Cross Bay Ferry Agreement With St. Pete Approved By Pinellas County Commissioners

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Pinellas County commissioners approved an interlocal agreement with the city of St. Petersburg regarding the Cross Bay Ferry service between St. Pete and Tampa.

In a 5-1 vote at their Tuesday meeting, commissioners agreed that the county will make a lump-sum payment of $129,500 to St. Petersburg for the ferry service. The city will disperse these funds over the next three years, paying $38,000 for the ferry’s upcoming second season, $40,500 for the 2023-24 season and $51,000 for the 2024-25 season.

District 4 Commissioner Dave Eggers was the sole no vote against the agreement.

The Cross Bay Ferry, operated by HMS Ferries Inc., operates from October to May. During its record-breaking 2021-2022 season, the service transported more than 62,000 passengers, both residents of the region and visitors.

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The service has grown each year since its inaugural 2016 season. As Hillsborough County accelerated plans to establish the ferry program as a permanent transportation option in the Tampa Bay area, Pinellas County commissioners in May opted out of the remaining three years outlined in the original interlocal agreement with Hillsborough, Tampa and St. Pete.

That initial interlocal agreement was signed by all four parties last September — just days before the deadline for the 2021-22 season. Pinellas County commissioners felt left out of the negotiations, though, and terminated the agreement in order to reopen contract negotiations. Under the previous agreement, Pinellas County subsidized the service through a $190,000 payment, the same amount paid by Hillsborough, Tampa and St. Pete.

During Tuesday’s meeting, Barry Burton, the county’s chief administrative officer, said the other parties were eager to renegotiate terms for the ferry as they applied for federal and state grants to help fund the service.