HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — The Hillsborough County commission voted Wednesday to terminate a proposed ferry service between MacDill Air Force Base and southern Hillsborough County.
The service would have provided alternate means of transportation for residents but commissioners say the county just doesn't have the $76 million in funding.
Commissioners voted 5-2 to sink the south Hillsborough route.
What You Need To Know
- Hillsborough County commissioners voted Wednesday to end plans for a Cross Bay Ferry route between MacDill AFB and southern Hillsborough County
- Commissioners say the county just doesn't have the $76 million in funding
- The Cross Bay Ferry service that runs between Tampa and St. Pete will not be affected
- MORE INFORMATION: Cross Bay Ferry
Planning for the MacDill ferry commuter route began in 2013. Now, a year from its scheduled completion, county commissioners have scraped the route.
The MacDill route would have been in addition to the Cross Bay Ferry service that runs between Tampa and St. Pete.
That route is not being threatened.
Commissioner Ken Hagan said in a statement this week: "With minimal ridership and an ever increasing $75 million cost to tax payers, the MacDill ferry is a financial boondoggle.
“It makes far more sense to invest in meaningful transportation projects that will relieve congestion and improve the quality of life for a significantly greater percentage of our residents."
The recently formed nonprofit Tampa Bay Ferry Alliance had been pushing back on plans to scrap the service, calling it a key element in connecting Hillsborough County.
But how many people will use it, and is it really worth the $175 million in operating costs over the next 20 years?
Commissioners ultimately decide it was not.