For Immediate Release
September 1st, 2026
MEDIA ADVISORY: $850,000 Federal Investment Advances Plans for Permanent Tampa Bay Ferry Dock
PINELLAS COUNTY, FL – The Tampa Bay Ferry is taking another step toward launching service between St. Petersburg and Tampa, with $850,000 in federal funding secured for a permanent ferry dock in downtown St. Petersburg. PSTA will mark the investment with a check presentation on Friday, September 4, at 10:30 a.m. near the future site of the permanent Tampa Bay Ferry dock in downtown St. Petersburg.
Sponsored by U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, the funding was approved by the Trump administration in February and included in the Fiscal Year 2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations Bill.
Who:
Kathy Castor, U.S. Representative, District 14
Brad Miller, Chief Executive Officer, PSTA
Mayor Ken Welch, City of St. Petersburg
Deborah Figgs-Sanders, PSTA Board Chair and St. Petersburg City Councilmember
Captain Dylan Hubbard, Owner, Hubbard’s Marina
When:
Friday, September 4 at 10:30 a.m.
Where:
335 2nd Ave. NE, St. Petersburg
Media members, please RSVP to Amanda Boisen:
aboisen@psta.net
The permanent dock is part of a broader federal investment in bringing waterborne transportation back to the region.
The Federal Transit Administration also recently awarded PSTA $16.5 million through the Passenger Ferry Grant Program to purchase a new vessel for the Tampa Bay Ferry.
Meanwhile, the Bay Clipper just arrived in Tarpon Springs yesterday, and both used vessels have now begun refurbishments. PSTA will announce a start date for service later this year once refurbishment of both vessels is nearing completion.
Amanda Boisen
Interim Communications & Public Relations Manager
C: (727) 288-6500
E: aboisen@psta.net
#
ABOUT PINELLAS SUNCOAST TRANSIT AUTHORITY
Since 1903, Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) has served as the premier public transit provider for Pinellas County, Florida’s most densely populated county. The SunRunner, Tampa Bay’s first-ever Bus Rapid Transit service, provides a reliable, car-free option from downtown St. Pete and St. Pete Beach. With 41 fixed-route bus routes, two express routes to downtown Tampa, the Suncoast Beach trolley, Jolley Trolley and Looper and their paratransit service Access, PSTA provides 10.7 million rides annually. For more information about PSTA, visit www.psta.net