The Saint Johns River Ferry, also known as the Mayport Ferry, is an automobile

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

between Mayport and

Fort George Island A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

, two areas within

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

. The voyage crosses the Saint Johns River about inland of the river's mouth and travels in an east-west direction for approximately on

State Road A1A State Road A1A (SR A1A) is a major north–south Florida State Road that runs along the Atlantic Ocean, from Key West at the southern tip of Florida, to Fernandina Beach, just south of Georgia on Amelia Island. It is the main road through m ...

. It departs every half-hour. The alternate driving route uses the toll-free

Dames Point Bridge The Dames Point Bridge (officially the Napoleon Bonaparte Broward Bridge) is a cable-stayed bridge over the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida on the Interstate 295 East Beltway. Construction began in 1985 and was completed in 1989. The m ...

I-295 Interstate 295 is the designation for several Interstate Highways in the United States: *Interstate 295 (Delaware–Pennsylvania), a bypass of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania *Interstate 295 (Florida), a beltway around central Jacksonville *Interstate 29 ...

but is long. The ferry has been operating since 1874. These vessels operated in the ferry fleet: *primary
''Jean Ribault''
built 1996, 40 vehicles, 206 passengers. *stand-by:
Blackbeard
', built 1956, 42 vehicles, 207 passengers. Additional ferries which were in service included the ''Jean LaFitte'' which was a 26-car ferry, the ''Reliance'', the ''Sirus''. U.S.Coast Guard documents these vessels; some of the older ferries have been renamed to pass inspection. The history of the ferry dates back to 1874 according to th
New York Times
and the Library of Congress. The

Florida Department of Transportation The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is a decentralized agency charged with the establishment, maintenance, and regulation of public transportation in the state of Florida. The department was formed in 1969. It absorbed the powers of t ...

, which had always operated the service, had the Mayport Ferry line item budget vetoed by Governor

Charlie Crist Charles Joseph Crist Jr. (; born July 24, 1956) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 44th governor of Florida from 2007 to 2011 and as the U.S. representative for from 2017 to 2022. Crist has been a member of the Democratic ...

for 2007-2008. The City of Jacksonville had been contributing $200,000-300,000 for several years, so instead of allowing the service to end, the City of Jacksonville assumed full responsibility. However, they lost over $1 million in one year, and Mayor John Peyton announced that there was insufficient money available in the new budget. The

Jacksonville Port Authority The Jacksonville Port Authority (JPA) also known by its brand name, JAXPORT, is the independent government agency in Jacksonville, Florida, that owns and operates much of the seaport system at the Port of Jacksonville. History The Jacksonville P ...

took over operation of the ferry for 2007 and lost $500,000 each year, but uses port revenue, not tax money, to underwrite the operation. After taking over, the JPA decided to cut costs and sell the ''Blackbeard'', the backup vessel built in 1956. That meant that whenever the ''Jean Ribault'' had problems, ferry service would be suspended. On February 5, 2009 the ferry was put into dry dock for routine maintenance, but hull corrosion required an extra week of repairs, and there was no service for a month.Dixon, Drew
"A month and $940,000 later, Mayport ferry back in service"
Florida Times-Union, March 7, 2009 On March 31, 2016, the Jacksonville Transportation Authority took over permanent ownership and operation of the ferry. The ferry helps connect segments the

East Coast Greenway The East Coast Greenway is a pedestrian and bicycle route between Maine and Florida along the East Coast of the United States. In 2020, the Greenway received over 50 million visits. The nonprofit East Coast Greenway Alliance was created in 1991. ...

, a 3000 mile long system of trails connecting Maine to Florida.

Memorial

The

United States Merchant Marine United States Merchant Marines are United States civilian mariners and U.S. civilian and federally owned merchant vessels. Both the civilian mariners and the merchant vessels are managed by a combination of the government and private sectors, an ...

Memorial stands on the ferry grounds on the Mayport side. The Memorial was erected on September 14, 1999.

References

External links

Official website
{{Crossings navbox , structure = Crossings , place =

St. Johns River The St. Johns River ( es, Río San Juan) is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant one for commercial and recreational use. At long, it flows north and winds through or borders twelve counties. The drop in eleva ...

, bridge = Mayport Ferry , bridge signs = , upstream =

, upstream signs = , downstream =

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

, downstream signs = Ferries of Florida Transportation in Jacksonville, Florida Crossings of the St. Johns River 1874 establishments in Florida Northside, Jacksonville