Key West to ban most cruise ships

I think Venice will, but now that Coronvirus has crushed the tourism industry, they may push that back another couple of decades.

Good for KW.

But also...another Key will just build the infrastructure to accept cruise ship passengers.

Yeah it definitely takes the charm out of Key West.

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This will have an economic impact, though, to their own citizens.

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Probably not as great as you’d think. Cruise tourists spend just a few hours in port, and most are value conscious, limited spenders (based on the customers of the cruise lines making port stops in KW). The cheap drinks, shave ice and frozen lemonade kiosks, and schlocky souvenir stands and key lime pie on a stick vendors will move into some other niche, KW has a nice literary festival, a real small town life and feel, and enough charms
and attractions to develop other, less cattle-call-crowded economic ventures.

The port fees to the local government go all long way that will now need to be subsidized another way

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The port fees to the local government go all long way that will now need to be subsidized another way

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The city passed the budget for next year without having to raise taxes but they will have to next year. They cut nine police officer positions and made lots of other budget cuts.
The city would collect $10.50 for every passenger on the boat. With over 950k passengers that is quite a lot of money.

Over-tourism has become a problem. Part of it is the worlds middle class has grown. In 2019 over 1 billion people traveled internationally. Twenty years ago people didn’t have the resources to do such a thing. I was in Italy in 2019 and the cruise ship travel there is a problem. They put to much pressure on an already crowded place. The bus tours coming from all over were equally as bad in some places.
Still it was the part time residents of Key West who sunk the cruise ships. The people who live and work in KW, who have skin in the game were against it.

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Not sure how you arrived at this conclusion: part time residents are likely NOT registered to vote in KW, and these measures were enacted by the voters.

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Key west is comprised of many multiple home homeowners. For property tax reasons they have to register to vote in KW to maintain a homestead exemption and other benefits of being labeled residents. Having no income tax is another incentive to label the second home as a primary home. Because many of these people aren’t in KW during election season they mail in their ballots. KW has always had a long history of mail in votes. Crazy enough, most business owners in Key West reside outside of the city where property is cheaper and it’s easier to have a yard and a boat in the backyard. Most of them couldn’t vote in this election, even though when the property taxes get raised the commercial property they own will get hit the hardest.