Tampa-St. Pete ferry service could relaunch by end of 2026 with new, more frequent boats

Sailing from Tampa to St. Pete

There may soon be another option for commuting from St. Petersburg to Tampa. FOX 13's Evan Axelbank reports.

TAMPA, Fla - The Tampa Bay Ferry could be relaunched between downtown Tampa and downtown St. Pete by the end of 2026.

The service would be run with two boats instead of one.

Officials say that means fewer delays and more options.

What we know:

They will select two boats out of three finalists, including boats that were utilized for ferries in San Francisco, Seattle and Louisiana.

The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority is using $5 million from a federal grant.

The goal is to connect the Tampa convention center with downtown St Pete.

What they're saying:

"I know that I'm going to sit at a transit stop and within an hour or so another boat is going to come pick me up. I am going to use that transit," said Tampa Councilor Alan Clendenin. 

"If I know I'm sitting at a bus station and frequently somebody's going to come pick me up, I am going to use transit. Same thing with the street car. Every time we look at transit in the city of Tampa, it has to be, obviously in St. Petersburg as well, it has be frequent and it has been reliable."

The backstory:

Last year’s service ended with a contract dispute between the PSTA and the boat provider.

This time, the boat is being run by Hubbard’s Marina, a Tampa Bay staple since the 50s.

"Look at New York. Look at Boston. Look at Charleston. Look at San Francisco. Look up the Victoria. Down to San Diego. They all have very intricate waterborne transportation systems," said Mark Hubbard. "Why doesn't Tampa Bay have anything? I mean, not even privately. It really is quite confusing. We've done a few things out on the beaches and we want to expand now with the assistance of PSTA, bridging a lot of the gaps that all the small communities had roadblocks up for waterborne transportation."

What's next:

The goal is to offer tickets for $10.

The start date will depend on which boats they choose and how long it takes to refurbish them.

The hope is that by the end of the year it will be up and running.