Cross Bay Ferry moves closer to comeback after HART signs off on plan

TAMPA, Fla. - Hillsborough County transit leaders approved a plan Monday to use millions of dollars in grant money to revive the Cross Bay Ferry – a move that now awaits final approval from the federal government.

The backstory:

The Cross Bay Ferry became a popular way to travel between Tampa and St. Petersburg in recent years, with a record of more than 72,000 riders using the ferry in 2024.

Pictured: Cross Bay Ferry.

Local leaders, however, objected to a plan by HMS, which operated the ferry dating back to 2017, to swap out its ferry for a slower one that would increase the time of each trip from 50 minutes to two hours.

Hillsborough County commissioners voided the contract, with the ferry making its last trip in late April.

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Members of the HART board approved the transfer of grant funds in a vote of eight to four.

Some board members were skeptical and opposed the transfer, because they didn't think it was productive for the majority of taxpayers.

"You're only talking about revenue of a million and a half dollars a year and no improvement on the traffic flow on the Gandy, the Courtney Campbell or the Howard Frankland Bridge," HART board member John King said. "It will have zero impact on cross bay transportation, which we all know is a hassle on a given day. It essentially is a joyride."

However, other board members who supported the transfer said they'd rather see the grant funding stay in the Tampa Bay area.

"This is a perfect project to be transferred to PSTA, because we know HART is not in the business of operating a ferry," Hillsborough County Commissioner Gwen Myers, who's also on the HART board, said.

If it's not used, the federal grant funding will expire.

"As I understand it, these monies will go somewhere," HART Board Secretary Gil Schisler said. We might as well have them go in our region where they benefit all of us in our region. However minimal, they'll still be a benefit to the region. And I'd rather go here than Seattle or Poughkeepsie or any other place in the country."

HART leaders confirmed that once the grant money is transferred, HART wouldn't have any responsibility for the operations of the ferry.

The Federal Transit Administration still needs to sign off on the transfer.

The PSTA says it will use the funding to buy two new boats, instead of leasing them. The PSTA says it will work with third-party vendors to operate the ferries.

Last week, the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) approved accepting a $4.8 million Federal Transit Administration grant from Hillsborough County.

The plan to transfer the funding still needed approval from Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART), which the agency granted in a vote on Monday.

Pictured: Cross Bay Ferry.

The grant money would be used to purchase one or more boats, according to PSTA, lease them to a contract operator and run the boats year-round.

"If we could take advantage of this federal grant and purchase the boats, that would reduce the costs," PSTA CEO Brad Miller explained in a recent interview with FOX 13. "The goal would be to increase ridership and lower subsidies."

PSTA officials explained that it would only be an oversight agency and wouldn’t pay for subsidies or other fees. That falls to St. Pete and Tampa.

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What they're saying:

"This is a big win for regional collaboration and for the future of transit in Tampa Bay," PSTA CEO Brad Miller said in a statement on Monday. "Thanks to HART’s support, we’re closer than ever to bringing a faster, more convenient ferry service to our community by keeping this important federal funding right here, where it will be put to great use."

What's next:

If the plan moves forward as expected, the Cross Bay Ferry could resume service as soon as 2026.

The Source: This story was written with information from a Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority vote on June 2, 2025, and previous FOX 13 News reports.

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