Dreams of bigger cruise ships coming to Tampa appear to be dead once more.
The Florida Senate approved a bill on Friday that included a provision to grant specific protections to the Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve, which is the area of a land a new cruise terminal was proposed to be built on.
Last month, SSA Marine submitted plans to construct a multi-berth cruise port in Manatee County.
The location was set to be built on a roughly 328-acre coastal property known as the Knott‑Cowen tract at the mouth of Tampa Bay next to the Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge. Estimated time of completion was three to five years.
However, SB 302 would limit large-scale dredging and filling in the Terra Ceia Preserve. That's important because dredging is part of the plans to allow cruise ships to access the terminal.
Not only would the new terminal need to be built, but a 4.5-mile long channel would need to be dredged about 60 feet deep to accommodate the newest cruise ships.
Cruise Fever reported Sen. Jim Boyd added specific protections to the land. These provisions do not mention a cruise terminal, but it effectively makes it impossible for a private company to build on the land. The only exceptions granted are for public navigation projects, public necessity, or for any project that has the goal of improving the quality of the reserve.
The Senate passed the bill with a unanimous 38-0 vote.
Now that the amendment has passed, a second amendment will need to be filed to the House Companion Bill HB 1035, currently in its second reading.
Why a new cruise terminal would make a difference in Tampa
Tampa has a cruise terminal downtown, but it can only handle smaller cruise ships. As the cruise industry has built larger ships, it's precluded Tampa from getting any newer ships.
Currently, only smaller ships, like Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas, Rhapsody of the Seas, or Serenade of the Seas are able to sail from Tampa.
The issue is the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, which blocks access to Tampa Bay. The bridge's height is not tall enough for newer, bigger ships to safely pass underneath.
According to SSA Marine's website, its terminal would solve that problem.
A new cruise port will complement existing cruise activities in the region by being able to accommodate the newer, larger, low-emissions cruise vessels that would otherwise be unable to visit due to the height restrictions of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge
As cruise ships continue to modernize, the region will be well positioned to align with and support the cruise industry’s future growth. Additionally, locating a new cruise port on the seaward side of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge could serve as a valuable community asset in the event of extreme weather or other emergency situations.
Not everyone is in favor of building a new terminal.
Since the new plans were announced, Manatee County official says staffers and their family members have received threats and harassment from constituents.
Some residents fear the port's construction and operations could negatively impact the environment and put unnecessary strain on infrastructure.
In a news release, Manatee County Administrator Charlie Bishop said some of those comments have crossed the line "to harassment, threats, and intimidation" of county workers and their families.
"This is unacceptable. No county employee should be harassed for performing their professional duties. No child should ever be targeted because of where their parent works. These actions must stop."
Project not officially dead, but prospects look poor
While the Senate passed the bill, the Florida House still needs to pass it and then Florida's Governor needs to sign it into law.
There's no official announcement or confirmation of a change in plans for the proposed new cruise terminal. But the Senate Bill's passing makes the chances look poor for the project to be practical.
