Ferguson Gives Florida Company the Ferry Contract Over Washington Boatbuilder —Thanks to the Costs of Our Lawmakers’ Anti-Business Policies
Washington’s ferry system is struggling. With chronic staffing shortages, aging vessels, and service disruptions now commonplace, state officials are under increasing pressure to deliver real solutions. But instead of investing in Washington workers and companies, Governor Bob Ferguson has awarded a $714.5 million contract for three new hybrid-electric ferries to a Florida-based shipbuilder.
The contract marks the first time in more than 25 years that Washington State Dept of Transportation has used a competitive bid process, which is good to implement in general for major government projects like this, to build new boats. After reviewing two proposals, Gov. Ferguson chose Eastern Shipbuilding Group, headquartered in Panama City, Florida, over Whidbey Island-based Nichols Brothers Boat Builders. Ferguson defended the decision on the grounds that Eastern’s bid was 6% below the state’s estimate and significantly less expensive than Nichols’ offer, which exceeded $1 billion.
Nichols Brothers CEO Gavin Higgins said his team was prepared to meet the state’s original 48-month delivery timeline, while the Florida shipbuilder is now on a 60-month schedule—pushing the first boat’s arrival to at least 2029.
Rep. Andrew Barkis (R-Olympia, LD 2), the ranking Republican on the House Transportation Committee, said, “It’s deeply concerning that Nichols Brothers, a long-established Washington company with decades of experience, could not offer a competitive bid despite having home-field advantage,” Barkis said. “If building ferries in Washington is no longer financially viable, we’ve done something terribly wrong.”
That “something” is obvious: it’s a hostile state to do business. The costs are just too high. Representative Barkis continued:
“That’s not a reflection on the capabilities of Nichols Brothers — it’s an indictment of the crushing taxes, regulations, wage mandates, and costly compliance burdens our state has layered onto local employers. And with the majority ushering in the largest tax increase in state history this session — including billions in new business taxes — the problem is only going to get worse.”
Washington has imposed so many regulations and mandates on its businesses that it cannot be competitive with those in a responsibly run state like Florida. That’s why $714.5 million of Washington taxpayer dollars are now being shipped across the country instead of reinvested in our own workforce and economy. In the end, the governor’s decision exposes our lawmakers’ own failures.
Adding salt to the wound, this self-inflicted by the governor and legislature electrification mandate is expensive. The hybrid-electric ferries cost significantly more than traditional ferries, and this kind of unchecked spending is a big part of why Democrats pushed through $12.5 billion in new taxes and a 6 cent per gallon gas tax this year—tax hikes that will cost the average Washington family around $4,000.
For Gov. Ferguson and legislative leadership, this may seem like a fair price for environmental progress—but many Washingtonians are beginning to ask serious questions. For one, are these delays and exorbitant costs worth it? Also, these ferries will have to travel through the Panama Canal just to get here. Is that really the best use of climate dollars? Not to mention, no one seems able to answer key questions about battery life, long-term maintenance, or whether the electric infrastructure will even be ready by the time the boats arrive.
Gov. Inslee created this mess, but now Gov. Ferguson has a chance to reverse course. Legislative leaders should be supporting commonsense proposals—like adding new traditional ferries to meet urgent needs and keep routes running—not chasing headline-friendly “solutions” that don’t work.
Email your lawmaker and tell them to put Washington families, workers, and commuters first. Support traditional ferries—and stop wasting our tax dollars on costly, untested environmental experiments.