DeSantis signs bill blocking new cruise terminal on Tampa Bay’s southern shore

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TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a coastal resilience bill into law on Thursday intended to impede plans for cruise ship operations near the southern part of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge on the coast of Manatee County.

The measure (SB 302), one of two bills DeSantis signed, restricts large dredging or filling of the Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve, which surrounds private property floated as the site of a potential cruise terminal by SSA Marine and Tampa-based Slip-Knott LLC.

DeSantis said that while Florida highly supports the cruise industry, there needs to be an “appropriate balance” with any regional changes.

“We’re, in many ways, the capital of cruise,” DeSantis said. “But there’s a time and a place for that, right? And we want to preserve this.”

Sen. Jim Boyd, a Bradenton Republican, voiced support for the cruise industry across the state, just not around the Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve, where he boated while growing up and where preservation efforts have been underway for years.

“It’s just such a vibrant part of our coastline and just such an area that without protection, who knows what could happen there. But we’re going to stand firm and protect that,” said Boyd, who is slated to become Senate President after the 2026 elections.

In 2021 Boyd sponsored legislation signed by DeSantis that overturned a decision by Key West voters that placed restrictions on cruise ships docking at the city’s port.

This year’s effort, which becomes law on July 1, allows minimum dredging to eliminate conditions hazardous to the public health or for the creation and maintenance of marinas, public boat ramps, piers, and docks that don’t “adversely affect the water quality and utility of the preserve.”
Representatives for SSA Marine and Slip Knott LLC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.

After plans for the terminal were introduced in January, Slip Knott stated on its website that it intended to respect the surrounding environment and create long-term economic opportunities for the local community.

“Our new port will complement existing cruise activities in the region by being able to service the newer, larger, low-emissions cruise vessels that would otherwise be unable to visit due to the height restrictions of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge,” the company stated on its website on Jan. 16.

After the bill was approved by the Legislature on March 9, Sally Dee, a spokeswoman for Slip Knott, stated the company intended to continue working with state and local officials “to ensure this project meets the economic and ecological needs of the region.”
Under the bill, similar dredging protections for Terra Ceia are provided around the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve in south Florida.

The bill also allows structures to be erected within aquatic preserves if they are for improving coastal resiliency, including living seawalls, shoreline and vegetation planting, seagrass planting, wave attenuation devices, and green or hybrid green-gray stormwater infrastructure.

The proposal also specifies that local governments can participate in coastal resiliency that includes mangrove replanting and hydrological restoration programs; restoration of oyster reefs, salt marshes, seagrass beds, and coral reefs; identification and monitoring of threats to mangroves; and protection of barrier and spoil islands.

“These measures will not only lead to better environmental outcomes, they also protect coastal communities from erosion and help to mitigate the effects of storm surges,” DeSantis said.

The other measure signed Thursday (HB 1417) in part directs the Department of Environmental Protection to encourage private sector investment in coastal resiliency projects. The bill, effective July 1, also requires stormwater management planning around solar facilities.