The plan to create a cruise ship terminal near the Sunshine Skyway may be sunk after the Florida House unanimously passed a bill limiting dredging needed by larger ships.
Bradenton Sen. Jim Boyd’s bill passed the Senate last month. It would expand the boundaries of the Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve in Manatee County into an area cruise ships would need to pass through, near the entrance to the Sunshine Skyway. Dredging would not be allowed if it would impact water quality.
The Terra Ceia preserve covers submerged lands in Tampa Bay, running from the Port Manatee ship channel to the Manatee-Hillsborough county line, then along the Intracoastal Waterway, around Emerson Point on Snead Island, and along the shores of Terra Ceia Bay, Miguel Bay, Joe Bay and Bishop Harbor…