The future of the Cross Bay Ferry service between downtown Tampa and St. Petersburg may be determined today during a Hillsborough County Commission meeting.

Commissioners are expected to vote on whether to end the county’s agreement with HMS Ferries, the operator of the service. If approved, the ferry could cease operations as early as April 30—five months earlier than scheduled.

Previously running seasonally from October to July, the ferry had recently launched its first year-round service, with operations set to continue through September 30. This year marked the final term of its four-year agreement.

However, county officials say HMS Ferries defaulted on its contract by proposing to replace the current vessel with a slower boat that would double the crossing time across Tampa Bay. According to St. Petersburg Transportation Director Evan Mory, that proposed change violated the terms of the agreement.

After missing a deadline last week to address the issue, HMS now faces likely termination of its contract—a move that could save the county approximately $102,000.

The Cross Bay Ferry is operated through a regional partnership involving Hillsborough County, the Florida Department of Transportation, Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Pinellas County. The service has been running since 2021.

St. Pete officials indicated they may issue a request for proposals to find a new ferry operator if the current deal is dissolved.

During a commission meeting last month, Commissioner Harry Cohen pointed to broader concerns with HMS Ferries.

“My understanding is that this probably is more related to the general health of the company itself,” Cohen said. “I believe that they may have gone through a bankruptcy and an ownership change. So I’m not really entirely sure what was behind their decision to change out the vessel.”

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(Image credit: City of St. Petersburg)

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