Tampa, St. Pete leaders approve financial support for 'Tampa Bay Ferry'

The future of the Cross Bay Ferry

The Cross Bay Ferry is one step closer to setting sail again, but under a new name -- the Tampa Bay Ferry. Kailey Tracy reports.

TAMPA, Fla. - The Cross Bay Ferry is one step closer to setting sail again, but under a new name: the Tampa Bay Ferry.

It comes after a contract issue with the last vendor ended the service in April. The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority now oversees the ferry that sails between St. Pete and Tampa.

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What we know:

Thursday, leaders in both cities gave the okay for financial support for the ferry.

"It’s a whole new day in Tampa Bay for waterborne transit," Darden Rice, the chief planning and community affairs officer for PSTA, said.

Tampa and St. Pete City Councils approved a five-year, interlocal agreement at separate meetings on Thursday. It commits each city to $350,000 towards operating costs annually. 

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The St. Pete City Council unanimously approved the item, while Tampa Council Member Charlie Miranda was the only vote against it in Tampa.

"I'd rather spend my money on the Heartline and having the people that really need to travel to go to work from A to B, not to be on the waterways having fun," Miranda said.

Dig deeper:

PSTA preliminarily chose Hubbard’s Marina to operate the ferry, citing its nearly 100-year history in the area and its experience.

"The fact that the region was able to get this grant to procure vessels to make it a little bit more feasible for a local operator, that's what's really exciting for us to really take this into the next chapter and our big vision is really to make more of a waterborne transit network effect throughout the region and make this a viable transit option for our community," Tara Hubbard, the co-owner Hubbard's Marina, said.

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PSTA will use an almost $5 million Federal Transit Administration grant to buy or build one or two boats. Hubbard’s will help them with that process.

"If we do build a new vessel, we would likely only be able to do one, but if we go the used route, we could possibly get up to two. So, that's the conversation that we have to have with the Transit Authority [PSTA], and really making the decisions with the pros and cons of both and what makes the most sense for this route," Hubbard said.

What they're saying:

PSTA will own the boats, which they said will help lower operating costs.

"With the service being run by PSTA, working with a local contractor, PSTA owning the boats, we're able to deliver better service, drive down the cost," Rice said. "We are enormously excited and really thankful to have the support that we do from the administration and city councils on both sides of the Bay."

City council members in both cities said they think the perfect team is assembled to ensure a reliable, successful next life for the ferry.

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The goal is to set sail by the spring or shortly thereafter. They hope to dock the ferry near the Vinoy off of Beach Drive in St. Pete, where it used to be before it’s last location near the USCG station, while a long-term dock is built behind the Museum of History and the Pier. The dock in Tampa will still be at the Tampa Convention Center.

What we don't know:

Details, like the ferry’s schedule, are still being figured out.  

"We know definitely we want it to be year-round. We know that we have a very strong ridership for the weekends and the evenings, like Wednesday through Sunday, but we do want to look at expanding the numbers of day a week, and we would like to offer more trips," Rice said.

What's next:

PSTA’s board will vote on the final agreement, including okaying Hubbard’s as the operator, on Dec. 3.