Commissioner Murman mentioned in this Tampa Tribune editorial on ferry service between Tampa and St. Pete:
EDITORIALS
Editorial: Plan to provide ferry service between Tampa and St. Petersburg deserves support
Published: November 1, 2015
A proposal that would test the feasibility of a commercial ferry service between downtown Tampa and downtown St. Petersburg is worth pursuing on both sides of the bay.
St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman wants to use $350,000 of his city’s $6.5 million share of BP settlement money to entice other government agencies to take the plunge and make the pilot ferry service a reality. The boats would run only for the winter months.
We hope the proposal wins the support of Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and the Pinellas and Hillsborough commissions and begins ferrying passengers as soon as next winter and tourists and locals can take a ferry across the bay rather than navigate congested roads.
It is estimated as much as $1 million will be needed to put the plan in motion. Perhaps half of that cost can be offset by fares. The rest will be money spent to get an understanding of the appetite for the service and its feasibility. The investment could pay dividends down the road if it leads to a sustainable model for a commuter ferry service between the area’s two largest metro centers.
After the recent wastewater spills into Tampa Bay, the St. Petersburg City Council wants to spend the BP money to fix the problem, a necessary expense. But the council should look for ways to fund both.
In Tampa, Hillsborough County Commission chair Sandy Murman says she’ll get behind the project, but Buckhorn has been silent. City officials say there are priorities, such as extending the Tampa streetcar line and Go Hillsborough, that are more pressing.
That’s an odd stance considering the ferry would feed into Buckhorn’s vision of a livable downtown and that St. Petersburg appears willing to take the lead.
The ferry would initially offer a way for tourists and residents to take an alternate way across the bay that allows them to enjoy the water. It would take roughly 50 minutes to get across the bay.
In addition to the daytime trips, it might also run some evenings to deliver fans to Tampa Bay Lightning games or other special events. Temporary docks might be established at the Tampa Convention Center and Vinoy Basin.
Backers say they would like to keep the round-trip fare at around $10.
Ed Turanchik, the former county commissioner and the force behind the effort to land a permanent ferry route connecting south Hillsborough County to MacDill Air Force Base, is also pushing pilot service between the two cities.
The boat would belong to a company operating in a cold-weather climate with boats that are out of service in the winter months. He says it might be the same company he is representing in his pursuit of a full-time service to MacDill, or some other company depending on how many might pursue the business.
The MacDill ferry service is awaiting environmental studies on proposed terminal sites that won’t be completed until next year. In the meantime, this service could demonstrate the potential.
Kriseman has floated a plan with safeguards for the city. He says the project will not exceed $350,000 and will be withdrawn if other partners don’t commit to making it happen.
Having a ferry service connect the two cities has long been talked about in this area, and this plan represents an opportunity with relatively little risk to put the idea in motion.
