Phil Ammann
Carnival Corp., the world’s largest cruise company, is entering the growing fight for fair, equitable and competitive workplaces throughout Florida.
The state’s top vacation company – and leading Florida employer — announced today that it is joining the nonprofit Florida Businesses for a Competitive Workforce Coalition to urge legislators to pass the Florida Competitive Workforce Act.
Carnival, headquartered in Miami and Southampton, England, has become one of the 22 major employers to push for a state law instituting nondiscrimination protections for gay, lesbian and transgendered Floridians.
Two bills filed in December seek to establish the Competitive Workforce Act: House Bill 33, filed by Key Largo Republican Holly Rachein, and Senate Bill 156 from Wellington Democrat Sen. Joseph Abruzzo. If passed, the act would prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender, identity or expression. Set for consideration during the upcoming 2015 session starting in March, both bills are in committee; Rachein’s is in House Civil Justice, Abruzzo’s is in Senate Judiciary.
“Diversity is a business imperative,” said Carnival CEO Arnold Donald. “The key to innovation is diversity of thinking … having people from different backgrounds and different cultural experiences who are organized around a common objective are far more likely to create breakthrough innovation than a homogenous group.
“That same diversity of thinking is a powerful advantage.”
Carnival maintains a fleet of more than 100 ships, serving nearly 200,000 guests with 77,000 shipboard employees. More than 277,000 people are sailing in Carnival ships at any given time. The company plans to add another seven ships between January 2015 and March 2017.
The company’s portfolio of cruise brands includes Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and Seabourn in North America; P&O Cruises and Cunard in the United Kingdom; AIDA Cruises in Germany; Costa Cruises in Southern Europe; and P&O Cruises in Australia.
Up to now, 28 Florida municipalities have enacted legislation protecting residents from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, covering more than half of the state’s population.
The coalition believes statewide protection is a sound business strategy to attract the best and the brightest workforce to the Sunshine State.
“We are thrilled to have the caliber of these powerhouse organizations on board to lead our pro-business, anti-discrimination efforts in support of the Florida Competitive Workforce Act,” said coalition president Patrick Geraghty, CEO and Board of Director Chairman of Florida Blue in Jacksonville.
Other leadership includes secretary John Tonnison, who is Executive Vice President and Worldwide CIO of Tech Data Corp. in Clearwater; and treasurer Philip Dinkins, who is a Senior Vice President of commercial real estate firm DTZ Investment Holdings.
The 22 members of the Coalition make up many of Florida’s biggest employers: AmericanAirlines Arena, Bilzin Sumberg, C1Bank, Carlton Fields Jorden Burt, Carnival Corp., CSX, Darden, Florida Blue, the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, Haskell, HSN, Marriott, the Miami HEAT, NextEra Energy, On Top of the World Communities, Raymond James, St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce, Tech Data, the University of North Florida, Walt Disney World Resorts, Wells Fargo and Winn Dixie.
