The first revenue report for the St. Johns River Ferry under City ownership shows October ridership numbers dropped but revenues increased from the same month last year.
The report was item No. 6 on the agenda of the St. Johns River Ferry Commission during its Monday meeting, but City Council member John Crescimbeni, who chairs the commission, was interested in seeing the numbers from the first month of City operation at the start.
"It looks good after all we did to transfer the ferry to the City," said Crescimbeni.
The City took control of the service, which links Florida A1A between Heckscher Drive and Mayport Village, Oct. 1 after the Jacksonville Port Authority transferred the responsibility.
The ferry collected $99,773 in revenue during October, outpacing the $73,778 collected during the same month in 2011.
The report showed ridership had slipped from 18,952 to 17,573 during the same months.
Despite the ridership loss, the revenue gain was attributed to the fare increase that took effect when the City assumed operations.
Ridership numbers show the commission budgeted for 617 riders each day in October the past two years. The goal was met on 10 days last month.
Compared to last year's ridership, this year's daily totals met or exceeded the previous year's totals for 12 days.
Another priority item on the agenda was the search for grant funding to cover capital improvements for the ferry. The commission is searching for about $7 million to repair the docking systems for the ferry and $1 million for regular inspection, which involves pulling the ferry out of the water and placing it in dry dock.
The commission worked with private grant writer Lisa King to develop a list of grants that could help pay for the repairs. Three of the grants were available from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration, two were from the Florida Inland Navigational District and another is available through the Florida Department of Transportation for the development of marketing and advertising.
"We are awaiting guidance and rules for the grant programs from the federal government," said Cherrise Wilks, a City grant administrator.
King, Wilks and the Jacksonville Transportation Authority have provided assistance to the commission for its grant search. King expects the guidance will be available in about two months.
James Bennett, Florida Department of Transportation District 2 Urban Transportation Development manager, told the commission the FDOT would create and display signs to direct motorists to the ferry at 20 different locations throughout the region.
The commission had previously asked Bennett if he could discuss the possibility of developing more signage for the ferry on area roadways.
@photojoe71
(904) 356-2466