Behind Key West’s attempt at cruise control

When Key West voters in November decisively approved measures to cap the size of cruise ships allowed to dock in Florida’s southernmost city and limit how many cruisers can come ashore, the issue was  as expected — overshadowed by the tumultuous presidential election and global pandemic.

But it was an important vote for the cruise industry. Between 60% and 80% of Key West voters said yes to measures that ban cruise ships that carry more than 1,300 people; allow only 1,500 cruise passengers per day to disembark; and require ports to prioritize berthing based on the ships’ health and environmental records.  

According to the Florida Ports Council, Key West was one of the busiest cruise ports in the nation during the 2018-2019 season, with about 393 ships and 913,323 passengers visiting. The Key West Chamber of Commerce has said that the industry contributes $90 million annually in jobs and income. The day after the vote, city manager Greg Veliz told local newspaper Keys Weekly that lawsuits were sure to follow, specifically from one of the city’s docking facilities, Pier B, which is privately owned.

Veliz also suggested that if the law sticks, the cruise lines might not be willing to send any ships at all. “I don’t mind telling you guys exactly what [cruise industry officials] told me, which is that inviting the smaller ships to come to Key West but not the big ones is like inviting me to your dinner party but not my wife and kids,” he said.

It was a big enough deal that a Florida lawmaker nowhere near the Keys introduced legislation that would nullify the decision, making it so that “a local government may not restrict or regulate commerce in the seaports of this state” or restrict “a vessel’s type or size” or “number, origin or nationality of passengers.” The bill was proposed by senator Jim Boyd, a Republican whose jurisdiction is near Tampa.

When asked about the Key West vote during Travel Weekly’s CruiseWorld in November, Royal Caribbean Group CEO Richard Fain said it indicated to him that the industry needed to do a better job of communicating with port communities.

“It does prove that we need to do a better job of explaining ourselves, what our role is in the community,” Fain said. “And it’s not just us: the people we work with, the travel advisors partners, the other suppliers. We need to do a better job of making sure that people understand what we are doing so that we don’t create an environment or allow an environment where that kind of vote is passed.

“That was discouraging, but I think, long term, the economic value of cruising to the society is really very powerful. And I’m proud of our contribution to the local communities, and we need to do a better job of showing that.”

An editorial in the local Key West Citizen agreed in part with Fain, saying that the voters of Key West believed they were not being listened to by elected officials or the cruise industry.

“The blame lies squarely with the mayors and city commissioners over the years, as well as the businesses that profit from the cruise ships,” the editorial said. It cited a 2013 referendum on whether to conduct a study to widen the shipping channel to accommodate larger vessels, which was defeated by 74% of voters.

“Elected officials were tone deaf to the crushing defeat suffered a decade ago by the referendum to simply do a study to widen the ship channel  Our electorate was voting not so much against a study but rather against cruise ships. We are here today because those with the power to lead and change were not listening.”

The Citizen went on to say that while it is easy to blame the group that launched the most recent referendum, it “was inevitable” that such a group would take shape.

“The industry could have easily self-policed,” the editorial said. “Instead, they choose to neither self-regulate nor consider the citizen preferences. And now, regulation has come from an external source.”