Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says 'not really a need' for new cruise port in Manatee County

Max Chesnes, Tampa Bay Times on Mar 19, 2026

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TAMPA, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday spoke against a proposed cruise port in Manatee County that a leading cruise terminal operator has been floating to the Tampa Bay community since mid-January.

SSA Marine has said it’s eyeing a roughly 328-acre coastal property just south of the Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge as a potential site for a privately financed, multiberth cruise port. The land is surrounded by the Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve, largely considered by leading scientists as one of the most ecologically significant habitats in the Tampa Bay estuary.

“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 deep-water ports, including SeaPort Manatee right here in Manatee County,” the governor said at a news conference in Bradenton.

“So construction of a new port next door, I think, struck a lot of people as being unnecessary,” he said.

A spokesperson for SSA Marine did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the governor’s remarks.

The governor made the comments just before he signed a coastal resiliency bill — his first signature since the legislative session concluded Friday — that includes a provision clarifying restrictions on dredging in the Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve.

State Sen. Jim Boyd, a Bradenton Republican, filed an amendment to the bill in February that he said would help further protect the aquatic preserve by allowing dredging only under certain conditions, including instances that would enhance the quality of the preserve and improve public navigation and human health by curbing stagnant waters.

In preliminary filings to Manatee County officials, the landowner working with the cruise company, Slip Knott LLC, has said it has rights dating to the 1950s to dredge and fill the submerged lands surrounding the coastal and mangrove-dense property.

Manatee County’s elected leaders have signaled that Boyd’s amendment is a death knell for the port. SSA Marine, though, has yet to indicate publicly that it’s abandoning the idea.

When the Tampa Bay Times asked SSA Marine earlier this month whether the legislative proposal would prevent it from further pursuing the port, the company didn’t appear concerned.

“SSA Marine looks forward to continuing to share our vision for meaningful environmental conservation, local job creation, and long-term economic growth in Manatee County,” spokesperson Sally Dee said in a statement March 9. She added the company remains committed to maintaining an “open dialogue” with elected leaders and the community.

SSA Marine has said it oversees operations at several Florida ports, including PortMiami and Port Everglades. The company serves an estimated 25 million cruise passengers annually and works with major cruise lines like Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian.

While some port opponents have expressed skepticism that Boyd’s amendment would be able to halt the port in its tracks, the growing opposition from the state’s top leaders, now including DeSantis, is noteworthy.

Boyd celebrated DeSantis’ signature Thursday as a way to “protect that area for generations to come.”

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

On Valentine’s Day, hundreds of people gathered in coastal Manatee County to rally against the cruise port, wielding signs with phrases like “No Cruise Port!” and “Save our Bay!”

Residents of the quiet Terra Ceia region raised worries that the port could turn their community into an overpopulated tourist destination. But the biggest concern of all, they said, was the potential environmental destruction a port could cause.

A recent morning spent within the aquatic preserve underscored what port critics fear they might lose:

A mother dolphin and her calf, hunting for fish along a sandy flat. Flashy redfish tucked into a labyrinth of mangrove trees. Hermit crabs and snails skirting the seafloor.

An ecosystem untouched by humans and humming with life — one of the few remaining in the Tampa Bay estuary.

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