TU: JaxPort sets Sept. 30 as Mayport ferry's last day

I am saddened by this as the Mayport Ferry, as the article indicates, is the only operating ferry in the state of Florida, and it has been in operation for over 100 years (and in continuous operation since the early 1940s), so it is a part of Jacksonville's history. I went to the meeting down at the Port Authority yesterday morning, and did hear Mayor Brown's comments supporting the port finding a way to keep the ferry going until a solution can be found. Brown pointed out that he also had a budget problem when he came into office and he determined to fix them, and he got it done. He suggested the Port Authority take a long hard look at where some cuts might be made and private funding for the ferry before moth balling it. City Councilman Gulliford also spoke to this issue, and the meeting room overflowed out into the entry way outside the room. People lined the walls of the meeting room and many spoke with passion about the ferry, but one got the feeling the Port Authority had already decided............................but at least this group of determined folks will have until Sept. 30th to try to find a solution.

St. Johns River Ferry supporters have seven months to save the service because the Jacksonville Port Authority will stop operating it Sept. 30.

A crowd wearing “Keep the Ferry” shirts filled the JaxPort board room Monday and applauded Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown’s call for the authority to continue running the ferry through the fiscal year, to which the board unanimously agreed.

But even though that gives ferry advocates some time, they don’t have money.

Brown said City Hall cannot afford to pick up the tab for the ferry, which has run between Mayport and Heckscher Drive since 1950 and is the last remaining automobile ferry in Florida.

Neither the state nor federal governments have pledged any money toward the ferry, though talks are continuing.

JaxPort budgeted a $680,000 subsidy for the ferry this year. In addition, the ferry’s aging landings need about $4 million of repairs, according to engineering studies.

Brown said the city faces a looming shortfall of more than $60 million in next year’s budget, and he is committed to closing the gap without raising taxes or fees.

He said Save the Ferry advocates can turn to other government entities and private businesses for ferry funding.

TU: JaxPort sets Sept. 30 as Mayport ferry's last day

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