The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority’s proposal will be voted on Dec. 3, as officials outline docks, operators, and federal support.<\/p>\n
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. \u2014 City leaders in Tampa and St. Petersburg are moving closer to launching a year-round ferry connecting their downtown areas.<\/p>\n
Playmakers in an approved November proposal<\/a> met on Tuesday morning ahead of Wednesday’s board vote on a proposed plan that was mostly finalized earlier last month.<\/p>\n Under the latest agreement, both cities would contribute up to $350,000 annually to support operations for the ferry.<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cPrimarily, 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,\u201d said Darden Rice, chief planning and community affairs officer of the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA).<\/p>\n PSTA will oversee the new ferry’s operation. The agency has recommended Hubbard\u2019s Ferry \u2014 also known as Tampa Bay Ferry and Taxi, a locally and family-owned business as the operator.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe 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,\u201d said Tara Hubbard, CEO of Hubbard’s Ferry.<\/p>\n The previous ferry service shut down<\/a> 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s been tough. There have been a lot of false starts. A lot of difficulty selling this vision that is not yet existent here,\u201d Hubbard said. \u201cWe’ve been saying for years that someone, an organization like the PSTA, the local transit authority needs to get involved to move this forward.\u201d<\/p>\n Federal funding has helped revive the effort. In August, the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded a $4.8 million grant<\/a> to purchase one or possibly two vessels.<\/p>\n Local businesses say they welcome the changes.\u00a0<\/p>\n