Last week’s letters from Ed Swift and John Wells argue for an increase in local cruise ship operations. Specifically, they want the city to replace its “one-ship policy” with new rules to allow two cruise ships per day.
The one-ship policy was adopted by unanimous vote of the Key West City Commission last year. It is not the sweeping set of cruise regulations Key West voters adopted in the 2020 referendums. Nor is it the lawlessness that resulted when the state canceled that historic election. What this policy is, is a compromise.
The one-ship policy has allowed the politically connected operator of Pier B to run a profitable cruise business, while allowing Key West’s elected leaders to finally serve the voters who have asked for lawful limits on cruising for more than 30 years. Simply by regulating traffic to the piers that are owned and/or operated by the city, the policy has reduced environmentally damaging cruise ship activity by 50% from its peak in 2019-20. That is a win for everyone.
Our community’s courageous battle to protect the environment through better cruise management generated waves of positive publicity around the globe. Since passage of the one-ship policy one year ago, sales revenues across the Keys are at an all-time high. Unemployment is the lowest in the state. Most business owners on the island now agree that responsible cruise limits have helped build a better business environment.
The visitors flocking here today don’t expect to find an overcrowded tourist town with its oceanfront views blocked by steel leviathans. But that is what they found last month, when lobbying by Mr. Wells convinced city staff to violate the one-ship policy with double bookings that obliterated the waterfront views at Mallory Square. This was unfortunate, and those responsible should be held accountable.
The good news is we already have rules in place to stop this from happening again. No new legislation is needed. Key West’s elected leaders should simply send a strong message to the incoming city manager to faithfully maintain the one-ship policy and hold staff accountable for their actions.
If we return to the outdated, bigger-is-always-better model of two and three ships a day, the high-spending visitors who now power our economy will go somewhere else. I hope our elected leaders are wise enough to understand that it’s more important to protect the golden goose than to fry a couple drumsticks for Mr. Swift and Mr. Wells.
