Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Bay Business Journal article on St. Pete/Tampa ferry:
Hillsborough county commissioners vote on funding for ferry service to St. Pete
Jan 6, 2016, 11:50am EST Updated: Jan 6, 2016, 1:42pm EST
In a 5 to 1 vote, the Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners threw their support behind a pilot program for a ferry service linking the downtowns of St. Petersburg and Tampa.
The vote came after St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman outlined the plan that called for at least one vessel to begin operating in October, Tuesdays through Sunday, for a total cost of more than $1.3 million. Under the proposal, the counties of Hillsborough and Pinellas and the cities of Tampa and St. Petersburg would have to kick in $350,000 each to cover the costs.
“For this to be effective, each of the partner governments” would have to share in the startup costs, Kriseman told the Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners Wednesday morning.
“St. Petersburg would be the lead government entity in negotiating with HMS Ferries,” the company that is seeking to run the service, Kriseman said. He noted that his city and Tampa may have to put in more money to cover infrastructure for the docking of the ferry.
The St. Petersburg mayor said he needed four items from Hillsborough which included a resolution earmarking the $350,000 in funds; assistance lobbying regional and state governments for additional funding for a second vessel; assistance in soliciting sponsorships; and assistance in marketing the ferry service.
Kriseman will meet with commissioners for Pinellas County soon. The day before this vote, he huddled with Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn who announced his support for the ferry service.
With one ferry, there would be three to four roundtrips Tuesday through Friday and four on Saturdays and Sundays. With a second vessel that would cost approximately $898,000, there could be six to eight roundtrips weekdays and eight on weekends, Kriseman said.
“We do need to make better use of our waterways,” said Commissioner Sandra Murman, who made the motion to earmark the funding for the ferry service pilot program. She called the project a first step in creating a regional transportation network and cautioned her colleagues not to expect a return on their investment in the first couple of years.
In urging that the county earmark funding, Murman noted this was the lowest cost option for a ferry service ever presented to the board. “We cannot wait,” she said. “There is no time for studies. … We all need to sharpen our pencils and get moving on it.”
Commissioner Stacy White stated he was voting against it because he believes the cities of Tampa and St. Petersburg should be responsible for a greater portion of the ferry service. In addition, White wanted to see more vetting of the proposal.
Despite his “concerns” about how his constituents and those further north would spend $350,000 for the downtown ferry, Commission Chair Lesley “Les” Miller Jr. said, “I’m going to support it today.”
