Commissioner Sandra Murman and other county commissioners said in a statement to Tampa Bay Business Journal that Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) should cover the project.
"If this stays with the county we are going to have to hire a lot more additional staff, we will be duplicating everything that HART has at their operation. This is not a case about the ferry. It's about what bucket the ball is going to bounce into it," Murman said.
If the county takes on this project, it could cost an estimated $50 million according to the commissioner, and the county isn't as equipped as HART when it comes to building shelters and stops.
“This is about who’s going to be financially responsible. We need to get this done and move forward and the only place to put this is HART. It’s a transit company.”
As far as funding for the ferry station facilities, ferry vessels and MacDill trams, and maintenance costs, the project developer has proposed that Hillsborough County and other local and state funding partners should foot the bill.
Such costs would rack up to over $70 million.
If all goes as well, and the costs are covered, Tampa Bay could have four different ferries holding 149 passengers each to carry anywhere from 1,500-1,930 riders daily. The board will reconvene to come to a decision on August 15.
After the Cross-Bay Ferry's record high ridership 2018-2019 season, this would be a huge win for Tampa Bay for the service to become permanent. Time to work out the kinks and see who gets left with the bill.
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This article appears in May 16-23, 2019.