Cruising is coming back! Will Key West be on the itinerary?

Michelle, Ella Joyce and I can’t wait to go cruising again — and all signs show that the time to set sail is drawing near.

Cruise ships can soon safely launch with COVID-19 mitigation protocols in place to protect passengers’ health.

But will Key West be on the itinerary for us, or the millions of other families itching to take to the seas? That all depends on whether Gov. Ron DeSantis signs Senate Bill 1194.

Yesterday, we reported the leaders of Safer, Cleaner Ships signed a letter calling on DeSantis to veto the bill. Mainstream media coverage of the issue has firmly been one-sided, often taking the claims of Safer, Cleaner Ships at face value, without much consideration for opposing views.

Those voices include John Wells, the owner of Caribe Nautical, or Michael Halpern, the owner of the historic Southernmost House Hotel, both of whom spoke eloquently about why legislative action was necessary the last Session to prevent end-runs around elected port authorities, whether they are special districts or municipal governments, from becoming the norm in how Florida’s ports are run.

While Safer, Cleaner Ships presents impassioned arguments for a veto of SB 1194.

However, the facts don’t back them up.

Safer, Cleaner Ships says the referendums they pushed in Key West would not ban cruise ships from coming to the Keys.

The truth is, the limits they want on ship size and passenger counts would eliminate 90% of passenger arrivals, effectively banning cruises to the Keys except for the 10% of customers who are well off enough to afford higher-end cruises.

Safer, Cleaner Ships argues their referendums would prevent an environmental disaster and save the Great Florida Reef from damage.

In reality, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) reported in 2019 — while cruises were still going on regularly — that water quality is “generally good in the Keys. However, nearshore water quality is affected by stormwater runoff and wastewater.” In other words, the threat to water quality was nutrients from the shore, not the cruise ships.

The U.S. Coast Guard notes cruise ships have never discharged into Key West waters.

Further, as Wells points out: “Cruise ships in Key West do not harm corals and there is no study that says they do. There is no data or report of cruise ship transits of the main channel harming any sea life.”

Safer, Cleaner Ships claims the law is unconstitutional and undoes the will of the voters.

Actually, the issue of port governance is bigger than just Key West. Florida has 15 ports, all of which receive state funds or are eligible to do so.

One could describe ports as the “crown jewels” of Florida’s economy. Collectively, they create 1 million jobs in the state, with over $117 billion in economic activity. SB 1194 does not restrict local governing boards’ authority to run their ports. Nor does it prevent voters from electing (or removing) local officials from office if they like (or dislike) how they run their ports.

The law says there are things best debated by local governing boards, not shoehorned into major organizing documents such as city or county charters. Many people persuasively make a similar argument about complex policy not belonging in the Florida Constitution.

Florida has an international reputation to protect. Can we expect the Legislature and Governor to allow publicly funded ports to close their doors to millions of families and say sorry, you are not welcome anymore?

The answer is an emphatic no. At the end of the day, Senate Bill 1194 is about protecting Florida’s ability to conduct international trade and welcome tourists statewide. Keeping Florida trading and cruising is essential to our continued economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Senate Bill 1194 keeps all of Florida’s ports open for commerce and those wishing to visit our beautiful state. That should be how DeSantis views this issue.

Please, keep Key West as a destination for the Schorsch family, and all of us.