New Ferry Service Between Bradenton, AMI Launching After Delays

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — After months of delays, Gulf Islands Ferry, which will shuttle passengers between Anna Maria Island and downtown Bradenton, is finally launching Sunday.

The service, initially supposed to launch over the summer, has been pushed back numerous times after Manatee County had difficulties finding a vendor, negotiating agreements with local governments and additional time needed to build the boats.

More recently, a scheduled early December start date was pushed to January while the county and ferry company awaited U.S. Coast Guard approval, Bay News 9 reported.

And while the service intended to launch Friday, that date was pushed to Sunday because of bad weather, according to the Gulf Islands Ferry website.

The water ferry is a first step in providing multi-modal transportation throughout Manatee County.

Two 50-foot open air catamarans, Miss Anna Maria and Downtown Duchess, will take riders from the day dock located directly off Riverwalk in downtown Bradenton to Anna Maria City Pier.

Visitors and residents can catch a ride on the water Friday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

A one-way ticket costs $6 per person. Special pricing is available for children and seniors.