An update, the city of South Padre Island is in the process of acquiring a cruise ship industry. However, the mayor says it’s now up to the county for support and to make use of the property.
The city is looking to become a port of call for Cruise ships. Currently, the future of the SPI Cruise Ship Industry is in the hands of Cameron County officials. For several months, the mayor has been working to make this dream a reality.
Mayor Dennis Stahl, “We’ve identified that there is a high level of interest by the cruise lines and potential investors, now we’re handing that off.”
The reason is the spot they identified for the port, while on the Island, belongs to Cameron County and not the city.
Eddie Treviño Jr., County Judge, “Basically, because Isla Blanca is county owned. The county at some point will have to take the lead on it and that’s where we’re at right now.”
The mayor says that it’s possible for the city to host the port on city property, but they’d like to move forward with Isla Blanca Park. They chose the spot because of its location and because minimal dredging will be required to accommodate the large ships.
Judge Treviño, “The island, through its consultants, have basically having their conversations with the cruise Lines. In addition, we’ve had communication and meetings with the Island to move the ball forward.”
Mayor Stahl says he does not have an official date of when we can expect the cruises on South Padre Island, but JudgeTreviño says hopefully within 12 months, if not sooner.
The city hopes to offset low visitor counts during November and December. Part of their plan is to attract visitors with the cruise line industry.
Alfredo Cuadros
