Local boating company Hubbard's Marina selected as new operator of Cross Bay Ferry
/The cross bay ferry in downtown St. Pete | City of St. Petersburg
A longtime local boating business may bring back the popular ferry service connecting downtown St. Petersburg and downtown Tampa, with more frequent trips and year-round service.
The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) has recommended Hubbard’s Marina, a nearly century-old Madeira Beach-based business, to relaunch and manage the Cross Bay Ferry, which first launched in 2016. If approved, service could resume as early as 2026, ahead of the peak spring break season.
Hubbard’s Marina, which would operate the service as the Tampa Bay Ferry, was one of four respondents to PSTA’s Request for Proposals (RFP) issued on August 5th.
Founded in 1928 by Captain Wilson Hubbard as a bait-and-tackle shop, Hubbard’s Marina has grown into a major fishing and boating business. The family-owned company moved to John’s Pass on Maderia Beach in 1976, where it now offers deep-sea fishing, sightseeing tours, and operates a maintenance and manufacturing facility in Gulfport.
Captain Wilson hubbard at Hubbard’s Pier in Pass-a-grille | photo provided
“Although the RFP is new, my father, Mark Hubbard, has been advocating this type of ferry service for over 30 years, working with Forward Pinellas Waterborne Transportation Committee and others to take advantage of the water,” said Tara Hubbard in a conversation with St. Pete Rising.
Hubbard, who helps oversee her family’s business, said they are honored to have been recommended.
“For us, the big picture here is to build a future my family has envisioned for decades - having a real waterborne transit that other metros surrounded by water have.”
Wilson Hubbard and his wife, Lorraine hubbard | photo provided
The RFP to select a new ferry operator was issued after Hillsborough County ended its contract with Boston-based HMS Ferries, the previous Cross Bay Ferry operator. HMS had proposed switching to a slower vessel that would have extended a one-way trip from 50 minutes to more than two hours.
When the county canceled the contract on April 30th, it left $4.86 million in unspent Federal Transit Authority (FTA) dollars, which can now go toward the purchase of two new ferry boats for the Tampa-to-St. Pete route.
PSTA plans to work with the new operator to identify and acquire as many viable vessels as possible using the available federal funding.
“With these savings, the service can become more efficient by adding more vessels and increasing ridership while reducing municipal subsidies,” said PSTA CEO Brad Miller.
“We sincerely believe we will be able to receive additional federal funds, and those funds will help us with the capital portion of this - repairing of the boats, also any dock repairs ... all of this can be done with the federal dollars,” Miller added, clarifying that operations cannot be funded with federal money.
Under its proposal, Hubbard’s Marina would charge PSTA $276.50 per ferry hour, about half of what HMS Ferries charged.
“With the federal grant, allowing PSTA to own the vessels, we are able to propose a much lower fee,” said Hubbard.
Captain Wilson Hubbard pcitured in 1958 | photo provided
When the ferry first launched nine years ago, it docked at the Vinoy Yacht Basin in downtown St. Petersburg and connected passengers to the Tampa Convention Center in downtown Tampa. In 2023, after the Army Corps of Engineers permit for the Vinoy site expired, the St. Pete terminus moved to Port St. Petersburg, home to the local U.S. Coast Guard Station.
PSTA Chief Planning and Community Affairs Officer Darden Rice said the new agreement would allow flexibility in selecting future ferry terminals, with the requirement that they be high-traffic, well-lit locations with ample parking.
The City of St. Pete is exploring the construction of a permanent dock near the St. Petersburg Museum of History on the St. Pete Pier.
The cross bay ferry at the vinoy yacht basin in st. petersburg | hms ferries
PSTA will present the five-year interlocal agreement with Hubbard’s Marina to both the St. Petersburg and Tampa city councils in mid-October. The proposal will then go to PSTA’s Finance Committee on October 22nd and the full PSTA Board of Directors on October 29th.
“After waiting so many generations, we are excited to not only see the city’s progress, but to be the ones to guide the ferry’s future,” Hubbard said.
“Our dream is to create a fully integrated ferry network that would not only connect downtown St. Pete and Tampa, but establish linkage between Apollo Beach, MacDill Air Force Base, Gulfport, Bradenton, and connect to other ferry systems like the Clearwater Ferry.”
