A July 1 city commission resolution was described as “political pandering,” “political talking points,” “not worth the paper it’s written on,” and an act that “means nothing.”
Nevertheless, the commission voted 5-2 to approve it and uphold a majority opinion among Key West voters about limiting cruise ship visits. Commissioners Lissette Carey and Aaron Castillo dissented.
Commissioner Sam Kaufman, who is running in a heated race for mayor against incumbent Mayor Dee Dee Henriquez, placed a resolution on the July 1 commission agenda that sought to respectfully remind local U.S. Navy leaders that Key West voters overwhelmingly passed a voter initiative limiting cruise ships to one large ship a day in Key West.
The resolution comes during a time of uncertainty for the Navy-owned Outer Mole Pier, which the city for decades had leased from the Navy, welcoming large cruise ships at the pier. But in November 2020, more than 60% of Key West voters approved an initiative that would limit cruise ships to one per day, and only at the privately owned and operated Pier B. The city, while it still leased Outer Mole PIer from the Navy, no longer used it for cruise ships.
The Navy has told Key West that it would be terminating its lease of the Outer Mole Pier in August, but is still determining how the pier will be used and by whom. Cruise lines have expressed interest in returning to the Outer Mole Pier.
Safer Cleaner Ships (SCS), the nonprofit group that spearheaded the 2020 voter referendums, has been keeping its supporters updated about the potential return of multiple large cruise ships each day to Key West.
Kaufman on July 1 sponsored the resolution that would reaffirm “the City’s longstanding one-ship policy and request voluntary cooperation from the United States Navy,” while still “recognizing federal jurisdiction over the Outer Mole.”
In other words, while the Navy is figuring out what to do with the pier, Kaufman, SCS and their supporters want the city to use the time to remind the Navy how Key West voters felt about cruise ships at Outer Mole Pier in the 2020 election, while fully acknowledging that decisions about its usage are entirely up to the Navy and federal government as the owners.
At the July 1 meeting, three residents spoke in favor while two spoke in opposition to it. In addition, the commissioners each received written support from more than 100 people urging passage of the proposed resolution.
“At its heart, this is not about telling the Navy what to do,” said resident Sarah Compton, who is running for city commission. “What it does do is respectfully ask the Navy to respect the decisions the people of Key West have already made.”
Resident Margaret Romero urged the opposite. She told the commission that if the cruise ship referendum were on the ballot today, “We don’t need to be telling the Navy what to do. … If the Navy wants our input on the Outer Mole, they’ll ask. I see this as political pandering now and that upsets me even more.”
Arlo Haskell, speaking on behalf of Safer Cleaner Ships, told the commissioners, “Our residents will strongly object to multiple cruise ships a day. If you vote no, you’ll show the Navy you’re out of sync with the population. You will appear to ignore 13 years of local legislative history and may weaken the Navy’s faith in the city as an honest broker for its citizens.”
Commission positions
Commissioner Greg Veliz said he agreed with Romero about the “political pandering,” but added, “I think that ship has sailed, pun intended. I think last meeting we set the tone for political pandering — by both candidates.”
His criticism follows the May commission meeting when Henriquez and Kaufman both seemed eager to get credit for proposing to name the new fire station, which is neither fully funded nor built yet, in honor of the late longtime Fire Chief Eddie Castro.
Veliz on July 1 emphasized that the city commission was not there “to relitigate the fight. A large majority of people in this city voted to limit cruise ships. Now, I don’t think this letter will be worth the paper it’s written on, but I do believe the people of Key West supported that in the election of 2020. So while I don’t think it’s effective, and I empathize with those who were impacted by fewer cruise ships, I don’t think sending a letter about what the people voted for is damaging.”
In introducing his resolution, Kaufman said, “This is not us telling the Navy what to do. We support the Navy fully. This has to do with water quality, protecting our environment and doing the right thing. Whether you agreed with the cruise ship policy or not, we had 65 to 70% approval for those referendums.
Commissioner Monica Haskell said she would uphold the will of the majority of Key West voters with regard to cruise ships.
Carey said, “I’m still waiting for the one-ship policy to improve our water quality and it hasn’t one bit.”
Henriquez said, “I agree this letter means nothing. Whether we approve it or not, it has no meaning as far as the military is concerned.”
Henriquez, Kaufman, Veliz, Haskell and Donie Lee ultimately voted to pass the resolution and remind the Navy of the city’s voter-approved cruise ship policy.
