Cruise ships and the Sunshine Skyway debate (Miami, Tampa: 2013, rent)

[kmarc]

LOL, LMAO, Cruise Ships? They're concerned about space for cruise ships? The way things are going, people will be lucky if they can rent a jon boat for a day on the bay.

Sure, a lot of the retirees in the Tampa Bay area go cruising. But I can assure you that those who become retirees in five years time won't have the affluence that the current crop of retirees have. Not even close.

[housingcrashsurvivor]

I like either their 4th option of a new channel and draw bridge elsewhere on the causeway which FDOT has rejected (see article below) which seems the most cost effective or take the 2 billion (see below) that it would cost to demolish and build a new bridge and instead build a new terminal seaward of the bridge but I'd add to that using 1.4 billion or whatever's left towards a light rail connecting the new terminal & maybe beaches to the airport, downtown and, of course, the spring break cruise crowd at USF.

FDOT lays out options for growth of Tampa cruise industry | TBO.com, The Tampa Tribune and The Tampa Times

build a new cruise ship terminal seaward of the massive suspension bridge at a possible cost of $632 million to $647 million.

Building a new cruise ship port seaward of the Skyway bridge would likely include construction of a 50-acre, four-berth facility with a 100,000 square-foot port terminal facility, the report states. It would need to include a lobby, security, check-in areas, baggage areas and customs office. This facility could also include a marina for mega-yacht docking, a boutique hotel, restaurants and shops. It would require some 9,000 parking spaces.

The options include building a new bridge (around $2 billion), altering the existing bridge by lifting the impacted section, or demolishing the impacted section and building a new, higher segment (either of which would cost around $1.5 billion).

A consultant had initially suggested a fourth alternative — to build a drawbridge at one end of the Skyway with a deep channel for the large ships, but Biter said FDOT determined that was not a viable option.

Port Tampa Bay is already the eighth largest cruise port in the nation. Just last year, the port hosted 854,000 cruise passengers and will likely top the 1 million-passenger mark this year.

Currently, the cruise industry’s economic impact on the Tampa Bay area includes nearly 2,000 jobs and an annual income of some $90 million.

The FDOT study concludes that in the long-term, Port Tampa Bay could be hosting more than 2.5 million cruise passengers a year with an annual economic impact of close to $1 billion.

...in 10-12 years, over 90 percent of the cruise fleet would not (fit) under the bridge

One thing that hasn’t yet been studied, Alfonso said, is the effects cruises to Cuba could have on the growth of the industry here. Alfonso, who was born in Cuba, said he believes Cuba cruises could be a game-changer for Port Tampa Bay.

[engineman]

My taste: I will avoid mega cruise ships every time. I travel to see new things, not a zillion other tourists. A cruise that is like a cattle drive isn't fun.

[stpeteguy]

Originally Posted by cmjones311

Isn't the Skyway already ridiculously, dizzyingly high? I've never been on it, but it seems crazy high from the pictures I've seen.

Would be cool if they could somehow create a second tier on it that's high enough, while not impeding traffic on the lower level, and then somehow make a drawbridge out of the first level once they open the second level. That way, you've doubled the amount of traffic that can flow across the bridge on 2 levels, and when the mega ships need to go under it, they could just put up the gates and raise the bottom level for it to pass under, and then let traffic go again.

Now, I fully understand that this isn't physically possible, but it would certainly be the coolest response to the problem :-)

Yes, the Skyway is very high and the cruise ships that already go under it are ridiculously huge. I took a Royal Caribbean cruise a year or two back. That ship was massive and went nicely under the Skyway.

I personally think raising the bridge is a terrible idea. It would be much cheaper/easier/better to just build a new port somewhere else close by. Pinellas county isn't that environmentally sensitive. This isn't the Everglades.

[jambo101]

I guess whatever is done it will be at tax payers expense.
Does the mega cruise ship business really bring in that much money to the Tampa Bay area?
The few people i know who have taken cruises out of Tampa flew into the airport jumped on the shuttle to the port then left on their cruise.
The ships using Tampa as a port already are fairly large why not just relegate boats that dont fit under the bridge to the port in Miami.

[stpeteguy]

Originally Posted by jambo101

The ships using Tampa as a port already are fairly large why not just relegate boats that dont fit under the bridge to the port in Miami.

That's exactly what they do. Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

[EngGirl]

Originally Posted by stpeteguy

Pinellas county isn't that environmentally sensitive. This isn't the Everglades.

