Port Tampa Bay committee will explore opening cruise terminal to extend Riverwalk
By Henry Queen
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Jan 17, 2023

Port Tampa Bay board members voted Tuesday to form a committee to explore the future of public access through Cruise Terminal 2.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor made the motion so downtown residents and visitors can more easily access the Florida Aquarium and other Channel district amenities.

"As we grow as a community, clearly we have to look at density more on the vertical level than horizontal, and we have to ensure that we are collaborating to ... use our available land to the best and highest use," Castor said.

The downtown terminal, used seasonally, is currently closed to non-passengers. Port leaders have targeted security, cost and liability as issues with the proposal.

Stakeholders under the port-commissioned committee could include representatives from local businesses, the U.S. Coast Guard, the city of Tampa, Hillsborough County and the cruise lines. Castor also mentioned Strategic Property Partners, the developer of nearby Water Street, as a potential partner. The committee's participants would report back to the port board, and public meetings would be subject to the Florida Sunshine Law.

Next month's port board meeting is expected to include an agenda item to hash out the official members of the committee.

The waterfront portion of the Tampa Riverwalk currently ends at Beneficial Drive near the Tampa Bay History Center before extending north along Channelside Drive. Commissioner Hung Mai said it may not be feasible to bring the Riverwalk across the Beneficial Drive Bridge, through the Garrison parking lot, the Yacht StarShip Cruises and Events and the far end of Sparkman Wharf.

Commissioner Patrick Allman, who seconded Castor's motion, said the discussion should start with Cruise Terminal 2 and not with the portion near Beneficial Drive. He said the community is frustrated with the port.

"We're being lampooned in the editorials because we as a board haven't led," Allman said. "Well, it's time for us to lead, and that's what the mayor's motion is about."

A plan from 2015 had proposed $1.7 billion of apartments, hotels, offices and retail on 45 acres of port-owned property along the downtown waterfront. Several pieces of property have since been sold, including the Garrison lot to SPP. (The plan also initially called for removing Cruise Terminal 6.)

On Tuesday, Mai and Castor went back and forth regarding the committee's goals. Mai made a substitute motion that, in part, sought to emphasize better how the port would comply with federal maritime security requirements. That motion failed.

Castor said security would be discussed, and the committee's ultimate results should be made available within months, not years.

"I just feel like we've been going around and around on this issue," Castor said.

Port Tampa Bay CEO Paul Anderson has emphasized the importance of the cruise industry, which is expected to make up almost 20% of the port's fiscal 2023 revenue. Over 1.2 million cruise passengers from 260 ships are expected to visit Port Tampa Bay this season, according to Anderson. Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean Group sail to destinations like Antigua, Belize and the Grand Cayman.

Principal Counsel Charles Klug stood in for Anderson on Tuesday, who was absent due to an illness. Port Chief Commercial Officer Raul Alfonso said everything has to be considered about the proposal, including the future of the downtown community.

The discussion on extending the Riverwalk comes at a time of evolution for downtown. In November, Ybor City land owner and developer Darryl Shaw closed on 1 acre of a larger 25-acre parcel surrounding the Ybor Channel.

Mai expressed concerns about the industrial land near Shaw's property being "decimated."

"Darryl Shaw can have his own development so long as he works within the parameter of the port," Mai said.