Tampa Bay Ferry prepares for launch with two vessels and $16.5 million grant for a third
/The first of two vessels for the Tampa Bay Ferry arrived in Pinellas County earlier this week | PSTA
The first of two vessels that will launch the new Tampa Bay Ferry service arrived in Pinellas County on Monday, bringing the return of ferry service between downtown St. Pete and Tampa another step closer to reality.
The arrival comes as the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) has secured a $16.5 million federal grant to build a new 249-passenger vessel for the service, which is expected to launch later this year.
The 250-passenger Bay Breeze arrived at Tarpon Marine Services in Tarpon Springs on Monday and will now undergo inspections and refurbishment for passenger service.
A second vessel, the 149-passenger Bay Clipper, formerly known as the San Juan Clipper, is expected to arrive in Pinellas County within the next few weeks and will be refurbished at the same facility.
Both vessels will initially operate between the Vinoy Yacht Basin at 332 Beach Drive Northeast in downtown St. Pete and the Tampa Convention Center at 333 South Franklin Street in downtown Tampa.
The trip is expected to take approximately 45 to 50 minutes, with one-way fares targeted at $10, compared to $12 during the Cross Bay Ferry’s final season. Discounts are also planned for seniors and riders with disabilities.
Service is expected to launch later this year following several months of refurbishment and inspections. PSTA plans to operate the ferry seven days a week, although the operating schedule and frequency of trips will be finalized at a later date.
“Having the Bay Breeze arrive here in Pinellas County is a major milestone and brings us one step closer to launching a reliable, sustainable, and long-term ferry service across the Bay,” PSTA CEO Brad Miller said in a statement.
PSTA used a $4.8 million Federal Transit Administration grant, originally awarded in 2021, to purchase and refurbish the Bay Breeze and Bay Clipper. The vessels will undergo refurbishment, painting, and other upgrades before entering passenger service.
The Bay Breeze was purchased from San Francisco, while the Bay Clipper previously operated as the San Juan Clipper, a whale-watching vessel in Seattle.
The 250-passenger Bay Breeze arrived at Tarpon Marine Service in Tarpon Springs on Monday and will now undergo inspections and refurbishment for passenger service | PSTA
Meanwhile, PSTA is already making a significant investment in the long-term future of the ferry service.
On Monday, the agency received a $16.5 million federal grant to design and build a new ferry capable of carrying up to 249 passengers. U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy announced the funding during an event at Port Tampa Bay.
The new vessel is expected to take several years to design and build and will be in addition to the two used vessels PSTA has already acquired, Bay Breeze and Bay Clipper.
The investment is part of an effort to establish a more permanent ferry service between St. Pete and Tampa.
The Cross Bay Ferry launched in 2016 using a single leased vessel and historically operated on a seasonal basis before expanding to year-round service in its final season.
“When we restarted this Tampa Bay Ferry service with PSTA, one of the talking points was, ‘We’re building this for 70 years, not seven,’” Tara Hubbard of Hubbard’s Ferry said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “We really want this to be a solid foundation.”
PSTA selected Hubbard’s Ferry last year to operate the new service after the Cross Bay Ferry ended in 2025 when Hillsborough County commissioners voted to terminate its agreement with former operator HMS Ferries.
Unlike its predecessor, the Tampa Bay Ferry will launch with two PSTA-owned vessels, providing greater reliability and allowing the service to operate seven days a week.
The new ferry is also part of a broader effort to expand waterborne transportation throughout the Tampa Bay region.
The St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce formed a Waterborne Transit Subcommittee earlier this year to explore opportunities for additional routes and connections.
The trip from downtown St. Pete to downtown Tampa is expected to take approximately 45 to 50 minutes | PSTA
“We have a huge vision for waterborne transit in Tampa Bay,” Hubbard, who serves on the subcommittee, said. “We definitely want to see this grow. We want to see expanded routes. We want to see opportunities to connect to South Hillsborough and the beaches.”
Hubbard said multiple municipalities are now interested in connecting to ferry service, a shift from previous efforts to expand waterborne transportation in the region.
“The ferry has just been something that seems to catalyze everyone, from the business community to the transit community to regular folks who just want to get across the Bay,” Hubbard said.
St. Petersburg is also exploring plans for a permanent ferry dock on the St. Pete Pier near the St. Petersburg Museum of History. Early engineering estimates have placed the project cost between $2.64 million and just over $3 million.
Until the permanent dock is built, the Tampa Bay Ferry will operate from the Vinoy Yacht Basin in downtown St. Pete.
