BRADENTON — A plan to build a cruise ship port near the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Manatee County that was strongly opposed by local residents may now be blocked based on a bill signed into law on Thursday by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The measure (SB 302) was sponsored by Sen. Ileana Garcia, R-Miami. It was originally filed to add protections for the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve in Miami and direct the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to develop guidelines and standards for using nature-based solutions to rehabilitate wetlands, restore oyster reefs, and expand mangroves along the Florida peninsula.
The bill was amended last month after news broke that cruise terminal operator SSA Marine, along with Tampa’s Slip Knott LCC, were exploring development of a modern cruise port in Manatee County. The plan was pitched as a way to accommodate larger cruise ships that can’t pass beneath the Sunshine Skyway Bridge to reach ports in the Tampa Bay area.
SSA Marine announced at the same time that it had purchased environmentally sensitive Rattlesnake Key, an adjacent 710-acre island on Terra Ceia Bay, to prevent future commercial development.
Sen. Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, added an amendment to the bill to restrict large-scale dredging projects in the Terra Ceia Bay Aquatic Preserve in northwest Manatee County in the Tampa Bay area. The amendment says dredging would be allowed only under certain circumstances, including improving public health and for navigation projects.
The announcement by SSA Marine of its proposed cruise port led to an uproar among residents and environmentalists, who warned its construction would create major ecological harm.
“The proposed port would threaten the health of our shared watersheds, including Tampa Bay, Terra Ceia Bay, Sarasota Bay, and beyond,” said the group Suncoast Waterkeeper. “SSA Marine’s claims about economic benefits and ecological preservation obscure the real, serious harm this terminal would inflict on our waterways, our health, our businesses, and our way of life.”
DeSantis said Thursday that he agreed.
“That obviously would have had a major, major change in the lifestyle and the environment who live in this area,” he remarked during a news conference at Pier 22, an upscale eatery in Bradenton.
“We have many world-class deepwater seaports already,” he said. “They contribute a lot to the state economy. They contribute local taxes, jobs. So, there’s a lot that goes into that, but Florida remains an important destination for cruise expedition. There’s not really a need to add another port in the middle of a conserved area, and an aquatic preserve, especially given that Tampa Bay is already home to three deepwater ports, including SeaPort Manatee, right here in Manatee County. So, construction of a new port next door I think struck a lot of people as being unnecessary.”
The governor said his signing of the bill “would not allow the dredging that is necessary to convert this into a commercial cruise ship terminal,” and that dredging would only be allowed for passive recreational activities like fishing and boating.
However, some environmental organizations say that the fight to preserve the area isn’t over yet.
“We anticipate a long battle ahead, as this legislation does not prevent SSA Marine or Slip Knott LLC from filing county-level rezoning applications, Environmental Resource Permit applications with the Southwest Florida Water Management District, or federal U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permits,” Suncoast Waterkeeper said in a written statement posted on its website.
The Pheonix reached out to SSA Marine for comment. The organization did not provide an immediate response.
“When the cruise terminal was started to be discussed, we said this is just something that we can’t allow in our community in that particular spot,” said Boyd. “As the governor said, there’s plenty of cruise terminals around the state and the country that are good. We support the cruise industry, and I think that it’s a great way for families and folks to vacation, but just not there.”
“We don’t need a cruise ship [terminal] out there, we love our area,” added Rep. Will Robinson, R-Bradenton.
More than 19,000 people have signed a petition to stop the proposed cruise terminal.
DeSantis also signed HB 1417 into law. That measure repeals the Environmental Regulation Commission [ERC], a seven-member board within the DEP responsible for setting specified air and water quality standards by evaluating their scientific and technical validity, economic inputs, and risks and benefits to the public and the state’s natural resources. It also removes references to the ERC in state statute. That measure passed unanimously in the Florida House, and received just three dissenting votes in the Senate.
In addition to Boyd and Robinson, Republican Sen. Ralph Ralph Massullo from Lecanto and GOP Rep. Bill Conerly from Lakewood Ranch were in attendance for the bill signing. HB 1417 and SB 302 are the first bills passed by the Legislature during the 2026 regular session that the governor has signed into law.
Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com.
