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Cross Bay Ferry makes final voyage with future possibilities still afloat

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Published  April 30, 2025 9:12pm EDT
St. Petersburg
FOX 13 News
Cross Bay Ferry ends service

Cross Bay Ferry ends service

FOX 13's Genevieve Curtis reports.

The Brief

    • The Cross Bay Ferry made its final voyage Monday evening, ending its seasonal service connecting downtown Tampa and downtown St. Petersburg.
    • Hillsborough County voided its contract with the ferry operator earlier this month, citing a switch from a high-speed vessel to a slower boat.
    • The popular ferry, which shuttled more than 72,000 passengers across the Tampa Bay area last year, has become a favorite among commuters and tourists.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The Cross Bay Ferry made its final voyage Monday evening, ending its seasonal service connecting downtown Tampa and downtown St. Petersburg on a high note – with sold-out seats and record-breaking ridership.

The popular ferry, which shuttled more than 72,000 passengers across the Tampa Bay area last year, has become a favorite among commuters and tourists alike. But after Hillsborough County voided its contract with the ferry operator earlier this month, citing a switch from a high-speed vessel to a slower boat, the service has now officially docked — at least for the foreseeable future.

RELATED: Hillsborough leaders vote to end Cross Bay Ferry service early

Local perspective:

For Dennis and Penny Ryan, it was a now-or-never moment.

"We said, ‘what, the last night? We gotta do it!’" Dennis said, smiling as the couple boarded one of the final trips.

They managed to snag what may have been the very last two seats on the ferry between Tampa and St. Pete.

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"I think we got the last seats, didn't we?" Penny added.

The backstory:

Hillsborough County commissioners voted to end the ferry contract six months early after the operator announced plans to replace the existing high-speed boat with a slower one. That change would have doubled the trip time — from 50 minutes to nearly two hours.

What they're saying:

"Really, it needs to be an hour or less, I think," said Tampa resident Deborah Ellinger. "I hope they'll bring back the same high-speed boat."

Ellinger, who lives along the water, took advantage of the ferry’s final voyage to make a night of it.

READ: Hillsborough County transportation tax settlement payments begin with more than 400K claims filed

"Every day I've said I'm gonna ride that ferry and now, last chance," she said. "We're going to go whoop it up in St. Pete and we're gonna come back and whoop up in Tampa."

What's next:

Despite the program ending for now, there is growing momentum for a ferry service to replace it.

The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) is exploring the possibility of purchasing and operating its own ferry service as soon as October. Officials are hoping Hillsborough County will contribute several million dollars in unused federal grant money to help fund the initiative.

It remains unclear if Hillsborough County officials would support that.

The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Genevieve Curtis. 

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