{"id":248818,"date":"2026-04-27T22:22:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T22:22:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/248818\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T22:22:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T22:22:11","slug":"psta-unveils-tampa-bay-ferry-plan-calling-for-2-vessels-daily-service-and-downtown-tampa-dock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/248818\/","title":{"rendered":"PSTA unveils Tampa Bay Ferry plan calling for 2 vessels, daily service and downtown Tampa dock"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA<\/a>) is moving forward with a plan to relaunch cross-bay ferry service<\/a> with expanded capacity, daily operations and a fixed Tampa dock location \u2014 marking a significant step toward restoring water transit between Tampa and St. Petersburg.<\/p>\n

The PSTA announced Monday that the future Tampa Bay Ferry<\/a> will operate with two vessels \u2014 a shift from the single-boat model used by the former Cross-Bay Ferry<\/a>, which shut down last year, allowing for seven-day-a-week service and improved reliability.<\/p>\n

The PSTA\u2019s Board is expected to vote this week on whether to move forward with purchasing and renovating two out of three vessels available for purchase using a $4.8 million federal grant.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re committed to creating this service the right way, so it\u2019s sustainable for the long term,\u201d PSTA CEO Brad Miller said in a statement. \u201cThat\u2019s why everyone should be impressed by the effort of the Hubbard\u2019s Marina team, working with our staff, to maximize taxpayer dollars and get two boats with this one federal grant.\u201d<\/p>\n

The agency confirmed that ferries will dock at the east end of the Tampa Convention Center, placing arriving passengers directly in downtown Tampa near the Harbour Island bridge. The prior Cross-Bay Ferry used the same location, though officials said contingency plans will be needed during major events like Gasparilla, when the dock is unavailable.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A St. Petersburg docking location has not yet been finalized and will be announced at a later date.<\/p>\n

If approved, PSTA and its operating partner, Hubbard\u2019s Marina<\/a>, would move into the next phase: inspecting, negotiating and acquiring the vessels, followed by renovations that could include new interiors, engine upgrades and onboard amenities such as a bar offering snacks and beverages.<\/p>\n

PSTA is targeting a one-way ticket price of $10, which is less expensive than the former Cross-Bay Ferry, and the service would launch as soon as the vessels are retrofitted, tested, and delivered to Tampa Bay.<\/p>\n

Local leaders said the project is a transportation and economic development play.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the kind of forward-thinking investment that helps our region grow responsibly,\u201d Tampa City Council Chair Alan Clendenin<\/a> said. \u201cA frequent and reliable ferry system strengthens the connection between our cities, supports economic activity on both sides of the Bay, and adds a transportation option that fits the way people want to move around today.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Council member Lynn Hurtak<\/a> \u2014 who also serves on the board of the Hillsborough Transportation Planning Organization \u2014 emphasized that multimodal transportation options help reduce road congestion.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis ferry service is shaping up to be a win-win for everyone, on both sides of the Bay,\u201d Hurtak said. \u201cWe\u2019ll be taking cars off the road, opening up new transportation options for locals and tourists, and activating two great cities in really exciting ways.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tampa Convention Center Executive Director David Ingram<\/a> said the dock location positions downtown as a key gateway for visitors arriving by water.<\/p>\n

\u201cWelcoming people into the heart of Downtown Tampa is our specialty,\u201d Ingram said. \u201cBy helping connect visitors from across the Bay and around the world, we\u2019ll be supporting businesses and driving economic impact to the Tampa Bay region.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) is moving forward with a plan to relaunch cross-bay ferry service with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":245288,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[28772,99747,3424,107978,109061,39886,28777,202,204,203,199,201,200,135,1526,18506],"class_list":{"0":"post-248818","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-st-petersburg","8":"tag-alan-clendenin","9":"tag-brad-miller","10":"tag-cross-bay-ferry","11":"tag-david-ingram","12":"tag-ferry","13":"tag-hubbards-marina","14":"tag-lynn-hurtak","15":"tag-st-pete","16":"tag-st-pete-headlines","17":"tag-st-pete-news","18":"tag-st-petersburg","19":"tag-st-petersburg-headlines","20":"tag-st-petersburg-news","21":"tag-tampa","22":"tag-tampa-bay","23":"tag-tampa-bay-ferry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248818","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=248818"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/248818\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/245288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=248818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=248818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=248818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}