Elliot Falcione, director of tourism for Manatee County, told the Tourist Development Council the county's water ferry service is approaching 50,000 riders for the calendar year and has reduced vehicle trips on local roads. "Depending on the weather, we may we should hit that 50,000 riders in the calendar year," Falcione said, adding ridership was up about 82% from the prior year and that the service likely removed roughly 22,000–23,000 cars.

Falcione said the system, launched at county direction about 2½ years ago to enhance multimodal travel between the mainland and Anna Maria Island, now runs five days a week and will move to six days a week by about Feb. 1, weather permitting. He described a new, heavier "hopper" ferry with roughly "30 plus" interior seats that should reduce suspended service days and make trips more dependable in rougher conditions than the county's smaller pontoon catamarans.

The county is preparing South Coquina Boat Ramp for an additional landing but is awaiting an ADA lift for wheelchair accessibility. "Once we get that open in the month of January, then we think we'll entice more residents that live on the mainland to use the water ferry," Falcione said. He also described permitting work for the Palmetto Estuary and said some dredge and seagrass mitigation may be required; staff estimate full activation of Palmetto Estuary-related infrastructure could be up to two years away.

Commissioners and industry members pressed staff on service reliability, schedules and capacity. Dan Diggins, Holmes Beach commissioner, urged the office to publish a dependable schedule to support commuter use: "To make this a really dependable type form of transportation, you're gonna have to publish a schedule and meet a time." Falcione said the county expects to provide a clearer answer on schedule publication in a follow-up briefing.

Financially, Falcione said the new third ferry was a $3,000,000 investment funded through Tourist Development Council proceeds and that staff are monitoring when fare revenue might reduce the operating subsidy. He said grant writers are actively pursuing federal grants for additional vessels and landing infrastructure and that the county has the required local match available.

Planners and business owners discussed multimodal connections to nearby hotels, the Palmetto Estuary Preserve and downtown Bradenton, and emphasized the need for complementary amenities at landings to distribute visitors and benefits across municipalities. "If we have to bring a car, then just drive to Downtown Bradenton and board from the Bradenton side," Falcione said, noting the county's goal is to make the ferry an option that reduces roadway congestion and supports local businesses.

The council requested an update in January to review running days, passenger counts by leg (inbound versus outbound) and the revenue trigger that would begin to reduce the subsidy. Falcione said staff will provide another update in January and continue work with city partners on landing locations and ADA access.