Boyd Gets Amendment Aimed at Scuttling South Skyway Cruise Port Plans Added to SB 302

TALLAHASSEE — On Thursday, Florida Senator Jim Boyd (R-Bradenton) successfully added an amendment to an existing coastal resiliency bill (SB 302), adding protections to help ensure a cruise port cannot be built in or near the Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve. The amended bill passed the chamber by a 38-0 vote.

“In an effort to protect the pristine coastal area of east Tampa Bay, which has small keys, little bays and mangroves, this amendment restricts the dredging or filling of submerged lands within the Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve,” Boyd said, adding that it aligned with the dredge and fill restrictios already in place for the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve, which was the primary subject of the bill.

There has been broad public backlash against a privately proposed cruise ship on the 328-acre Knott-Cowen tract just south of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Manatee County. Developers SSA Marine and Slip Knott LLC intend to build a multi-berth cruise ship facility aimed at serving mega cruise ships that are too large to pass under the Skyway.

Boyd's amendment would ban the kind of large-scale dredging in the  Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve required for a project anywhere near the size, scope, or intensity of the cruise ship port, while maintaining exceptions for the following activities:

(a) Such minimum dredging and spoiling as may be authorized for public navigation projects or for such minimum dredging and spoiling as may be constituted as a public necessity. 

(b) Such other alteration of physical conditions, including the placement of riprap, as may be necessary to enhance the quality and utility of the preserve.

(c) Such dredging as is necessary for the purpose of eliminating conditions hazardous to the public health or for the purpose of eliminating stagnant waters, islands, and spoil banks, the dredging of which would enhance the aesthetic and environmental quality and utility of the preserve and be clearly in the public interest as determined by the board. 

(d) Such minimum dredging and filling as may be authorized for the creation and maintenance of marinas, public boat ramps, piers, and docks, and their attendant navigation channels and access roads. Such projects may be authorized only upon a specific finding by the board that there is assurance that the project will be constructed and operated in a manner that will not adversely affect the water quality and utility of the preserve. This paragraph may not be construed to authorize the connection of upland canals to the waters of the preserve. 

Any dredging and filling pursuant to paragraph (a), paragraph 72 (b), or paragraph (c) shall be approved by the board only after 73 public notice as provided in s. 253.115. 

"If passed, this provides another tool in the toolbox to ensure the heart of our community is protected and maintained for generations to come," Boyd said in a statement.

SB 302's House companion bill, HB 1035, has cleared three of its House Committee votes and is headed to the floor. If approved by the full Legislature and signed by the Governor, the legislation would take effect July 1.

Environmental opposition

A petition led by Suncoast Waterkeeper and Tampa Bay Waterkeeper to Stop the Skyway Cruise Port has gathered more than 13,500 signatures. 

On Thursday, a coalition of local conservation, fishing, and community organizations issued a formal opposition letter arguing that the project conflicts with state law, local land-use protections, and the long-term public interest in safeguarding one of Tampa Bay’s most productive and intact coastal ecosystems.

Experts within the coalition have noted that the proposed location is surrounded by state-protected waters and lies within Manatee County’s restricted high-risk coastal areas, arguing that any increase in density is incompatible with public safety and the government’s responsibility to preserve our critical ecosystems.

“Existing regulations were put in place to ensure treasures like this remain unspoiled, said Dr. Abbey Tyrna, Executive Director of Suncoast Waterkeeper. "If the law won't protect the Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve, it won't protect anything.

Others argue that such a project would cause economic fallout in the Tampa Bay region because of its economic dependence on healthy waterways.

"Simply, Tampa Bay's local shellfish aquaculture industry could cease to exist in its current form if a multi-birth cruise terminal is constructed at the proposed location,” said Dr. Stephen Hesterberg, Executive Director of the Gulf Shellfish Institute.

Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve has 21,736 acres of interconnected ecosystems. From tidal flats to seagrass meadows, the habitats work together to support a wide array of wildlife, including the Florida manatee and various protected wading birds.

“Dredging for a cruise port and increased vessel traffic would destroy and degrade these habitats, disrupting tarpon migration and spawning-related activities for both Tampa Bay and the Gulf,” said Jim McDuffie, Bonefish & Tarpon Trust President & CEO. “With much of Florida’s juvenile tarpon habitat already lost to coastal development, protecting the remaining habitat is critical to the future of the fishery.”

The group argued that it is not just the aquaculture industry that stands to lose.

“The economic strength of our area depends on the symbiotic relationship between recreational anglers, tourism, the commercial industry, and habitat conservation,” said Alexis Meschelle, Executive Director of the Organized Fishermen of Florida. “We cannot prioritize tourism jobs without recognizing that our commercial industry fuels that very tourism; without protected habitats, we lose the bait for recreational fishers and the local seafood that tourists expect. Viewing this cruise port through a one-dimensional lens threatens not only the environment but also the livelihoods of those who work on our waterfronts."

They also noted that dredging a deep channel would compromise coastal resilience by increasing the frequency and severity of high tides and storm surges, while hampering water quality due to siltation and the resuspension of toxic heavy metals and other contaminants that threaten shellfish, fish, and human health. 

"Make no mistake, the proposed Skyway Cruise Port would be absolutely destructive to Tampa Bay,” states Justin Tramble, Executive Director of Tampa Bay Waterkeeper. “Instead of a massive cruise port, we need to be protecting this area and looking for ways to preserve some of the last remaining untouched shoreline in Tampa Bay. Preserving what's already there is worth way more than tearing it down."