Tampa Bay Ferry Gets Final Thumbs Up

CLEARWATER, FL — It won’t be long before Tampa Bay area residents will be able to hop on a ferry to travel between Tampa and St. Petersburg. The Pinellas County Commission on Tuesday gave a thumbs up to the project, agreeing to spend $350,000 to help float a trial run.

The 5-1 commission vote was the last required to seal the deal with the cities of St. Petersburg and Tampa, HMS Ferries and both Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. The other three governments had already agreed to kick in $350,000 to fund a six-month pilot project that is expected to start on Nov. 1.

Pinellas Commissioner Dave Eggers cast the sole no vote, saying the project was “high risk,” the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Once the service is up and running, ferry riders will be able to catch the boat near Tampa’s Convention Center or the St. Pete Yacht Basin. One-way fares are expected to cost about $10 with the ferry expected to make two runs most days and three on Fridays.

For more details about the project, check out a presentation on the Pinellas County Metropolitan Planning Organization website. More details are also available in the Times’ story.

What do you think about the ferry? Share your thoughts by commenting below!

HMS Ferries via the Pinellas County Metropolitan Planning Organization