A New Port Plan May Resolve Tampa’s Greatest Cruise Downside

A proposed cruise port on Florida’s Gulf Coast might enable bigger cruise ships to sail from the Tampa Bay area for the primary time.

The venture could be situated south of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, which cruise ships like Royal Caribbean’s Grandeur of the Seas and Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Miracle, which homeport in Tampa, should at the moment cross underneath to achieve the Port of Tampa.

The bridge’s 180-foot top restriction prevents lots of right this moment’s largest cruise ships from accessing the port, particularly Royal Caribbean’s Icon-class ships, that are almost 250 ft in top.

SSA Marine, a worldwide marine terminal operator, mentioned it’s working with Tampa-based Slip Knott LLC to discover improvement of a cruise port on 328 acres of land generally known as the Knott-Cowen’s tract in Manatee County.

Particulars of the proposal have been launched by means of a newly launched web site selling the venture.

If accredited, the venture would characterize a big growth of cruise infrastructure alongside Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Development of the ability, if it strikes ahead, is estimated to take between 3 and 5 years. Earlier than any building can start, nevertheless, the venture should undergo Manatee County’s zoning and allowing course of.

This consists of opinions by the planning fee and county commissioners, and no timeline has been set for these approvals.

“All through this venture, we’re dedicated to transparently working by means of the general public course of and welcome the chance to have interaction native residents in significant dialogue and work collaboratively with the neighborhood to make sure this effort displays West Central Florida’s wants and creates sustained, long-term public profit,” the venture web site states.

Venture Particulars

The Knott-Cowen Cruise Port is described as a privately financed venture led by SSA Marine, which operates port amenities throughout Florida, together with at Port Tampa Bay, Port Canaveral, PortMiami, Port Everglades, and JAXPORT in Jacksonville.

Plans name for a multi-berth cruise facility with supporting infrastructure. The venture additionally features a separate land buy of Rattlesnake Key, a 710-acre island adjoining to the positioning.

Builders say the island won’t be commercially developed and is meant to stay in conservation.

Financial projections revealed on the venture web site estimate greater than 31,000 jobs tied to building and associated exercise, with greater than 13,000 ongoing jobs as soon as the port is operational.

Learn Additionally: Tampa Cruise Port – Terminals, Transportation, What’s Close by

The builders additionally venture roughly $40 million yearly in tax income, although these figures haven’t but been reviewed all through the general public approval course of.

Port Tampa Bay recorded about 368 cruise ship sailings in fiscal 12 months 2025, dealing with greater than 1.6 million cruise passengers. That quantity was a report for Tampa Bay and consists of different manufacturers that homeport within the area, like Celeb Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Margaritaville at Sea.

Regardless of that progress, Tampa’s cruise operations stay constrained by the bridge, which offers roughly 180 ft of vertical clearance at zero tide. Cruise ships taller than that can’t entry the port.

Most of right this moment’s giant cruise ships exceed that top. Royal Caribbean’s Oasis-class ships, as an example, rise above 200 ft from waterline to prime deck, placing them out of attain for Tampa Bay.

Different Florida ports don’t face comparable restrictions, and it reveals.

In 2025, PortMiami dealt with greater than 8.5 million cruise passengers, whereas Port Canaveral welcomed greater than 8.6 million, making them the busiest cruise ports on this planet.

Builders argue {that a} cruise port south of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge might enable Florida’s West Central coast to compete extra instantly with these high-volume homeports by enabling entry for bigger ships.