Tampa Bay Ferry service to acquire second vessel
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The Bay Breeze. Photo: Courtesy of the PSTA
The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) voted Wednesday to purchase a second vessel for the revamped, cross-bay ferry service.
Why it matters: The popular service — which, before it shuttered last year, connected Tampa and St. Petersburg — is one step closer to reopening.
- Buying a second boat will allow the ferry to run seven days a week.
Between the lines: The Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners ended its contract with the operator of the Cross Bay Ferry last year; however, the PSTA was determined to revive the service.
- The Hillsborough Transit Authority (HART) transferred nearly $5 million from an unused federal grant to Pinellas County to buy a vessel, helping keep an affordable mode of travel between the two counties afloat.
- Pinellas transit officials greenlit the renewed service, now called the Tampa Bay Ferry, in December and set out to build it.
Driving the news: The county's got an eye on three boats and, on Wednesday, received the go-ahead to acquire two of them.
- The vessels under consideration are: the Bay Breeze in San Francisco for $2.5 million, the San Juan Clipper in Seattle for $2 million, and the Candy Stripe in Morgan City, Louisiana, for $2.3 million.
- The top candidates are the Bay Breeze and the San Juan Clipper. Both would be available for use within six months after purchase.
Zoom in: Any of the chosen boats would need to be renovated and delivered to Tampa Bay, where they would be renamed in a ceremony.
- PSTA plans to offer a one-way fare of $10, two dollars less than the prior service. In Tampa, the vessels will dock at a seawall behind the Convention Center, as did the previous service.
- The location of the St. Petersburg dock is being finalized.
What's next: The Tampa Bay Ferry could begin service as soon as late 2026.