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Manatee County updates water-ferry plan: third ferry, ADA landings and operations shift to MCAT
Summary
County officials reported rising ridership, work to make landings ADA compliant, a planned third, larger ferry for reliable commuter service, and an operational transition to Manatee County Area Transit on Oct. 1. Funding so far has come from tourism taxes and concession revenue; officials are pursuing grants for vessels, docks and piers.
Manatee County officials told a joint meeting with the City of Anna Maria that the county is expanding its water-ferry service with a focus on ADA-compliant landings, a third larger ferry and a planned operational transfer to Manatee County Area Transit (MCAT).
Elliot, a county staff member overseeing the project, said the county is pushing to make the Coquina Beach landing ADA compliant and is “pushing hard” to have improvements done by fall. He said the third ferry will operate between downtown Bradenton and Anna Maria Island while smaller pontoon catamarans serve as a hopper service up and down the island.
“The third ferry with it being bigger, heavier … it’s gonna be more stable and get the people to it,” Elliot said of the planned enclosed vessel the county hopes to add this fall.
Officials reported ridership gains despite weather-related lost days in 2024. Elliot said the service carried nearly 28,000 passengers over 143 operating days that season — a figure county staff equated roughly to removing some 13,000 cars from local roads — and that ridership through June had nearly matched the prior year.
Funding for day-to-day operations has come from tourism tax proceeds, beach concession commissions and fare revenue — “and no ad valorem taxes,” Elliot said. He added that the county has not asked cities or Manatee County to contribute financially for current operations and is actively searching for grants for vessels, piers and dock work.
Elliot said staff are working with the ferry operator to collect ZIP-code data on riders to separate resident and visitor use. He also said the county has the match dollars necessary for grant applications and is “scouring the planet” for funding.
The county plans to transition daily oversight of the ferry from the current operator to MCAT effective Oct. 1. Elliot said MCAT director Kevin Hoyt “and his team … will do a much better job” of integrating the ferry with the trolley system because MCAT “live it every day.”
County staff and the mayor of Anna Maria discussed potential workforce uses for the ferry, including pilot programs to transport island employees. Elliott and others said reliability — guaranteed departure times in the morning and evening — will be critical for commuter adoption.
County staff described looking at the seafood-shack site near the Cortez Bridge as an overnight location for pontoon catamarans and as a future stop for a planned Aqua on the Bay development. The county also plans continued social-media marketing and an app to let riders track ferry position in real time.
No formal county vote on funding for additional vessels or docks occurred at the meeting. Officials said grant awards, additional vessels and the MCAT transition will be implemented as funding and procurement allow.
