LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — Michigan senators want to keep ferry fares from sinking Mackinac Island’s economy.

The Senate on July 1 approved legislation giving Mackinac Island the power to regulate ferry prices and service, siding with island leaders in a growing feud with the Florida-based company that controls all ferry access to the state’s top tourist destination.

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The 30-6 vote sends Senate Bill 304 to the House, according to Bridge Michigan, where supporters say quick passage is key to preventing economic damage from rising fares and fees.

“This Florida-based monopoly now enjoys a chokehold on access to the island,” Sen. Jim Runestad (R-White Lake), who chairs the Michigan Republican Party, said. “It’s not a free market.”

The Hoffmann Family of Companies owns both ferry operations and has raised ticket and parking costs since acquiring Shepler’s Ferry in 2022. A standard adult round-trip now runs $38, with additional charges for parking, early boarding, and other services.

Mackinac Island officials say the hikes threaten tourism and violate the city charter. The island denied a proposed rate increase in March; Hoffmann sued, and the city countersued.

Under the proposal from Sen. John Damoose (R-Harbor Springs), island officials could set their own rules and rates for ferry traffic to and from the mainland.

In a recent hearing however, Chris Shepler, now a Hoffmann employee, defended the hikes as necessary to sustain service.

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“If we’re not allowed to make money to pay for upkeep,” he told lawmakers, “we have to find it another way.”