TAMPA, Fla. (WFTS) — If taking the Cross Bay Ferry is on your to-do list, you may want to move it up to the top.
Hillsborough County commissioners will vote on if they want to terminate the contract between Hillsborough County and the company operating the ferry on April 16. If they vote yes, the service will set its final sail on April 30.
CONTRACTUAL DEFAULT
This is the termination letter Hillsborough County sent to HMS Ferries, Inc.
HMS Ferries, Inc. Termination Letter by ABC Action News on Scribd
The letter states the ferry company reached out to the county in March requesting a vessel change. The new vessel would take over May 1, 2025. While it would hold the same number of passengers (149), the boat would only move at 15 knots.
WATCH Cross Bay Ferry contract likely to end due to change proposed by ferry company
The county said the contract signed in August of 2021, stated the vessel used in the agreement has to have a cruising speed of 27 knots and a top speed of 29 knots.
The county said the new boat would double the trip time, going from one-hour rides between Tampa and St. Pete to two-hour rides.
"Any deviation in the vessel used for the Ferry Service must be the functional equivalent of the vessel and is subject to the approval of the County Administrator or his designee," the contract reads.
The county, seeing the change as a default in the contract, gave HMS Ferries, Inc. ten days to find a suitable replacement vessel, or the contract would be recommended for termination.
ANOTHER FERRY SERVICE?
The City of St. Petersburg is looking into bringing another option to the table.
Here is the memo that went out to city council members.
Ferry Service Memo to Council - March 25 2025[8] by ABC Action News on Scribd
They're under an interlocal agreement, meaning what Hillsborough County decides will also affect them.
"Although it would be preferable to have service continue through September, the City can expect a cost savings of approximately $102,000 during this fiscal year if the service ends at the end of April as Hillsborough will reimburse the government partners all cost savings on a proportionate basis," the memo reads.
The city promises this won't end the ongoing efforts to make the Cross Bay Ferry a long-term operation.
City of St. Pete project partners will continue to work with PSTA to have PSTA issue the next competitive solicitation for Cross Bay Ferry services. Additionally, PSTA has been in communication with HART to pursue the opportunity to transfer a federal ferry grant between the two agencies.
HART was previously awarded a $4M grant for use towards the purchase of a ferry vessel.
If PSTA operates the ferry, it would also allow the trips taken on the Cross Bay Ferry to be reported to the National Transit Database. That would then enable additional transit funding from the Federal Transit Administration.
"While it is unfortunate that this year’s ferry service will likely not be of the duration expected, we are excited to move ahead with an eye towards the future and look forward to exploring various options that could result in improved ferry services for our residents and visitors," the memo ends on.
They added this message on social media:
WHAT ARE RIDERS SAYING?
On Tampa's Riverwalk, we got a variety of perspectives.
Some residents had never even of the ferry.
Cierra Gross just moved to the Tampa area about a year ago. She's never taken the ferry.
"My friend almost took it for her birthday, but I didn't get to go. But it sounds super convenient, knowing that there's traffic here, and it takes, like, basically, if you want to go to St Pete, it's gonna take you about, like, an hour to get there with traffic, and it sucks," she said.
We also met Alan Mosley. Mosley stopped to look at the ferry departure times, along with his friends Michael and Donna Montalto. They're visiting from New Jersey.
Mosley has taken the ferry before.
“I think it’s a great service. It’s a neat way to get over to St. Pete and back. You know, it’s kind of a nice tourist thing, but it’s also fun if you live here,” Mosley said.
Mosley was disappointed to hear about the contract termination.
“It’s something cool that the area had to offer. It’s sad when something great like that stops happening.”
The Montaltos know all about ferries.
“We have a lot of ferries in Jersey and New York. It’s a great way to commute and enjoy the weather,” Michael Montalto remarked. "It makes the ride part of the fun," he said.
They said it's shocking to hear the city's one service will likely end soon.
“With everything being built and going on down here, you should be adding more ferries, not trying to cancel them,” Montalto said.
"If there had just been a trooper up there, maybe this whole thing could have been avoided."
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