The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority’s proposal will be voted on Dec. 3, as officials outline docks, operators, and federal support.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — City leaders in Tampa and St. Petersburg are moving closer to launching a year-round ferry connecting their downtown areas.
Playmakers in an approved November proposal met on Tuesday morning ahead of Wednesday’s board vote on a proposed plan that was mostly finalized earlier last month.
Under the latest agreement, both cities would contribute up to $350,000 annually to support operations for the ferry.
An exact timeline for when the public could use the ferry services has not been set, but officials have identified a preferred location for new infrastructure.
“Primarily, we’re going to build new docks in St. Petersburg. The North Vinoy Basin. We’re going to continue to have the dock locations at the locations that most people are familiar with in Downtown Tampa and Downtown St. Pete,” said Darden Rice, chief planning and community affairs officer of the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA).
PSTA will oversee the new ferry’s operation. The agency has recommended Hubbard’s Ferry — also known as Tampa Bay Ferry and Taxi, a locally and family-owned business as the operator.
“We know we want the right boat, we know we want the right dock. We believe we’re the right place, we strive to be the right partner to make this successful,” said Tara Hubbard, CEO of Hubbard’s Ferry.
The previous ferry service shut down in May after its vendor, HMS Ferries Inc., planned to replace its vessel with a slower one that would have doubled commute times, stretching each one-way trip to nearly two hours.
“It’s been tough. There have been a lot of false starts. A lot of difficulty selling this vision that is not yet existent here,” Hubbard said. “We’ve been saying for years that someone, an organization like the PSTA, the local transit authority needs to get involved to move this forward.”
Federal funding has helped revive the effort. In August, the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded a $4.8 million grant to purchase one or possibly two vessels.
Local businesses say they welcome the changes.
Debbie and Mark Safko own Paciugo Gelato & Caffe in St. Petersburg, where Tuesday’s press conference was held. Mark told attendees that improved accessibility is especially important in this iteration of ferry planning.
When it comes to building wheelchair accessible ramps or seating, “it’s not going to be something that is done after the fact on a dock that’s already in place. It’s going to make it so much easier for me and other pepole that are disabled to access, to go across the bay, be able to enjoy our bay. Be on it, rather than just looking at it,” Mark said.
The PSTA Board is scheduled to vote tomorrow on whether the current plan best serves both cities. If approved, it will officially set this project in motion.