Ferry operators gain support for MacDill connection

The long-desired plan of establishing a ferry service that would connect to MacDill Air Force Base and southern Hillsborough County is revving up support with additional funding.  

Hillsborough County Commissioners voted 5-2 during a Wednesday meeting to approve the first modification to the Tampa Bay passenger ferry and a second interim public-private partnership agreement between Hillsborough County, HMS Ferries Inc., which operates the existing Cross Bay Ferry, and South Swell Development Group LLC. 

The approved additional $252,062, which will be disbursed through the county’s reserves (originally slated for the following year), brings the new funding total to roughly $1.25 million. This modification to the agreement will allow the ferry team to continue the preliminary design and engineering work for the service that otherwise would have to be paused until the next fiscal year.

The plan is for the team to develop a terminal on donated land from Mosaid, a phosphate producer. The land at Mosaic’s Big Bend Road site will be used as the South County terminal connecting riders to MacDill Air Force Base.

The new terminal at the Mosaic site would operate during peak hours; during off-peak hours, it would link to downtown Tampa, St. Petersburg and South County, said Kimley-Horn and Associates project lead and shareholder Dawn Dodge, who presented an update at the meeting.  

The site plan for the South County terminal, which would be built at Mosaic’s Big Bend property. Image: Kimley-Horn and Associates.

She also laid out a timeline, showing that a new 350-passenger ferry would connect to Tampa and St. Petersburg in March 2024. The 5,000-square-foot South County terminal and the service for South County, Tampa and St. Petersburg would come online in April 2025. During the same year, the MacDill service would commence. 

Inspirational photos of how the South County may be designed. It includes a 3,500-square-foot covered patio. Image: Kimley-Horn and Associates.

“It is critically important that the people who serve our military have the ability to get to the base should we ever have a problem,” commissioner Kimberly Overman said, explaining how on average, people are spending 40 to 50 minutes trying to enter the base and supporting the project would not “break the bank.”  

While the motion ultimately passed, commissioners Ken Hagan and Stacy White voted against dedicating more funds to the project. 

“I fully support the intercity ferry service. However, I firmly believe the commuter ferry is not a transit project. It will be a financial boondoggle that will remove very few vehicles from the road,” Hagan said. 

While Hagan said the service may only address a portion of the congestion, commissioners Overman, Pat Kemp, Mariella Smith and Harry Cohen said otherwise, emphasizing the demand. 

“I know South County is very thrilled about seeing this move ahead,” Kemp said, touting it as a transformative transit project.

Smith followed Kemp’s comments stating how she is constantly asked by residents when the service will come to fruition. Cohen added he has heard excitement from the South Tampa community due to the sheer amount of traffic that winds throughout neighborhoods leading up to the gates of MacDill. 

“This offers an opportunity to relieve that congestion in an area that can’t be expanded,” Cohen said.

The commissioners also noted how the seasonal Cross Bay Ferry, commuting between St. Petersburg and Tampa, has broken ridership records this last season, further proving the ample usage. 

“The ferry project is moving faster and better than expected,” Ed Turanchik, who represents HMS Ferries and South Swell Development, said in a provided statement. “This will put us in a better position to compete for federal and state capital funds and start the MDAFB commuter service sooner. It will also allow us to incorporate South Hillsborough County into intercity service earlier.”