14, at Seabreeze Park, 55 Horseshoe Loop, Terra Ceia. A flyer posted by People Protecting Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve, a Facebook group started and administered by Terra Ceia resident Geoff Click, calls on people to join.
The group is “a community-led space for residents, environmental advocates, and anyone who cares about protecting Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve including Rattlesnake Key, Terra Ceia Island, and the surrounding Tampa Bay waters from the proposed cruise port development.”
Concern extends beyond Terra Ceia residents and business owners.
Charter captain Scott Moore of Holmes Beach, who has been involved in conservation efforts in the area and pushed hard for the state or county to acquire Rattlesnake Key for preservation, said the waters around Terra Ceia, Miguel Bay and nearby passes support sensitive estuarine ecosystems, as well as recreational and commercial fishing.
“It won’t be good,” Moore said Jan. 21 of a possible port. “That area is used by a lot of guides and fishers, and it’s going to make a lot of people angry. If they dredge into Miguel Bay, that area will be done completely.”
In Cortez, Karen Bell, owner of A.P. Bell Fish Co., added that many commercial fishers depend on the waters of Terra Ceia.
“Those are really valuable nursery grounds,” she said Jan. 22. “When you start dredging and bringing in equipment to dredge, you’re impacting the environment.”
About the petition
The Change.org petition opposing a port can be found at: www.change.org/p/stop-manatee-county-from-building-a-cruise-ship-port-on-rattle-snake-key.
About the rally
The rally to oppose a possible cruise ship port southwest of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 14, at Seabreeze Park, 55 Horseshoe Loop, Terra Ceia.
About the plans
Go to islander.org to review the pre-application documents submitted to Manatee County.
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