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Is the Cross Bay Ferry between Tampa, St. Pete making a comeback?

The Cross Bay Ferry could set sail again. But Pinellas County commissioners and Tampa city council members must sign off on it first.
CrossBay ferry (file)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — If you want to get between downtown Tampa and St. Petersburg, you're only option are the bridges ... and the traffic.

But what if you could ferry across the water instead?

The Cross Bay ferry could soon be an option... again.

Today, Pinellas County commissioners will consider a proposal to fund a relaunch of the shuttle.

PREVIOUS: Does the Cross Bay ferry have a future?

The quick ride between downtown St. Petersburg and downtown Tampa became popular during a six-month trial that ended in the spring of 2017.

A new round of funding—already approved by the St. Petersburg City Council and the Hillsborough County Commission—would get the service back up and running for another six months beginning in November.

The city of Tampa has yet to commit funding, but a spokesperson for Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn confirms to 10News he plans to recommend that the city council approve the city's contribution at the next council meeting on July 26.

All four municipalities must agree to fund the ferry.

During its 2016-17 run, the ferry cost taxpayers about $1.5 million. About 10 percent of that cost was recouped.

RELATED: Cross Bay Ferry slowly paying back taxpayers

Buckhorn, who has been one of the project's biggest skeptic, previously pointed to the fact the ferry was mostly popular for weekend recreation trips, not weekday commuter trips.

During its previous run, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman told 10News they were surprised to see more residents riding than tourists.

But if you were hoping a return of the ferry would mean an alternative to dealing with the bridges during the morning rush, you might be out of luck.

Last month, Kriseman told Hillsborough commissioners that a new run would not offer early-morning shuttles.

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