ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The initial campaign of year-round service from the Cross Bay Ferry is ending early.

According to the City of St. Petersburg, information posted on its social accounts indicate the ferry service will end April 30. 

The ferry service, which previously ran from October to July, was in its initial campaign to operate year-round and was scheduled to operate until Sep. 30. The ferry’s current operating agreement is in its fourth and last year.

City officials said the operator of the ferry service, HMS, defaulted on their agreement with Hillsborough County and will not be able to provide an equivalent replacement vessel moving forward.

According to St. Pete’s Transportation Director Evan Mory, the reason the service is ending five months early is because operators wanted to swap out the ferry for a slower boat that would’ve taken twice as long to cross the bay.

In that memo, Mory states Hillsborough County notified the Cross Bay Ferry operators, HMS Ferries, that its plan to use the slower boat violated their agreement.

HMS missed a deadline last week to remedy the situation.

Now, Hillsborough commissioners, who will discuss the issue on April 16, are expected to recommend terminating the agreement.

St. Pete officials said they are working with the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority and government partners to issue a request for proposals and explore options to provide a new ferry service.

The Cross Bay Ferry is operated regionally between Hillsborough County, the Florida Department of Transportation, the City of Tampa, the City of St. Petersburg, and Pinellas County.