As we pointed out last month, the Cross-Bay Ferry is coming back to Tampa Bay. But now it may connect to MacDill Air Force Base, too.

TBBJ says that the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners voted 7-0 to approve an eighth modification to the Tampa Bay Passenger Ferry Interim Public Private Partnership Agreement.

Included in the modification is a task to create a ferry route between south Hillsborough County and MacDill Air Force Base with a possible connection to downtown Tampa.

That's pretty interesting for the 15,000 or so people who work and/or live on the base (and makes for an easy way to get to Lightning games), but it leaves the rest of us still wondering where the heck we're all gonna park when we board the ferry in St. Petersburg (near the Vinoy Marina) or downtown Tampa (there are metered spots in garages about a half-mile away and a few near Bayshore Drive NE).

The ferry operator is expected to make at least 32 one-way trips per week, with seven-day service, and TBO expects adult ticket prices to cap out at $8 (the maximum cost for the first run was $10) with discounts for seniors, students, and active and retired military members. Children age 4 or younger will be able to ride for free.


This article appears in Sep 20-27, 2018.

Read his 2016 intro letter and disclosures from 2022 and 2021. Ray Roa started freelancing for Creative Loafing Tampa in January 2011 and was hired as music editor in August 2016. He became Editor-In-Chief...