The drive to Clearwater Beach is often no day at the beach.
But a partnership five years in the making between the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority and the Clearwater Ferry adds a way out of that traffic to the local transportation network - a boat to the beach.
PSTA’s agreement with Clearwater Ferry Inc. owners Dennis and Trisha Rodriguez puts the ferry service under PSTA, adds a fourth day to the ferry’s weekly schedule, and extends daily service hours. With the changes, the ferry now runs between Clearwater Harbor Marina downtown and Clearwater Beach Municipal Marina from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday through Sunday. Regular price for a one-way fare is $5. For seniors 65 and up, children 9 to 18, people with Medicare cards, individuals with disabilities, and adult students who have their student ID card, the cost is $2.50. The ferry will also resume service to downtown Dunedin when the docks at the storm-ravaged city marina downtown are repaired and reopened.
Connecting the beach and downtown
During a January 31st launch event at Clearwater Harbor Marina, PSTA CEO Brad Miller says the agency is working to answer the public’s call “for more options, more alternatives to avoid gridlocked traffic” through projects like the SunRunner bus rapid transit system and the Clearwater Ferry partnership.
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The Clearwater Ferry is now part of PSTA's public transportation networkThe ferry offers a way to avoid heavy weekend beach traffic and spring break congestion, Miller says. Use the ample parking available downtown, ride the Jolley Trolley to the ferry stop at Clearwater Harbor Marina, and take the ferry to the beach. To make it a convenient option, the Jolley Trolley, another PSTA partner, runs every 20 minutes and the ferry every half hour.
“This is more than a new transit option, it’s a step toward a more connected, sustainable, and resilient county,” Miller says. “We create new opportunities for economic growth, increase tourism, and improve the overall livability of our urban area.”
During the January 31st event, Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector says he’s excited about the possibilities for Coachman Park and its music venue The BayCare Sound. Now, residents and visitors on the beach can hop on the ferry for a short but scenic boat trip to the concerts and events at the redeveloped, revitalized park on the downtown waterfront.
Rector says adding the ferry service to the public transportation mix also helps out beach business employees who kept the area’s vital hospitality and tourism industry going after Helene and Milton. Many of those employees can’t afford a car, while others can’t afford a parking space on the beach, Rector says. Now, thousands of beach employees have the Clearwater Ferry, the Jolley Trolley, and the PSTA bus system as options to get back and forth from work.
The Clearwater Marine Aquarium remains closed due to extensive flooding damage from Helene but CEO Joe Handy expects future guests will have a little extra enthusiasm after a ferry ride to the beach.
“When guests cruise across the harbor and see the water and marine life up close, we know that they will be even more excited to learn about the undersea world and how we help protect it,” Handy says during the January 31st event
At the launch event, Oldsmar Mayor and new PSTA Board Chair Dan Saracki sported a boat captain’s hat to mark the occasion.
“We believe this new ferry service is a game changer for Pinellas County,” Saracki says during his comments. “It’s not just about moving people from point A to point
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Oldsmar Mayor and PSTA Chair Dan Saracki B, it’s about creating a new dynamic in how we think about urban mobility. It’s about providing people with more choices, more flexibility, and ultimately more opportunities to experience everything our county has to offer. At PSTA, we are deeply committed to ensuring that we continue to innovate and adapt in response to the challenges and the opportunities of the future. This ferry service is part of that vision as we seek to provide our community with a comprehensive multi-modal transportation network that serves all types of commuters. As we look ahead, we are confident that this service will mark the beginning of a new era in urban mobility.”
Launching Mary's Crossing, Jennie's Crossing
The expanded service is funded by PSTA, state grants, and the City of Clearwater, which has put money toward the Clearwater Ferry since it first launched in 2015. State funding includes a Florida Department of Transportation grant that purchased two brand new boats that went into service with the expanded ferry service.
“Oftentimes people ask how do we name a boat?” Clearwater Ferry co-owner Trisha Rodriguez says during the January 31st event.
In this case, the boat names honor two women who played significant roles in Clearwater's history. The vessel Jennie’s Crossing is named for Clearwater’s first paid public school teacher, Jennie Plumb, whose family home, the Plumb House, later became the first location of the Clearwater Historical Society Museum. The vessel Mary’s Crossing is named in honor of Mary Louise Baker, the second woman to serve in the Florida House and an activist for women’s rights.
"It’s certainly been a long five years” to finalize the partnership with PSTA and make the ferry expansion happen, Trish Rodriguez says. But happen it did, she says, thanks to the determination of a slew of current and former Clearwater and Pinellas County elected officials and staff, and the county's past and present state legislators.
For more information, go to Clearwater Ferry