LOL

You just made my day, seriously

I think you will be surprised to learn what it takes to get "no go" permit due to some environmental issues - pretty much nothing, one little thing can kill any project. And I would bet all my money if the area in Pinellas they were considering for building new terminal is considered to be environmentally sensitive, it will never get permits, period.

In my opinion, I would leave everything as it is. There are many cruise ships that can fit under the existing bridge and it's enough for Tampa port. If someone wants to take mega ship - there are plenty of choices - port Canaveral or something south in Miami area. Don't we have something else to spend money on?

[The b8nk]

Originally Posted by stpeteguy

Pinellas county isn't that environmentally sensitive. This isn't the Everglades.

Typical northern attitude which helps the destruction of FL.

[gulfporter]

Originally Posted by EngGirl

LOL



In my opinion, I would leave everything as it is. There are many cruise ships that can fit under the existing bridge and it's enough for Tampa port. If someone wants to take mega ship - there are plenty of choices - port Canaveral or something south in Miami area. Don't we have something else to spend money on?

Exactly!

Plus, I remember Key West before the cruise ships and it was much more fun before having to jockey for position on sidewalks with wide-assed goobers who think taking a cruise has something to do with travel (the vast majority book cruises based on the number of pasta stations on-board). And, in talking to merchants in many places where cruise ships alight, universally cruisers are cheapskates and don't buy anything. All of the money is made by the Port Authorities on the dock fees, and many of these Authorities never turn a profit....they are expensive to run, big bureaucracies, political fiefdoms. Just ask Chris Christie.

[DUNNDFRNT]

Originally Posted by housingcrashsurvivor

I like either their 4th option of a new channel and draw bridge elsewhere on the causeway which FDOT has rejected (see article below) which seems the most cost effective or take the 2 billion (see below) that it would cost to demolish and build a new bridge and instead build a new terminal seaward of the bridge but I'd add to that using 1.4 billion or whatever's left towards a light rail connecting the new terminal & maybe beaches to the airport, downtown and, of course, the spring break cruise crowd at USF.

FDOT lays out options for growth of Tampa cruise industry | TBO.com, The Tampa Tribune and The Tampa Times

build a new cruise ship terminal seaward of the massive suspension bridge at a possible cost of $632 million to $647 million.

Building a new cruise ship port seaward of the Skyway bridge would likely include construction of a 50-acre, four-berth facility with a 100,000 square-foot port terminal facility, the report states. It would need to include a lobby, security, check-in areas, baggage areas and customs office. This facility could also include a marina for mega-yacht docking, a boutique hotel, restaurants and shops. It would require some 9,000 parking spaces.

The options include building a new bridge (around $2 billion), altering the existing bridge by lifting the impacted section, or demolishing the impacted section and building a new, higher segment (either of which would cost around $1.5 billion).

A consultant had initially suggested a fourth alternative — to build a drawbridge at one end of the Skyway with a deep channel for the large ships, but Biter said FDOT determined that was not a viable option.

Port Tampa Bay is already the eighth largest cruise port in the nation. Just last year, the port hosted 854,000 cruise passengers and will likely top the 1 million-passenger mark this year.

Currently, the cruise industry’s economic impact on the Tampa Bay area includes nearly 2,000 jobs and an annual income of some $90 million.

The FDOT study concludes that in the long-term, Port Tampa Bay could be hosting more than 2.5 million cruise passengers a year with an annual economic impact of close to $1 billion.

...in 10-12 years, over 90 percent of the cruise fleet would not (fit) under the bridge

One thing that hasn’t yet been studied, Alfonso said, is the effects cruises to Cuba could have on the growth of the industry here. Alfonso, who was born in Cuba, said he believes Cuba cruises could be a game-changer for Port Tampa Bay.

If you go by this info then, the Tampa area would stand to lose 1 Billion a year as it is now, with the potential of Cuba bound cruises adding to that total, if you do nothing you will lose 90% of that annual 1 B+
so a 2B one time investment would be a drop in the bucket, if someone asked you for 2k for an annual 1k return for the foreseeable future seems like a no brainer, certainly more profitable than giving 10 Million in annual tax credits so that a company can bring 100 jobs which is what most cities are reduced to do nowadays. If they do build something else they should connect the south shore area with S tampa and Pinellas, that area has the most growth potential you can only go north so much.