{"id":310493,"date":"2026-06-17T14:57:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T14:57:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/310493\/"},"modified":"2026-06-17T14:57:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T14:57:08","slug":"port-tampa-bay-continues-expansion-for-cruse-ship-operations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/310493\/","title":{"rendered":"Port Tampa Bay continues expansion for cruse ship operations"},"content":{"rendered":"

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB<\/a>) – Port Tampa Bay is continuing its upgrades of cruise ship operations, completing the installation of three new passenger boarding bridges, the port announced Wednesday.<\/p>\n

The new bridges, at Cruise Terminals 2 and 6, are designed to accommodate a wider range of vessel configurations and boarding heights.<\/p>\n

The bridges feature advanced stabilization and climate controls that protect passengers from the elements, the port said in a news release.<\/p>\n

The port also has plans to build a fourth cruise terminal to support increasing passenger demand and the needs of cruise lines.<\/p>\n

However, Port Tampa Bay cannot accommodate the newer, larger mega-sized cruise ships. Those massive vessels can\u2019t reach the port because they are too tall to sail under the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. <\/p>\n

A proposal earlier this year to build a mega-ship terminal west of the bridge, at the Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve in Manatee County, was met with fierce local opposition. <\/p>\n

Previous coverage:<\/p>\n

Proposal unveiled to build port for mega-sized cruise ships in Manatee County<\/a><\/p>\n

Manatee County cruise ship port proposal draws environmental concerns<\/a><\/p>\n

Florida senator files amendment to block cruise port on Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve<\/a><\/p>\n

Community reacts after DeSantis signs bill blocking cruise terminal in Manatee County<\/a><\/p>\n

The plan has been scrapped for now, after a bill signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in March prevents dredging in the environmentally sensitive area, effectively blocking construction. <\/p>\n

Port Tampa Bay serves than 1.6 million passengers every year while handling a wide range of cargo. The port also is a major center for shipbuilding and repair, supporting growth across the maritime, logistics, energy and tourism sectors.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 WWSB. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) – Port Tampa Bay is continuing its upgrades of cruise ship operations, completing the installation…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":310494,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[21594,10261,4134,129481,41192,43475,135,137,136],"class_list":["post-310493","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-bridge","tag-cruise","tag-manatee","tag-pennenger","tag-port","tag-ship","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/310493","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=310493"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/310493\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/310494"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=310493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=310493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=310493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}